News Story
“I really do believe in the community. I really do believe in the genius in every person”.
Joan Littlewood
Join us on Saturday 7 October in the Burton Taylor Studio as we celebrate 10 years of Fun Palace
at Oxford Playhouse.
To mark the tenth anniversary of Fun Palace, we invite you to reflect upon the theme of The Past, Present and Future. Perfect for families, drop into our Burton Taylor Studio for free arts and science activities across our spaces, with crafts and ideas to take home and share with your friends and wider community. Expect storytelling sessions for young people (and young at heart!), a wall sculpture, and a chance to leave messages to your future self, all ages are welcome to join in on the fun!
Created in 2013, Fun Palaces is a free national initiative hosted by local people for their communities, giving them a space to come together and share their skills, passions, and interests. Whether it be through origami, sculpting, science and ecology talks or cheerleading, Fun Palaces aims to place culture at the centre of our communities.
As part of our outreach programme, Oxford Playhouse has annually hosted a free Fun Palace event for families from across Oxfordshire.
At the Playhouse we believe in the importance of the arts for everyone. Our participation in the Fun Palace weekend enables us to demonstrate the impact of the arts in helping to build a more cohesive community.
Highlights from our previous Fun Palaces include designing a DNA model, comical dressing up and decorating miniature globes to represent A World Reimagined. This was made possible with the generous support of our community partners, who have helped us expand our reach. In 2022, we held our first in-person event post-pandemic which welcomed 163 people into our BT Studio.
Fun Palaces was created by Joan Littlewood and Cedric Price in 1961, who believed in the importance of making arts venues accessible to those who wouldn’t usually attend these spaces.
As a part of her highly influential theatrical and political practice, Joan believed that every creative action, however small, can encourage a ripple effect. Collective artistic experiences can promote self-expression, improve empathy, and provide a platform for people of all ages and backgrounds to contribute to something bigger than themselves.
As we prepare to blow out our candles, we would be delighted if you would come and share a little of your genius with us. Like Joan, we believe in community.
