SBC and OLDHAM COLISEUM THEATRE ANNOUNCES SECRET SUMMER

11 Aug

Stand and Be Counted and Oldham Coliseum Theatre announces Secret Summer - a free, immersive audio adventure for the whole family. The events take place in Oldham's Alexandra Park and Shaw's Dunwood Park on August bank holiday weekend.

5 MINS READ

Oldham Coliseum Theatre and Stand & Be Counted Theatre today announces SBC’s Secret Summer - an immersive audio adventure for the whole family - taking place in Oldham's Alexandra Park on Saturday 26 August and Shaw's Dunwood Park on Sunday 27 August. The adventures will run every half an hour each day from 12-3pm and are free to attend.

Together with Oldham-based Stand and Be Counted, Oldham Coliseum Theatre will turn two parks into immersive adventure trails, with a project originally co-created with children seeking sanctuary (refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants).

In Secret Summer, families will join Squirrel, Butterflies, Unicorn and The Beetles for an exciting roam through Alexandra Park and Dunwood Park, in an original story created by Syrian writer, Anan Tello.

Using the geolocated sound app Echoes, downloadable from Apple Store or Google Play, families will be guided around the park by binaural narration, encountering real-life surprises along the way, to uncover the secrets of the park.

Secret Summer Trailer

Booking is not required, and the event and app are completely free. Secret Summer is available in English and Arabic. After enjoying Secret Summer, there’s the opportunity for a special selfie with the Secret Summer selfie frames. The Secret Summer activity pack will be available for families to download and enjoy anytime they visit either park.

The announcement follows the news that Oldham Council was successful in its proposal to ACE to secure funding to deliver a cultural programme across the borough between now and the opening of the planned new building in 2026. Oldham Coliseum Theatre will receive £450,000 from this funding to specifically produce, commission, create, deliver, and develop a new business model.

Duncan Craig, Chair of Oldham Coliseum Theatre said:

“Building on Chris Lawson’s legacy, our previous CEO/Artistic Director, this is the first step in a new chapter for the Coliseum. As I have previously said, we are fully committed to working with a whole load of partners in Oldham and beyond to deliver high quality theatrical experiences for local audiences in Oldham and inviting theatre goers from across Greater Manchester to join us, as we start reimagining our organisation from the ground up. I genuinely can’t wait to experience Secret Summer with communities in Oldham and I will be there in the park as a volunteer with others, so please come say hi, it's going to be great!”

Rosie MacPherson, SBC’s Artistic Director and Joint CEO said:

“We’re really excited to bring the Secret Summer adventure to Oldham. We are incredibly proud of this project, which we co-created with your Youth Theatre of Sanctuary - young people from around the world between 3-15 who now call the UK their home. They’re talent, innovation and creativity is incredibly inspiring, and we can’t wait to see what audiences at Alexandra and Dunwood parks think of it. Bring your adventurous side!”

Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said:

“It’s exciting to see Oldham Coliseum Theatre working with Oldham-based Stand and Be Counted to bring fun for families to enjoy over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
“The funding Oldham Coliseum Theatre received is part of the £1.8m funding Oldham Council secured from Arts Council England, and we're so pleased to see it put to good use.
"The Arts are part of our heritage in Oldham and we want to see more arts and cultural events and activities across the borough, not just this year but for the next three years. The funding will deliver just that, while the work to build the new theatre is well underway.
“I’m also delighted that our parks take centre stage for these events – we have more than 30 in the borough, and I encourage everyone to visit their local parks and green spaces.”
Secret Summer is kindly supported by Oldham Council and Arts Council England. It was commissioned by The Space and Theatre in the Mill, with funding from Arts Council England and supported by The Montgomery Theatre.

