About people's theatre collective
In our 20th anniversary year as Cherwell Theatre Company we relaunched as ‘People’s Theatre Collective’ (Registered Charity Number 1137145). As we’ve deepened our engagement with the people of Banbury over many years, we have reflected the inspiring story of ‘People’s Park’ into our new name. Our beautiful park was gifted to the people in 1919 following a philanthropic donation from George Vincent Ball, and a fine lady on a white horse led the hopeful peacetime celebrations. 105 years later, following consultation with our community, we are proud to uphold the standards our new name implies. As Councillor Herbert Payne said of the plans for People’s Park in 1910:
“There would be no first class, second class or third class; the youngest and oldest, the richest and poorest could meet here”. So, we aim to create inclusive and relevant Creative Arts Collective for and by the people, for many more years to come.
Our Story
In 2004 we were established as Cherwell Theatre Company - working collaboratively with young people through community theatre. Since this time, our charity has grown exponentially as we continue to recognise the need for safe and inclusive creative spaces for young people under 25.
In 2024 we re-launched as People's Theatre Collective; to better represent the wide range of work we do across a growing number of communities. We work within schools; offering training for teachers and exploring issues with students through drama. We also run an eco arts project to encourage children to take care of their environment. We run weekly theatre and visual arts workshops for young people, engaging adults with disabilities and those experiencing barriers to education. We produce live theatre - often in unusual spaces - encouraging young people to perform and work with professional actors. We also offer holiday provision.
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As a non-profit charity, we spend a lot of time fundraising to allow us to offer these opportunities to all - regardless of ability or background. We are generously supported by numerous funders (a list of which can be found here) and without them, we would not be here today. We are able to offer a "Pay What You Choose" scale across our theatre groups and holiday provision, and always offer free bursary spaces to those that need them.
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For more information about each part of our collective, please click one of the logos below:
the collective
