24 Stories of Family Arts
Stand & Be Counted Theatre
Secret Summer
Audience Impact & Innovation Award Nominee
“This was the best day of my life!” – 6 year old participant, from Sudan
“An extraordinary piece of storytelling … Inspired to fight against racism and for a better world” – The Socialist Worker
Secret Summer is a co-created live-meets-digital immersive production made with Stand & Be Counted’s Youth Theatre of Sanctuary (refugee & asylum seeker children aged 3-15) alongside acclaimed Syrian writer Anan Tello.
The production is an innovative, app-based promenade adventure, created in both English and Arabic – to be enjoyed by the whole family. With live set pieces and unique geolocative technology, stories are unlocked, as families immerse themselves in the secret world of Squirrel, Unicorn and The Beetles.
Stand & Be Counted was founded in 2010 with a passion for platforming the voices we need more of. Their work is adventurous and highly political, merging lived experience with new ideas.
Stand & Be Counted are the UK’s first Theatre Company of Sanctuary, committed to making work with and for people seeking sanctuary (refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants). They proudly sit at the intersection of arts, culture & social activism. Through a rigorous and adventurous co-creation programme, they provide thousands of people seeking sanctuary with regular, long-term making opportunities and events in order to celebrate, platform and ensure equality of opportunity.
The organisation’s work with families, children and young people is embedded throughout their work, and in particular, through the development of the UK’s first “Youth Theatre of Sanctuary”. They have been delivering this creative empowerment programme for 18 months, with weekly sessions regularly attended by over 50 participants.
You can discover all 24 Stories of Family Arts here. If you’d like to discover more fantastic organisations that meet our Family Arts Standards or Age-Friendly Standards explore the Fantastic for Families Directory.
Stand & Be Counted Theatre has been shortlisted for the Audience Impact & Innovation Award in the Fantastic for Families Awards 2023
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24 Stories of Family Arts
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