At a ceremony of the prestigious UK Theatre Awards, held on Sunday 8th October at London’s Guildhall, Capital Theatres was announced as the winner of the ‘Excellence in Inclusivity’ award for the dementia friendly programme.
UK Theatre Awards, the only nationwide awards to celebrate outstanding achievements in theatre across the UK, described as “pioneering and ambitious”, the dementia friendly programme the Capital Theatres offers. The extensive and popular programme of activities and events, run by the Creative Engagement team, empowers people living with dementia to carry on engaging with theatre for as long as they are able. It celebrates their creativity and potential, as well as that of their carers.
This activity ranges from access performances; free participatory events such as Tea and Jam, Songwriting Sprint, Intergenerational Storytelling and Interview skills sessions; the Christmas Show in care homes and the Creative Contributors groups. It also features the in-house produced DementiArts Magazine and the All the World’s a Stage podcast.
Head of Creative Engagement Claire Swanson said, “Our programme is driven by the dementia friendly community and their voices sit at the heart of everything. With their guidance we offer opportunities to embrace theatre, meet new people, try new things and celebrate what people living with dementia can do. We are grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey so far and look forward to continuing this vitally important work for people living with dementia and their carers”.
Willy Gilder, journalist and presenter of All the Worlds a Stage podcast and living with dementia said, “It gives me enormous pleasure to learn of Capital Theatres winning the UK Theatre Award for ‘Excellence in Inclusivity’. It’s no exaggeration to say it helped save my life”
Other nominees in the ‘Excellence in Inclusivity’ category were Midland Arts Centre and Queens Theatre Hornchurch.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 