HighRise New Gens Shutdown Season

HighRise New Gens present Shutdown Season, a weekly creative workshop and mentoring programme based at Shoreditch Town Hall, now redesigned online to respond to the COVID19 crisis.

WHO WE ARE

HighRise are a live-arts collective who seek to spark conversation and build bridges between forgotten communities by representing the rhythm of the streets. Our core aim is to use inner-city memories, culture and music to give the unheard and marginalised a voice through theatre.

Our style is energetic, physical, innovative, poetic and colloquial – using Hip Hop & Grime music on top of extreme play as a vehicle to tell honest stories from multicultural backgrounds.

WHO ARE NEW GENS?

New Gens is the youth associate company of HighRise Theatre in partnership with Shoreditch Town Hall; A creative space for young multi disciplinary artists 16-25, facing access issues into theatre, a safe space to create, perform & receive mentoring - offering pathways into jobs and further education in the arts. This includes multiple work placements with HighRise and other industry leading partners, apprentice opportunities, support with audition technique and opportunities to see shows across London. 

Drawing inspiration from London-youth Sub-culture & the stories in the room, this term (starting in January 2020) 14 young participants were working towards a public showcase on 2nd April 2020 at Shoreditch Town Hall.

THE SITUATION

Due to the COVID19 crisis, the New Gens programme had to come to a halt on 12th March 2020. Despite this HighRise has continued contact with our young participants  remotely, supporting them through this incredibly unsure time. This has stretched the company with the economic pressure that has also struck due to the COVID19 crisis, needing to re design our practice to live on line and make sure the work is fully safeguarded and protected whilst remaining engaging.

Now re focused and with a robust remote workshop plan, we want to offer our New Gens the opportunity to remain creative through what can be an isolating and lonely time, instead of cancelling our next term. 

With public arts funding at a halt and needing to prioritise any emergency funds for wages and the structure of HighRise, it is important to continue our work with our 14 New Gens and continue aiding in their support and development, whilst offering the pastoral care they need during this Lockdown period in the UK and intimidating aftermath.   

THE PROGRAMME

Instead of New Gens being cancelled, HighRise will continue to work with young people online weekly to create a creative response to the global pandemic we are living in now. With the complete shutdown of theatres, project funding and the wider community spaces, this will offer participants a creative outlet to express themselves, as well as a well needed structure and routine while other programmes, work, education and opportunities around them close down.

The programme will result in a showcase of the term that will live online with the potential to create a live event at the end of the term if Shoreditch Town Hall reopens to the public.

Young people will also be offered weekly one on one mentoring and support sessions (1hr) to help guide them through this situation financially, with their housing and their mental health.

The more money we raise, the more support we can offer our young people as they navigate the unthinkable COVID-19 pandemic. 

THE ASK

To run New Gens for 2 months we need £10k quickly, so we can pull this off. Any more and we can keep the project going for longer.

We understand this is a huge ask with everyones situation at the moment but we believe in our community. Lets make this happen!

Every blessing through this turbulent time.

HighRise Theatre
www.highrisetheatre.co.uk
@HighRise_UK
HighRiseTV 

New Gens is supported by Shoreditch Town Hall, Sick of the Fringe and Something to aim for.