The Oldham Coliseum company and another local theatre team will be taking over a historic arcade for an interactive family adventure with "surprise" live performances.
Although it is the time of year the Oldham Coliseum would be well into its festive pantomime schedule, since its Fairbottom Street theatre closed and left them without a home, the team are having to get creative when it comes to delivering performances.
Determined not to starve the town of its much-loved productions, the company has joined forces with Stand and Be Counted, another Oldham-based theatre company, for a new winter event this Saturday, December 16.
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The companies will take over the beautiful Victorian Hilton Arcade in Oldham town centre, which sits opposite Spindles shopping centre, with tours every ten minutes between 11am and 2pm.
During the completely free "Gifted" event, visitors can expect a combination of "surprise" live performances, with music, lights, projections, audio and augmented reality.
The experience is split into four chapters, called welcome, hope, celebration and joy.
Those who attend will also get the chance to build a creative gift box which celebrates the act of giving and the diversity of the borough.
Gifted is the first event in an exciting winter programme for the Oldham Coliseum Theatre company, hoping to reach thousands of young people this year.
The programme is the culmination of an eight-week-long project involving community groups and clubs, including a Lego-making club at Limehurst Library, Vibrant Voices Choir, Manchester City of Sanctuary and the In My Shoes Theatre Group.
Together, they made boxes of creativity and a book reflecting the borough's creative communities.
The audience will get to see a giant version of the book while a further 1,000 activity books will be available for attendees to take away or grab a copy at one of Oldham's libraries.
The winter programme comes as part of Oldham Coliseum's partnership with Stand and Be Counted as the duo delivered a successful audio adventure in Alexandra Park and Dunwood Park in Shaw in August, called Secret Summer.
As part of the programme, the Coliseum team is also working in association with Oldham Theatre Workshop on the show "The Wrong Reindeer" at Oldham Library which will go on tour in schools to reach primary school children.
The news also comes as campaigners recently gathered outside the boarded-up Fairbottom Street theatre building to protest its closure on the eve of what would have been the return of its annual pantomime.
Famous faces, including Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh, Hollyoaks' Annie Wallace, opera director and artistic director, Caroline Clegg, and screenwriter, Ian Kershaw, all gathered outside the building to form a "Coliseum flash mob".
Standing side by side with members of the public, they all dressed in panto costumes to march through the streets of Oldham in a bid to breathe fresh life into the campaign.
Speaking about the new production, Lauren Clancy, interim chief executive of Oldham Coliseum, said: “Gifted builds on the success of Secret Summer and reaffirms the Coliseum’s commitment to working with and for communities in its new chapter.
“We’re really proud to be providing unique experiences for thousands of children across the borough through our 2023 winter programme.”
John Tomlinson, executive director of Stand and Be Counted said: “We can’t wait to welcome people to Gifted.
“Our team, with more than 200 people from across Oldham, have been working together to invite everyone to step inside our adventure trail, to see, hear and be inspired by their community.
“We’ve all been learning together, sharing stories across different groups and reminding each other of the power of creativity, community and kindness.
“We think everyone has a creative gift, and everyone deserves a creative gift so join us for the moment we get to share this with each other.”
The council and Arts Council England have supported the project.
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