Newcastle College and Northern Stage Expand Community Outreach Project

Last year, Newcastle College teamed up with local theatre Northern Stage to offer a unique theatre experience to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learners and their families. 

The initial pilot was a great success with around 80 learners visiting the theatre with their families, some for the first time. 

Now, one year on, Northern Stage has secured funding from the local council to extend the project to invite more ESOL learners to shows throughout the year, starting with a performance of Spot’s Birthday during October half-term. 

This initiative is part of Northern Stage's commitment to making theatre accessible to communities that face financial and cultural barriers. 

Northern Stage Deputy Executive Director Amy Fawdington said “We’re thrilled that we’ve been given an additional £25,000 from Newcastle Council to extend this project, and our collaboration with Newcastle College.  

“The project pilot was incredibly successful both in terms of widening our audiences and supporting ESOL learners with their grasp of the English language. We had some excellent feedback from the college on the pilot, and we’re excited to continue working with the teachers and learners to expand this work.” 

One of the ways the project is being extended is in the materials Northern Stage is producing to accompany the performances. There will now be a learning guide handed out at each performance with key terms and words explained in clear, plain language. This includes a simple overview of theatre in the UK, and terms that are used regularly, but may not be obvious to someone from another country. 

ESOL Instructor Lead Vicki Frith added: “I was delighted when Northern Stage initially reached out to us about this project. From the beginning, it has been very much a two-way process; they send us a list of performances, and we tell them which ones we think our learners will get the most out of. The project proved to be hugely beneficial for the learners and their families, and I’m excited to see how we can take this project forward.” 

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