Our goal is to raise a total of £2250, representing £750 per touring location. This figure will provide crucial match funding to access Arts Council grants which will make up the bulk of our funding, and bring our ambition for 2025 to life.
Hold The Drama perform educational shows about mental and social wellbeing using live music and physical theatre. The shows feature 6 professional cast members who work for organisations such as the Royal Opera House, ENO, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Royal Academy of Music, and Glyndebourne as well as West End Shows including The Lion King and Matilda.
Hold The Drama’s shows, workshops, CPD sessions, and school resources are designed to help teachers, students, and families enhance skills such as acceptance, empathy, resilience, and self-confidence. Through our work, we aim to foster social cohesion, strengthen community bonds, and inspire young people to reach their full potential. We have seen particular success in intergenerational settings, supporting individuals with mental health challenges, and aiding those experiencing displacement, such as refugees.
Hold The Drama's performances are non-verbal, allowing audiences to interpret the music and physical gestures on stage, fostering new ways of thinking and communication without relying on words. This approach is especially beneficial for audiences with English as a second language and SEND students, enabling them to engage with the show and express their thoughts in a more accessible manner.
We will be touring to Newcastle in February 2024, performing in 11 local schools and hosting 1 public performance for students, their families and the local community.
The project is largely funded by Arts Council England with a small contribution from each school. In order to receive ACE funding - we must secure a small amount of match funding. Usually, the local Music Hub would be able to supply this, however as you may know Music Hubs are experiencing turbulent times as they merge into larger organisations over the next academic year.
Nationally music hubs are struggling to offer any financial support to external projects over 2025-2026. Unfortunately, this is a time when young people need additional support with mental and social wellbeing more than ever (children who were ages 3-7 during Covid19 and who consequently missed out on crucial social learnings are now approaching secondary school and adolescence, a famously tricky time in young people’s lives!).
Please help us to bring our work to young people, offering them the chance to engage with live arts with all its associated benefits, across the UK by making a donation. Every contribution, of any size, will make a big difference.
Our goal is to raise £750 per touring location with a total of £2250. This figure will provide crucial match funding to access Arts Council grants which will make up the bulk of our funding.
A £30+ donation will get you a limited edition Hold the Drama tote bag.
A £50+ donation will get you a tote bag plus the option of having your name on our website as a “Hold the Drama Champion”.
A £100+ donation, in addition to a tote bag and HtD Champion status, you will receive as bespoke thank you song, made just for you. Let us know if you’d like to dedicate us to someone special.
** IF YOU DONATE BETWEEN 29th-4th Oct 2pm (while we are on tour in Sunderland) YOU WILL GET AN EXTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU MESSAGE FROM OUR AUDIENCE - THE CHILDREN!**
All donations of any size are gratefully received and will support our valuable work.
Check out our social media to see some of the positive responses we’ve had to our work.
See our YouTube channel for our video series “Does this have a Meaning?” which support this campaign.
T&Cs:
If 2025 tours do not go ahead for whatever reason we will contact you and offer you the option either to redirect your donation to another HtD project, or to have a refund of your donation. If we do not reach our crowdfunding goal, we will still put the funds towards our touring work.
All donations are non-refundable in the case that the project is fully funded. If we exceed our goal, we will put the remaining funds towards our 2026 tours.
We will claim Gift Aid where applicable and will pass your entire donation plus any associated Gift Aid for the purposes of realising the project.
Hold the Drama are a registered CIO Charity Number 1209959.