The Black Cherry Cafe & Theatre CIC

Aim

The Black Cherry is a not-for-profit CIC who needs additional support to continue providing its mission to the local community.

The Black Cherry is a not-for-profit, community interest company started by Creatives, employing Creatives in every area of the business. We support the local community and the overall development of the arts in the area. The quirky, versatile venue we've run for this last year, has been a creative, artistic (ad)venture, beset with both incredible triumphs and significant challenges. It really has taken every ounce of energy, patience cash, creativity, time and love, we possess to get this far! 

We are enormously proud to have become such an important part of the artistic community, amplifying and programming local performers and drawing creatives to the area. Our commitment to supporting the evolution and sustainability of future professional performance work by providing the time, space and support to grow their work endures, but we need your help!

Without the Black Cherry CIC Performance venue in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch would not have a single theatre that produces professional work. Not only that, we employ the only resident company of creatives in the area, in addition to employing creatives in all Front of House roles around their creative projects. Founded by local Arts educators, we have changed that. 

In order to provide early/mid-career support to local & locally trained creatives, ensuring new work is nurtured and debuted at The Black Cherry, using all the resources and acumen at our disposal, in the heart of one of the most deprived areas in the conurbation, we now require Community backing.

The funding would enable us to deliver a thriving project providing a head start for theatre practitioners and producing quality & enduring performances generating the most significant impact on the local community, the wider conurbation and the creatives within it.

The benefits of the Black Cherry Original & Homegrown Project will include social, economic, environmental and cultural factors. 

We intend to further...

• Actively contribute to integrating creativity into the Boscombe Community, promoting community cohesion through socially engaged arts activity.

• Create unique performance pieces that can be used to promote the arts, the project, the venue, generating pride of place and a sense of local identity and distinctiveness.

• Launch the work of emerging companies & artists by speaking on their behalf, sharing progression, utilising our performance space effectively and linking with the right creative support personnel

• Produce well-structured, effective small-scale tours that are both artistically impactful and financially viable

As well as allowing us more versatility in our programming, consistently fair pay to artists, and ensuring we grow as a hub for the arts community in the area.

We know times are tough, they are tough for us too, and as a small community interest business, whose aim is to re-invest any money we make back into the service we provide, we really do need your help so we can carry on.

1000's of people have visited us in our first year and for that we are very grateful. If everyone who has enjoyed a lunch, a drink, a show, a class, a charity event, rehearsal space or workshop, supported us, with anything they can spare; then together we could reach our goal and share this adventure.

Thank you for your continued support, long live the arts!

Dave, Rachel and Jon 

Directors of The Black Cherry Cafe and Theatre Community Interest Company

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This project successfully funded on 23rd November 2022