ARTS COUNCIL England has made a major investment in a Reading theatre group for one of their upcoming productions.
RABBLE Theatre, based in Caversham, has been awarded a £100,000 investment into its upcoming production of Henry I.
The production was written by the company’s associate writer, Beth Flintoff, and will be staged inside Reading Abbey Ruins.
Peter Heslip, south east director at Arts Council England, said: “It’s wonderful to see that so many people will have the opportunity to participate in this exciting new educational project by RABBLE Theatre.
“Arts, culture, and creativity have a vital role in empowering people – giving us the opportunity to discover our history and to explore challenging themes, as well as helping us to feel a sense of pride in the places that we live and work.
“We’re pleased to be able to support this exciting project thanks to National Lottery players.”
The play will be accompanied by the company’s inaugural Finding Reading festival.
The festival will see “unique” participatory educational experiences as 700 students and community group members create work based on the play’s themes of gender equality, war, forgiveness, and Reading’s role in Medieval England.
Dani Davies, Executive Director of RABBLE Theatre, said: “With all that is going on in our delicate world, and as the mother of three girls, this play feels deeply relevant.
“It tells the story of forgotten women whilst also exploring the effect of violence perpetrated by those in power.
“I’m delighted that ACE are supporting RABBLE once again.”
The production of Henry I will be showing in the ruins of Reading Abbey, founded by King Henry in 1121.
It will feature a refreshed version of its original soundtrack composed by Benjamin Hudson and Rosalind Steele.
Louise Gilmour, RABBLE Theatre’s chair of Trustees: “This funding is a major boost, not just for RABBLE but for Reading, which continues to grow, culturally.
“We’re extremely grateful to Arts Council England for the grant and excited to be a part of their bold strategy to empower communities and build cultural identity.”
RABBLE is an inclusive, independent theatre company based in Caversham, Reading.
