Manchester theatre company Box of Tricks are thrilled to announce that they will be launching a new pay-it-forward crowdfunding campaign to help offer free tickets, engagement activities and relaxed performances on the re-tour of their acclaimed production of Chip Shop Chips in Spring 2018.
As with the previous sell-out tour in 2016 the company will be heading to village halls, pubs, libraries and community centres across the UK and it is their goal to make the tour as open and accessible as possible.
The initial tour had a huge impact on bringing in first-time audiences and engaging hard-to-reach groups but this time Box of Tricks want to take that one step further. They want to break down some of the barriers to attendance for audiences by performing in local spaces frequented by the community, creating a relaxed environment over a chippy tea and covering the cost for audiences who would find the ticket price a financial barrier.
On this tour the company will be offering free tickets to two groups at The Edge in Chorlton to engage them with the show: The Booth Centre Charity who work with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in the Manchester area and Expressive Edge Theatre Company who are made up of adults with learning disabilities. By holding relaxed performances for these groups at a venue familiar to them, the company is able to engage them with a fun and novel theatrical experience.
Box of Tricks will also be holding a bespoke performance for Chorlton Good Neighbours elderly friendship group at their regular venue, Wilbraham Road St Ninian’s URC. The group is for over-60’s living locally (but is primarily made up of people over 80). The group provides regular social activities and the bespoke afternoon performance will enable us to reach an older, more isolated age group who would not feel able to attend an evening performance at an unfamiliar venue.
As a company they will be completing the Dementia Friends training through the Alzheimer’s Society to enable them to offer a supportive and suitable experience for audience members living with dementia and their carers. There will be two dementia-friendly performances across the tour bringing members of dementia support groups and their carers to a bespoke performance.
After recognising how successful Chip Shop Chips was in bringing existing communities together to share a theatrical experience over a chippy tea, Box of Tricks is now focusing on these audiences who can be isolated from the communities they are living in.
One of the main barriers for these audiences is often be the cost of attending. The company is launching a crowd funding campaign to offer 10% of all tickets across the tour to these hard-to-reach audiences for FREE.
The pay-it-forward crowdfunder will enable the company to offer tickets, engagement activities and relaxed performances across the UK.
Box of Tricks is looking for brilliant folk to chip in and pay it forward to make a positive change. Such generosity will start a chain of kindness that enables other people to engage with top quality new theatre right there on their doorsteps.
For further information please visit the company’s crowdfunder page or website.
