WHAT STORIES DO YOU WANT TO TELL?
Have you always wanted to pursue a career in the arts? Write lyrics? Act? Make a film? Let’s tell new stories. Our stories. By residents. For residents.
WE START is dedicated to starting you off in your career in the arts, or to support your current career through the arts.
We start new hobbies and obsessions with increased access to arts for local people.
What is We Start?
WE START is a new, free, service for North Kensington residents, run by The Playground Theatre and supported by The Grenfell Projects Fund.
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We increase participation and expertise across the arts, providing expert-led workshops and performance opportunities in poetry, writing and sculpture to name a few.
We have commissioned documentaries, theatre pieces, poets, musicians and community projects. We collaborate with local partners like W11 and the National Theatre to provide Careers Day Events and VCKC to provide access to all career development sessions.
We offer free theatre tickets to the NT, or Royal Court, for any first-time theatre goers, backstage tours at the NT and online 1-2-1 advice sessions for aspirational early career artists.
We are supported by Grenfell Project Fund 2 and our partners on this project are: The National Theatre, The Royal Court, Yaa, Rugby Portabello Trust, LWRA and W11 Neighbourhood Team.
It doesn’t matter what age you are, your access needs, or what experience you have. We are eager to hear from you any time and we’re open to any idea.
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Please use the link below to register your details or email Phil on wellread@theplaygroundtheatre.org.uk
and we’ll be straight in touch:
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Feb 15th
Half Term Family Poetry Workshop with Talitha Wing
March 8th
Telling Stories
A community writing workshop with Emily Mann
1530 Baseline Studios, W11 4at
March 9th
Greensboro: A Requiem
A community Play reading, live streamed to New York!
March 21st
Writer’s Block
A community writing workshop for 16 – 26 year old
with Valerie Issiah Sadoh, Anni Domingo, IYT
March 24th
Improve your interview technique. How to present.
Volunteer Centre KC and The Playground Theatre
With Actor Alice Haig and in collaboration with VCKC’s Etty Dunn-Howe
Easter Holidays at W11
April 14th
‘Singing Stories’ with Jessica Warbeck.
2-230pm 2-5 year olds
230 – 300pm 5-8 year olds.
May 17th
National Theatre and W11 Careers Day @ Kensington Leisure Centre
We Start Careers
Come to the W11 neighbourhood team’s careers day, in collaboration with the National Theatre at
the leisure centre. Meet representatives from many career paths. We Start, The Playground Theatre
and their partners The National Theatre, as part of their ‘North Kensington Project’ are bringing
representatives from wigs, costume, props, sound design, law, HR, and more, including possibilities
for paid internships at the NT!
ONGOING PROJECTS
March 2023 onwards
We Start Film Making
Come and join our team as we make 6 x 3 minute documentary short films.
We are looking for volunteers and applicants for paid jobs in sound, lights and more.
Experience is great but not necessary. We are open to any offers. The films are short documentaries
and will all be filmed in W11.
April onwards
We Start Careers.
Are you interested in the arts but don’t know where to start?Get in touch and we can arrange a zoom 1on1 with a professional in your chosen field.
Further Dates to be announced.
OUR PROJECTS
OUR SUPPORTERS
KCSC - Kensington & Chelsea Social Council
Formed in April 2002 we are the result of a merger of the Chelsea and Notting Hill Social Councils. The former was established in 1968 to meet local needs in areas that now make up the south of the borough, while the latter was founded in the late 1950's in the aftermath of the social disturbances in the area.
We offer a range of services that help us support health, voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) and Residents in the borough. This includes access to training and funding, advice and information, as well as facilitating the voice of the local voluntary and community sector, building and supporting community led action, as well as representing the sector at a strategic level. We also offer a number of schemes and initiatives including volunteering.
The Kensington and Chelsea Foundation
In a borough usually associated with affluence and wealth, there are also areas of severe deprivation. We identify and support projects which improve the lives and life chances of disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our community