Listings

Oldham Coliseum Theatre and Stand & Be Counted present

The Stand & Be Counted production of

SECRET SUMMER

Co-created by SBC and their Youth Theatre of Sanctuary

12pm – 3pm, Saturday 26 August, in Oldham's Alexandra Park (meet at The Boathouse Cafe)
12pm – 3pm, Sunday 27 August, in Shaw's Dunwood Park (meet at The Woodlands Cafe)

Story walks begin at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm and last 45 minutes (approx). Start times are

staggered to make sure audiences get the best experience. Booking is not required.

Creative Team:

Performers: Abdulallah, Mostafa, Tafawal, Abdulkarim, Abdulwahab, Dayana, Loreen, Mahir, Baha, Reem and Alina Aleva

Writer: Anan Tello

Director: Rosie MacPherson

Digital Director: Smart Banda

Community Director: Firas Chihi

Producer: John Tomlinson

Illustrator: Lucy Bingham

Sound Designer: Ed Waring

Composer: Eilon Morris

Set and Costume Designer: Rebecca Constable

Audience Development: Holly Close

Creative Associates: Cerowyn Browne, Khaled Aljawad, Theo Ioannou, John Rwothomack

Additional Artwork: Mubanga Kauseni

Photographer: Al-Hussein Abutaleb

App made with Echoes

Terminology

Please use the term ‘people seeking sanctuary’, an inclusive term to discuss Refugees, Asylum Seekers and new migrants.

About Oldham Coliseum Theatre

Oldham Coliseum Theatre has a rich history in Oldham and Greater Manchester dating back to 1885. The Coliseum produced original productions which were presented in Oldham, on tour and online and included contemporary classics alongside new commissions, offering a platform for creative talent from the North West and further afield. The Coliseum also facilitated learning, engagement and community cohesion, providing a wide variety of theatre performances and participatory activities for people from all communities in Oldham, Greater Manchester and beyond. Following the closure of the original building on Fairbottom Street on 31 March 2023, Oldham Coliseum Theatre is currently focused on delivering a cultural programme across the borough and working with Oldham Council on their plans for a new theatre opening in 2026. The new building will be part of Oldham’s Cultural Quarter and will provide a more modern, accessible venue for performers, participants in our engagement programme and audiences from Oldham and beyond.

About Stand and Be Counted Theatre

Founded in 2010, SBC is the UK’s first and leading Theatre Company of Sanctuary. They are Resident Company at Theatre in the Mill, Bradford and an arts charity. In the last 3 years, SBC has created and delivered 33 programmes of support for over 4,000 participants, alongside critically acclaimed touring and digital productions, large scale outdoor community shows, interactive films, audio adventures, games and events - all co-created and led by people seeking sanctuary.

Recent successes include CAN YOU HEAR ME, NOW? a flagship production for Coventry City of Culture 2021 and the launch of long-term learning programme and interactive exhibition SOAP BOX for Leeds 2023. SBC’s Youth Theatre of Sanctuary created and performed TOGETHER in the Crucible main house for Sheffield Theatres’ Together in the City Festival in April 2022. HAVE YOUR PASSPORT READY, led by Syrian brothers Khaled and Mohammad Aljawad was named ‘Game of the Week’ by The Observer. Critically acclaimed touring production WHERE WE BEGAN led by Tafadzwa Muchenje was continued as a documentary, WHERE WE ARE during the pandemic focusing on migrant rights in the time of COVID-19. SBC’s production of TANJA was presented at Parliament to 100s of cross-party MPs and toured the country on two separate occasions, led by Emily Ntshangase, a former Yarl’s Wood Removal Centre detainee. www.sbctheatre.co.uk/

12pm – 3pm, Saturday 26 August, in Oldham's Alexandra Park (meet at The Boathouse Cafe)

12pm – 3pm, Sunday 27 August, in Shaw's Dunwood Park (meet at The Woodlands Cafe)

Story walks begin at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm and last 45 minutes (approx). Start times are staggered to make sure you get the best experience. Booking is not required.

Press enquiries

Contact: Sue Fletcher

E: suefletcherma@gmail.com suefletcher@coliseum.org.uk

T: 07775 933643