Opened in 2008, Curve is one of the UK’s leading producing theatres.
Based in Leicester’s city centre, the theatre hosts a bold and varied programme of award-winning shows, which engage over one and a half million people annually through a diverse programme of musicals, plays, new work, dance and opera.
Alongside Curve’s work on stage, they are proud to deliver a far-reaching programme of community and education projects, which provide over 26,000 opportunities every year for people to take part in creative activities.
They believe that everyone who lives, works and learns in Leicester and the surrounding region should have access to – and the opportunity to participate in – outstanding creative opportunities. They seek to support people in hardship, champion the abundance of talent in the city and encourage participants to be the theatre-makers, audiences and creative workforce of the future.
This approach has led to a significant multi-year partnership with the Randal Charitable Foundation, beginning in 2025, to deliver a series of workshops and supported engagement opportunities for 250 young people over three years.
Curve’s Shine Project tackles the mental health crisis amongst young people in some of Leicester’s most disadvantaged communities. Working alongside teachers and professional therapists, they are running a series of drama workshops and theatre engagement opportunities designed to help support the emotional wellbeing of young people in some of the city’s most deprived areas.
The project is run by trained theatre practitioners alongside partner schools and therapeutic counselling service Sunrise Wellbeing.
The objective of the programme is to show how drama-based interventions can be an effective tool to support coping strategies that reduce anxiety and promote good mental health amongst young people.
Through sustained engagement, Curve seeks to create a new framework for arts-based mental health support that can be taken on by arts organisations and educational settings across the UK, exploring how engagement in creativity can be a powerful tool to support young people’s emotional wellbeing, as well as advocating for greater investment in the arts in the National Curriculum.
To find out more about Curve visit here: https://www.curveonline.co.uk/
YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EGLmjVSD7w
