Theatre of Sanctuary
A Theatre of Sanctuary is a space that welcomes, supports, and celebrates the creative interests of people seeking refuge. Part of the UK-wide City of Sanctuary movement, a Theatre of Sanctuary recognises the power of theatre to build empathy, understanding, and community.
Our Theatre is working towards becoming a Theatre of Sanctuary - joining a growing network across the UK.
In recent years, we have increased the number of subsidised pantomime tickets that we provide for groups supporting refugee families across the city.
This autumn, in collaboration with Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination, we launched our first programme of creative activities for young people seeking sanctuary in Cambridge, and their peers. Over 10 weeks, a group of young ESOL learners (English for Speakers of Other Languages) are attending creative workshops spanning nature journalling, comic book making, and drama. We’re excited to share some of their creativity here:
“At first, we drew beautiful big birds that we saw on the water, and after we finished drawing, the teacher gave us water colours, so we started colouring our drawing. Even though l am not good at drawing, I realised that it isn't about being pretty, or whether it looks good on paper it's about expressing yourself, and your own way of seeing the nature, and that's why l liked it. The second reason is l tried a new thing and l realised that l like painting, and really enjoyed it!”
“Sometimes it is good to connect with the nature because your mind disconnects from the social media and the technology, and you can enjoy this activity. In my experience, I liked to sit close to the lake and to draw the things that I saw. Suddenly, I thought how beautiful the nature was, the calm that gave you and the feeling that this is our world.”
