Join the Voices Through Time theatre company! On the evening of Thursday 4 April 2024, the company will perform a semi-staged performance of a play at Hoxton Hall (130 Hoxton St, London, N1 6SH).
The play
A group of care-experienced young people are suspended in time – half in the modern world, half in the world of the Foundling Hospital, Britain’s first children’s charity, founded in 1739, which continues today as Coram.
As they grapple with the challenges of today’s care system, they explore the stories and experiences of the very first children in care, unearthing common threads of experience across three centuries.
The play is the outcome of a theatre-making programme led by writer Brian Mullin and director Vicky Moran. Across a series of workshops in autumn 2023, Brian and Vicky collaborated with a group of care-experienced young people to create material for the script.
The script is written by Brian Mullin, whose past work includes Live to Tell (Omnibus Theatre), Leonardo (V&A) and We Wait in Joyful Hope (Theatre 503). It reflects the words, opinions and experiences of the young people who attended the workshops.
It will be staged in the atmospheric main space of Hoxton Hall – a Victorian music hall that was in operation at the same time as the Founding Hospital. We think it’ll be a perfect complement to the play!
The performance will be directed by Vicky Moran. Vicky’s recent direction includes £1 Thursdays (Finborough Theatre), In the Net (Jermyn Street Theatre) and Khojaly (Union Theatre).
The project is open to you whether or not you have previous acting experience – either way, we’ll guide you through the process! Also, ‘care experienced’ might mean that a young person has lived in supported housing for three years, or in a foster placement for three days – all welcome!
We only have three rehearsal days before the performance. Therefore, we require a cast-iron commitment that you will attend all three days (for the whole day) and that you feel comfortable performing in front of an audience more than 100 people.
The commitment
Anyone who signs up to this performing project is committing to:
- Performing in a staged reading of the play at Hoxton Hall on Thursday 4 April (evening)
- Three full days of rehearsals, taking place at Hoxton Hall during the Easter holidays: Tuesday 2 April (10am-6pm)*, Wednesday 3 April (10am-6pm)* and Thursday 4 April (10am-6pm)*
- An induction Zoom call with the rest of the theatre company at 6pm on Thursday 21 March
*Please note that the rehearsal times may change.
Food will be provided at each rehearsal and before the performance. Expenses for travel to and from the venue will be reimbursed where a receipt is provided.
Please sign up to the acting project by completing the form below. Please sign up ASAP. We look forward to hearing from you! The team will be in touch to say hello ahead of the induction call on 21 March.
The Theatre-Making Project is part of the Voices Through Time: The Story of Care programme, made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.