Go Live Theatre
Using the power of theatre to transform young lives
Go Live Theatre opens London’s theatre world to children and young people who face physical, emotional, social or financial barriers to getting there. It works with families on low incomes, disabled and neurodivergent young people, young carers and young refugees, so the West End feels like somewhere they belong.
Its work runs in three strands: young people, schools and families. It offers heavily subsidised tickets and specially adapted performances, alongside workshops where young people write, devise and perform their own work with professional playwrights, facilitators and actors, with some projects ending in a performance in a real theatre.
Young people discover talents they did not know they had, grow in confidence and build skills they can use anywhere. Families make shared memories, and young people can stay involved into adulthood through the Go Live Club and Youth Forum, becoming the next generation of theatre audiences and creatives.
2020
Year they joined the Raise Your Hands platform
10,587
Children and Young People supported last year
Why they’re needed
Theatre opens windows onto other lives and worlds. Seeing and making it builds confidence, sparks creativity and teaches skills like communication and teamwork. Yet for many young people, the cost of a ticket, travel into the city or a venue that doesn’t meet their needs means it stays out of reach.
For autistic and neurodivergent young people, or those with sensory or other access needs, a standard performance can feel overwhelming, with rules about sitting still and staying quiet. D/deaf, visually impaired and disabled young people can face similar hurdles. Without the right support, families can come to feel theatre is not meant for them.
In school, some pupils have fewer chances to experience the arts. For young people at risk of exclusion, in alternative provision or with learning difficulties, seeing professional theatre or discovering the many careers behind the scenes can be rare, even though it might spark an interest that shapes their future.
How they do it
Education Matinees give whole West End performances over to state school pupils at heavily subsidised prices, often with a cast Q&A or workshop. In Playmakers, Year 5 and 6 pupils write their own mystery plays with a professional playwright, see The Mousetrap, then watch professional actors perform their work.
GO CREATE helps primary classes devise and perform an original piece, including a song or rap, on a theme the school chooses. Go Backstage introduces students with learning difficulties to backstage and technical roles, Creative Connections works with young people at risk of exclusion, and Playmakers Deaf ends with Deaf actors performing pupils’ plays on a West End stage.
Family First Nights offer families on low incomes who have never been to the theatre subsidised West End tickets, through referrals from charities, youth groups, social services and local authorities. Relaxed Performances adjust sound and lighting and relax the usual rules, and Inclusive Family Days add workshops and touch tours for families with D/deaf, visually impaired, disabled or neurodivergent young people.
Garek Theatre Camp is a low-cost, inclusive summer school where 13 to 17-year-olds create an original show and see a West End production. Stagexchange takes drama workshops into youth groups, while 18 to 30-year-olds can join the Go Live Club for low-cost tickets or the Youth Forum to help shape the charity’s work.
Find out more about Go Live Theatre’s amazing work
Simon’s Story
Finding a summer activity that suited Simon, an autistic teenager, wasn’t easy for his family. Then he joined Go Live’s summer school, where the team welcomed him exactly as he was. Simon was happy, motivated and eager to learn every morning, and travelling there by train each day gave his independence and confidence a real boost.
Over the course, he learned to focus, work as part of a team and explore his feelings and emotions. Then came the final performance, where Simon, who often felt anxious in a world that didn’t always understand him, stepped onto the stage and sang a solo.
“I was choked up hearing him sing solo on stage and so proud,” his mum wrote afterwards. “It gave him an opportunity to ‘fly’ – that in itself was priceless.”
Support Go Live Theatre along with 15 other children’s charities
Go Live Theatre is one of a portfolio of small UK children’s charities championed by Raise Your Hands. When you donate to us, your gift is shared equally between every charity in the portfolio.
One donation. 16 small charities. 16 ways to change a young life.
