INSPIRATION CASE 17: THEATRE AS A COMMUNITY HUB General Information Theatres are centers of culture and art, but they could go even further and become community hubs. They already have the power to gather a wide diversity of people, but they can also use this power to facilitate a dialogue and nurture people’s creativity. Theatres like Arcola serve as best-practice examples as they are places where people of all ages and backgrounds not only meet to talk, work, learn and have fun, but actually build cultural bridges, start co-operations and actively take part in improving the community.
© Clear Village 2011
Inspiration & Parametres for change a) enhance & empower local communities Theatres are the center of the cultural life of a community, but they also have the potential to provide an environment for building knowledge, skills and creativity, and as a result – enhance and empower the local community. b) create a dialogue With the right tools theatres have the power to facilitate a dialogue and thus reduce social tension and help members of the community to overcome their differences.
Information and pictures sourced from http://www.arcolatheatre.com/ | All rights reserved.
INSPIRATION CASE 17: THEATRE AS A COMMUNITY HUB Our inspiring example: Arcola Theatre, London U.K., 2000
Š Clear Village 2011
Arcola Theatre was founded by Turkish immigrants in a former textile factory in a part of East London that has many first and second generation immigrant inhabitants, amongst those a prominent minority of people of Turkish descent. The theatre came into existance in 2000 as a place that was open for local initiatives and has since become well known in London for its varied program. At Arcola Theatre, in addition to its performances, you will find an extensive program of youth and community arts workshops to ethnically diverse local communities. Recently, Arcola has also focused on the integration of environmental sustainability into the arts and has won recognition in that regard.
How does Arcola work in detail? To meet the different needs of a diverse community, Arcola has developed a number of social initiatives. Among them are: Creative learning: Arcola theatre offers a wide range of opportunities for the local community. It organizes workshops, performances or bespoke projects for students in co-operation with schools; provides free drama classes for elderly people and has created a Turkish-Kurdish group which has developed several productions. Arcola creative network: Arcola Theatre’s Creative Network is a recruitment and training programme for talented young people seeking a career in the creative, media, leisure and green-technology industries. It provides a network for both employers and employees, ensuring that talented young people have the best access to on-the-job training and employers have access to a wide range of potential employees . Arcola energy: Since 2005 the theatre has served as a testing ground and demonstration a platform for sustainable energy solutions created by the local community. Arcola is the first carbon-neutral theatre in the UK. Nowadays, it also provides advice and inspiration for other theatres and institutions.
Information and pictures sourced from http://www.arcolatheatre.com/ | All rights reserved.
What does this mean for the local community? Having a meeting place and connecting with other people from the community is a big step forward in removing barriers between people from different generations, cultures, origins and other backgrounds. Solving social problems and improving the social environment is possible through the platform that Arcola has created for facilitating dialogue among local inhabitants. This, in the longer term, provides the local community with the opportunity to learn, interact and share ideas, and transforms them into active change-makers of their own future.