- I had a huge phobia about dancing.
Now I can dance and I'm doing dance classes in groups.
- Public Acts is the National Theatre's community programme.
We exist to create extraordinary acts of theatre and
community across the country.
At the heart of the project is
the very simple idea of connection between people,
community, organizations, and theatres.
Our founding theatre partner was Queen's Theatre Hornchurch
who we worked with for the first two years. And since 2019,
we have been working with our new partner Cast in Doncaster.
I think we're still learning about the impact of the project
and Helen Nicholson's research has been so essential in
helping us begin to understand that.
- It seemed to be like an opportunity to really think
through what happens when a major,
internationally known building based theatre,
like the National extends itself in all kinds of different
ways into its local community,
but also it's the community nationwide.
- We spend the first part of the cycle,
delivering bespoke workshops in our community settings with
our community partners.
- We didn't know what to expect.
There was an element of just leaping in,
but the thing that hooked me was there's a real sense of
possibility.
- Well, particularly I wanted to get
fit because I become very
unfit because of bereavement and eating issues and
depression.
And I knew I had to do something to get out of it.
- For the second half of the programme.
We bring everybody together as one United company to create
a huge spectacular show on the main stage of the theatre
with a team of professional artists.
- In one of the rehearsals we had like the big wings.
I felt like we were little fairies
and our five-year-old selves,
like just having fun.
So that was, that was really good.
- Opening night, the energy, wow, we'd come so far.
And by this stage, we had almost become a single being.
- I remember by the end of As You Like It
at Queen's Theatre Hornchurch
and we were singing the last song.
We had this like choreography
for still our love and to seeing
in the bays, the production team, costume team,
they were doing it with us.
- I'm surprised that such a thing
is possible that it's possible to bring
communities of people with no experience together to do
something as great as Pericles and As You Like It.
- One of the most striking things that were said to me from
our community members was that it makes you want more for
yourself and your life,
because you will always know that you did that,
that you were able to come together and be part of something
that felt so good. And so important.
- What surprised me about myself was I had never imagined
that I would be doing something like that ever.
I just, it just hadn't even crossed my imagination.
I think confidence was the biggest thing.
We were stepping forward for things or suggesting things.
- One thing that I felt like I can do now that I couldn't do
before,
it's like speaking outwardly in different arenas.
I feel like it's something I feel more confident to do.
I'm not as stressed. I always say to myself,
if I can be on the Olivier, then I can do it.
- I was so scared in the beginning,
there was a feeling in the middle.
I realized I was managing to put it together. I can do it.
Someone who's late sixties.
Who's never done anything like this before never performed
dance. It's given me a confidence.
It carries on in me in a confidence,
much bigger than I ever had before. I'm 10 years younger.
- It's been really exciting to learn from
our community partners
about how the project has helped them evolve or change their
attitude about the role of theatre in delivering their
social missions.
- I think what they all shared was a real interest in
long-term partners with arts organizations,
either ones that are local to them or major national
organizations.
And that seems to me to be the
sustainability of public acts.
that it's about expanding arts provision in all kinds of
community partners and for them to really find what works
for them and to have the confidence to ask for it.
- You know,
the community started with Pericles, it grew with As You
Like It, it's grown with Doncaster.
And the truth is we all feel like we're part of one company,
regardless of the geographical difference.
- Huge, just very big
extended family,
or just like community and friends and the Mama bears and
Papa bears. They're like kids, cousins.
- I hope this really continues for all around the country.
I hope it goes on for years and years so that many more
people can get this experience.
- I totally believe it's a movement.
It's a radical movement. It's transformative, it's personal,
but it's also collective. Long may it continue.