'Of all the experiences and opportunities I’ve had on stage, RicNic shows still stand out as some of the best. They were instrumental in preparing me for my subsequent career in the West End, and gave me some of my best friendships and most memorable summers. All of us who care about theatre, about access to and participation in the arts, and about young people, need to support this amazing charity NOW to ensure more young people had the experience I did.'
- Sam Oladeinde, RicNic alumnus, West End cast of Hamilton, Book of Mormon, and The Prince of Egypt
RicNic puts young people in the spotlight by giving them complete control of their creativity. We offer our projects free of charge to participants, making them accessible to all. It costs us £200 to fund each RicNic participant every year and we rely on our ticket sales and donations each year. Unfortunately our summer shows have been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Help us to thrive and bring an incredible experience to more creative young people by supporting our online Facebook cabarets this summer - even a small donation would go a long way.
We had four amazing teams who were excited to put on four fantastic shows in summer 2020 - but sadly due to the coronavirus their plans had to be put on hold. Faced with the first summer since 2004 without a RicNic summer show, we knew we had to do something: after all, the 'show must go on!'.
We're delighted to announce that we will be putting on five online cabarets during August, featuring outstanding talent from all four branches - RicNic Hampshire, RicNic Oxford, RicNic London and RicNic Burton - as well as a special 'alumni' cabaret!
We won't be charging for tickets for these exceptional shows; instead, we ask that if you're planning to 'attend' virtually, you'd consider making a small donation to our charity.
All cabarets will be aired on Facebook during August - be sure to follow us to keep up to date with all the latest news.
Here are the all-important dates for your diaries!
RicNic Alumni Cabaret: Monday 3rd August, 7 pm
RicNic Hampshire Cabaret: Monday 10th August, 7 pm
RicNic Burton Cabaret: Monday 17th August, 7 pm
RicNic Oxford Cabaret: Monday 24th August, 7 pm
RicNic London Cabaret: Monday 31st August, 7 pm
RicNic is one of the UK’s most innovative and unusual theatre companies. At RicNic, young people find a platform to develop their creative skills through unique youth-led projects, while building long-lasting friendships and making positive contributions to their local community. Whether their creativity lies in performance, directing, visual design or technical production, RicNic offers an opportunity to unleash that passion in a professional theatre setting and the chance to showcase their work to a wider audience.
We place young people at the core of our organisation, ensuring that their voices are heard at every level of development and planning. We are committed to providing accessible opportunities for young people of all backgrounds and abilities to engage in the arts and thereby develop key skills. At RicNic, young people really do own the stage.
Our flagship summer theatre projects are produced and performed entirely by 16-21 year olds, who are given full autonomy over their budget, scheduling and delivery of the show. Running annually in London, Oxford, Hampshire and the Midlands, young adults come together and create productions in professional theatres. Most theatre companies focus just on performers, but RicNic celebrates creativity on every level. Everyone, from the director to the marketing team to the set designer to the drummer, is aged 16-21 and has the opportunity to showcase, develop and impart their skills. It is a unique opportunity for young people to run their own arts enterprise in a professional setting, acquiring essential business acumen and building confidence in the process.
Participation is completely free, enabling young people from all backgrounds to come together regardless of their personal or financial circumstances. RicNic offers a summer of fun, peer-led activity where young people can simply enjoy being creative. We currently know of no other organisation in the UK that provides young participants with such a level of autonomy over a project.
Supported by our small staff team, trustees and our excellent database of industry professionals, we currently work with approximately 350 young adults each year through these projects and our extended outreach programme. Their summer productions reach 2500 audience members each year across our four RicNic Branches in Hampshire (established 2004), Oxford (2011), South London (2017) and Burton on Trent (2019). With plans to develop further projects in new areas we aim to be engaging with over 1000 young people and 5000 audience members per year by our 20th anniversary in 2024.