Norwich Theatre will today start bucket collections after shows to raise funds to support the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
This is a registered charity [No. 1062638] which is raising funds for food, water, medicine, protection and trauma care for people fleeing the war.
Every pound donated by the UK public to the DEC will be matched by the UK Government, up to the value of £20m.
The collections will take place after shows at each Norwich Theatre venue. This week the shows include:
Animal Farm at Theatre Royal;
All of Me, Rachel Parris, Basil Brush and Great Expectations at the Playhouse
Creative Matters: Loss and Grief season of events at Stage Two and throughout the building.
Stephen Crocker, Chief Executive and Creative Director at Norwich Theatre, said “At Norwich Theatre we have looked on with horror at recent world events as they have unfolded and our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine. As a Theatre of Sanctuary we believe it is our duty to do something and we are sure our audiences will feel the same. This is a small gesture, but we are very pleased to be able to offer the chance to our audiences to help us raise much needed funds to support the plight of refugees fleeing from violence and oppression.
This week’s Animal Farm production, whilst remaining faithful to the book, has an even more chilling relevance due to current atrocious events unfolding in Ukraine. Politics, corruption and genocide are difficult and complex topics for many people to consider, and especially for children and young people, and it is the power of theatre that it can offer a safe environment in which to explore such dark themes.
Norwich Theatre is committed to staging theatre with appeal for young adults, and this show with its high quality production values and vivid storytelling will certainly do that. That the show re-asserts the relevance of a classical piece of literature and also highlights current world politics in a clear allegory is a measure of its triumph.”