Pictured celebrating their showcase performance are budding young actresses, Helen Barbour, Piera Corrigan, Jessica Waddell and Carrie Bradley with Aine Dolan, Creative Learning Manager at the Grand Opera House, and Geri Wright, Communications Manager at Phoenix Natural Gas.

 Young performers from across Newcastle were treated to a show stopping day of creative learning as the Grand Opera House and leading gas network operator Phoenix Natural Gas recently hosted a special one-day arts event at the Newcastle Centre.

Supported by Arts & Business, ‘Creative Spaces’ provided local children with the opportunity to participate in a number of different arts activities, facilitated by the Grand Opera House.

Over 80 young creative registered to attend the various workshops on offer, which included a musical theatre lesson and a special ‘play-in-a-day’ workshop where budding young actors created and performed short plays. Other activities included creative writing workshops and digital storytelling using iPads.

The day concluded with a showcase performance from all participants, as well as a special performance from the cast of the Grand Opera House’s Summer Youth Production.

Áine Dolan, Creative Learning Manager at the Grand Opera House, said:

“It was a great privilege to work on an event that showcased and supported so many talented young people in our local community and beyond. Together with Phoenix Natural Gas, we wanted to give young people and the wider community the opportunity to be creative. With workshops in creative writing, musical theatre and drama, led by some of the finest names in the Northern Ireland arts scene, Creative Spaces was a jam-packed event and a great success.”

Geri Wright, Communications Manager of Phoenix Natural Gas, commented:

“Phoenix Natural Gas has been a longstanding supporter of the arts in Northern Ireland and this project was specifically created to help develop and nurture the artistic talents of young people in the Newcastle area, where we are currently working to extend the natural gas network.

“We were overwhelmed with demand for this event and it was great to see the children enjoying the day, making new friends and learning new skills. Not only did the children have a great day out, but it provided an opportunity for them to further develop their creative talents and also learn more about the environment, which was our overarching theme for the workshops.

“As a company actively engaged in corporate social responsibility, we were thrilled to bring this event to Newcastle and create something special for the local community. Through our partnership with the Grand Opera House, we are proud to be able to extend our partnership arts programmes to the East Down area.”

For more information on the Grand Opera House visit goh.co.uk.

For more information on Phoenix Natural Gas visit phoenixnaturalgas.com.