Pay-what-you-can theatre lets children take to stage free

At a time when the arts are being cut, one theatre group is trying to rewrite the script.

The Memo Creative operates on a pay-what-you-can basis, with the director recalling feeling very emotional after a child gave her 20p because they wanted to contribute something.

One parent, Joanne, said the group, in Newbridge, Caerphilly county, had been "transformational" for her daughter Evie, nine, who has anxiety and sensory processing differences.

Evie said: "I don't really know where I'd be if I didn't start going to the group."

Evie suffered with a lack of confidence after the pandemic, making her "unrecognisable" to her family, something her mum called "heartbreaking".

After her diagnosis, it was suggested she should find somewhere for her to release her energetic side, so she joined a friend at the theatre group.

"With a bit of encouragement, she was up joining in and that's been it really. It's been, transformational is a big word, but it's probably quite applicable in this situation," said Joanne.

"It's brought back her personality - it's brought back her confidence, it's brought her fun."

Musical theatre lecturer Liam Goldsworthy, 33, from Blackwood, who runs the group, said: "South Wales is a really low-income area - very few families can afford to pay for all of the things you need to go into musical theatre.

"There is a lot of talent in south Wales and there are a lot of kids in south Wales who want to access that sort of stuff that just cannot afford to and there's a lot of parents out there who want to do that for their children, and they can't."

He approached the Memo in Newbridge with the idea of a theatre group without financial barriers.

Ally Gibson, the venue director, gave him the space for free and the group relies on charity funding to help pay for professional teachers and raises money by selling tickets for its annual showcase.

This enables the group to put on full-scale musicals, giving everyone a chance in the limelight.

Liam said: "It was quite small at first, with maybe eight to 10 people. Now we have 30 to 40 adults that are signed up and about 50 kids.

"We've had to start a waiting list as we are at capacity.

"Quite a lot of people paid nothing. And that's fine. We don't keep a record of who pays what we just want it to be accessible for everyone."

Ally said at first, only about 20% of attendees could pay but that has now risen to 50%.

She added: "I remember one time a child coming and giving me 20p because they wanted to give something and I found that really emotional.

"It made me realise that's why we are doing this because they still saw value in it for them.

"The young adults are still struggling. They give what they can, but sometimes they'll give one month, then it will be a few weeks before they can give again."

Kasey Barrett, 21, said work commitments and the cost-of-living crisis had put a stop to her attending her previous theatre group.

She said: "If it did cost a lot of money every week then I probably wouldn't be able to go, just because I wouldn't be able to afford it.

"I know for a lot of people... having an added cost just to be able to do something you love can really like affect them.

"It can affect their mental health if they don't get to express themselves."

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