Millennium Forum & Richmond Shopping Centre 2023
Context
The Millennium Forum Theatre has been creating award winning entertainment and community and business outreach for over 20 years. Richmond Shopping Centre is a large retail centre which hosts over 40 top high street stores and is also Millennium Forum’s fabulous next door neighbour.
Challenge
Richmond Shopping Centre wanted to enhance the customer experience of their community. They recognised that many families were under huge pressure with the current cost of living crisis, and not everyone was able to enjoy the Millennium Forum pantomime, nor the shopping experiences they were previously accustomed to. They wanted to enhance their long-term pantomime sponsorship with the Millennium Forum while giving something back to their local community.
“We are delighted to sponsor these workshops, and feel it is an excellent way for us to give something back to our local community. Productions can take months to organise and both St Anne’s and the Model schools certainly rose to the challenge to prepare and perform Cinderella in one school day! The Richmond Shopping Centre already has a great history of reaching into the community and we wanted to build on this, particularly after the success of our recent sponsorship of the Forum’s panto, Cinderella.
Bobby Nicholson, Richmond Centre Manager and Panto Sponsor
Solution
Building on their pantomime sponsorship, and with this in mind, they offered two primary schools the opportunity to create and view a mini pantomime in their own school, one that starred their own pupils and some of the professional cast of the Millennium Forum pantomime Cinderella. During Panto Challenge in One School Day, professional pantomime characters took two classes (from two cross community schools) through their paces in acting, script writing and costume, before putting on two free school shows in front of all their peers. We helped raise skills, confidence and happiness in young people.
Results
Panto Challenge in One School Day offered two schools a day of workshops and rehearsals with a costume designer, choreographer, vocal coach and acting tutor. Each school gave this opportunity to their Primary 6 and Primary 7 classes. The classes were challenged to put on a pantomime in front of their peers before the school day finished. It was a jam-packed day of creativity and fun which each student embraced straight away. This was an opportunity for the teachers and students to see the hard work that goes into any production big or small, and how everyone plays an important part on and off the stage. At the end of each day and when the excitement of their live performance was over, each school’s reaction was ‘Can we do it again!!!’ which speaks volumes.
“This is another great example of how the arts and businesses can come together to reach into our local school communities. The support of Richmond Centre and Arts and Business NI has enabled us to bring professional theatre practitioners to two local schools and engage them in an exciting drama challenge, helping to build local children’s interest in the arts and performance. This is key for the development of future audiences and performers of our theatre. The children of St Anne’s and The Model PS are already stars in our eyes. We are very grateful for their support and everyone who made this project happen.”
Cara McCartney, Development and Creative Engagement Manager with the Millennium Forum