An Isle of Wight youth theatre group is celebrating this week, after receiving a sizeable donation from Southern Vectis.
Apollo Youth Theatre, based in Newport, welcomes young people aged between 7 and 23, with various sessions each week and has now been gifted £750 from local bus operators, Southern Vectis.
A spokesperson for the Apollo Youth Theatre said:
“We are planning a special production in August, with our youngsters working with a local older persons choir,” said Mish Whitmore, director of Apollo Youth Theatre.
“The show addresses intergenerational mental health – with issues affecting both young people, who may feel isolated, and the older generation who may have lost partners or other family members, and suffer from loneliness.
“Our production will bring together music from the choir, and physical theatre from our members – with dance being choreographed by an experienced professional who studied at Trinity Laban in London.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our young members to become part of a real community collaboration – learning new dance skills in the process. In order to produce such an ambitious piece of theatre, we rely on donations from local people and businesses.
“We’re delighted that Southern Vectis has stepped in with £750, which has allowed us to bring in such a skilful choreographer. We can’t wait to bring this production to life in August, and would like to thank Southern Vectis for its generosity.’
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Apollo Youth Theatre runs weekly sessions between 10am and 12pm on a Saturday, with further rehearsal sessions on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays. Members benefit from all sessions for just £2 per week.
Simon Moye, Southern Vectis operations manager, added:
“This is exactly the sort of organisation our community fund is designed to support. I visited during one of the rehearsals sessions recently, and saw for myself just how inclusive and beneficial Apollo Youth Theatre is for its members.
“Sessions like these go a long way to increasing confidence for youngsters, and I have no doubt they will take this experience and use it in later life. That, combined with this latest intergenerational initiative, really brings the community together.
“I can’t wait to see the final production later this summer.”
Anyone wishing to make a donation, or sign up as a member, can do so by visiting the Apollo Youth Theatre Facebook page.
