Shropshire theatre company gets funding to reach more children
Thanks to funding raised by People’s Postcode Lottery players, Newport-based community theatre company, Moonstruck Astronaut is extending its reach into Telford town centre in 2025.
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The theatre company was awarded £7,500 through Postcode Local Trust to help empower more children and young people from deprived areas of Telford and Wrekin.
Moonstruck Astronaut currently runs ‘Drama in the Forest’ week-long outdoor cross-arts projects for 6 to 12-year-olds in the Easter and Summer school holidays at Wrekin Forest School and a Youth Theatre in Newport, Shropshire. Now, plans are afoot to bring Moonstruck Astronaut’s highly successful drama skills workshops out of the woods and into the centre of Telford.
Hannah de Quincey, Artistic Director, reported: “Our goal for 2025 is to continue to deliver our successful ‘Drama in the Forest’ project at Wrekin Forest School and to pilot a youth theatre project in the summer term at Meeting Point House. The project, called ‘Telford Tall Tales’, allows children and volunteers the opportunity to experience the joys and skills of creative story-making using drama, music, crafts and dance.”
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, Moonstruck Astronaut can bring the joy of creativity and storytelling to even more children and young people, inspiring confidence, imagination, and new opportunities for the future.”
Parents whose children attended the Youth Theatre in 2024 rate it highly calling it “fun, creative, imaginative, free-spirited and enriching” and “fantastic, well organised and with lovely warm welcoming staff who allow the children to be themselves.”
Rosy Hayward, Arts Administrator said: “This unrestricted grant is good news for us. It means we can access training, improve systems, source funding and grow our local network of support this winter to re-emerge stronger with better foundations to deliver even more fantastic projects in 2025.”
To kick off 2025 with a bang, Moonstruck Astronaut is hosting a 7th Birthday Party at Meeting Point House at 6.30pm on Thursday, 13 February 2025 to mark Valentine’s Day.
Members old and new are welcome – the event will involve drama and movement games, discussion, music and buffet food! To get on the guest list, email Rosy at admin@moonstruckastronaut.com.
