The Creative Learning team at Sunderland Empire has successfully secured nearly £15,000 in funding from Arts Council England for an innovative collaborative summer learning project in the city.
The Grants for the Arts funding will link to and complement the arrival of the National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (11 to 15 August 2015) which takes audiences into the life and insights of Christopher Boone, a young person who sees the world differently, offering a range of autism friendly arts activities at partner venues across Sunderland, including Arts Centre Washington, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, No Limits Theatre and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.
The project, for families with children on the autistic spectrum, will be called Get Curious! and has been developed in association with National Theatre Learning, which has a commitment to opening up the National’s repertoire, artistry and skills, enabling participants of all ages to discover new skills and experience the excitement of theatre-making.
Hollie Coxon, Creative Learning Manager, Sunderland Empire said, “we are very excited to launch this exciting programme over the summer. Get Curious! aims to offer opportunities for families with young people with ASD to sample new cultural experiences in a more relaxed environment through a variety of Art Forms in different venues across Sunderland.”
“We are delighted to support Sunderland Empire with the project,” Melanie Whitehead, Learning Programme Manager at the National Theatre, added. “This is a unique and extraordinary opportunity for families to engage in learning in a fun and inspiring way—together.
"Our Curious about Devising project supported by our team of National Theatre Learning practitioners, will complement the planned activity well—I look forward to meeting the families involved.”
In addition to the Curious about Devising project, the Empire also offers an Autism friendly theatre tour on Thursday 23 July in which participants will learn more about the Sunderland Empire in a relaxed environment and an Insight Session on Thursday 13 August at 11AM.
Other related-events taking place in Sunderland are:
- Arts Centre Washington - 20 July to 24 August (every Monday)
Autism friendly taster sessions for ages 11+ in drama, dance, music, visual arts and more. - Northern Gallery for Contemporary - 21 July to 25 August (every Tuesday)
Creative sessions for families who will be able to create a large mural using overhead projectors to enlarge drawings to giant proportions. - Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens - 22 July to 19 August (every Wednesday)
Autism friendly family activities which respond to the exhibitions currently on display.
Places are limited and Sunderland Empire would urge families to get in touch ahead of activities starting this month by calling 0191 5661056 or e-mailing [email protected]
Those attending any taster session will be able to get tickets for Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time production live at the Sunderland Empire on Thursday 13 August at 2:30PM for just £5 per person. This is not a relaxed performance (age 11+). Support is available to ensure families enjoy this performance (contact as above).