Birmingham Hippodrome’s recent gala evening has raised £22,500 to support young performers through its youth programme.
Sponsored by West Midlands based fostering agency, Voice Fostering, the spectacular event raised money to support the Hippodrome’s youth programme, which provides exceptional creative experiences and opportunities for young people, including through Hippodrome Education Network (HEN) in 44 partner schools, young talent development schemes and public performances with Musicals Youth Theatre.
The sold-out evening was hosted by Jon Gilchrist, Artistic Director and CEO at Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday 7 September and attended by 160 guests including Hippodrome patrons, event supporters, corporate partners and funders who then enjoyed the evening performance of Disney’s The Lion King. Birmingham Hippodrome’s Musicals Youth Theatre group welcomed guests with a choreographed showcase of songs from their spectacular production of IMAGINARY - A New Musical, which they performed in the Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio in July.
Three of the young performers, James, Tallulah and Tianna spoke at the gala to share their experiences with the Hippodrome’s youth programme, including performing HEN Showcases and a Curtain Raiser performance with Motionhouse, which was performed on the Hippodrome’s main stage before the start of Motionhouse’s family show, Starchitects in February. Four Musicals Youth Theatre participants, Emily, Izzy, Poppy and Xian, also volunteered to support the gala by hosting guests while sharing their own experiences.
Judith Greenburgh, Head of Fundraising and Development at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have raised such a fantastic sum from our generous guests.
“All funds raised will make a direct impact on our Hippodrome youth programme, enabling us to provide even more creative experiences and opportunities for young people across Birmingham and the Black Country, especially those from underserved communities. A huge thank you from everyone at the Hippodrome to our evening sponsor Voice Fostering, our prize partners, in particular Charles Pedone Art, Darwin Escapes and Pertemps as well as all guests who helped to raise funds on the night.”
Sam Staite at Voice Fostering added: “Voice Fostering were pleased to sponsor Birmingham Hippodrome’s Gala Dinner - as a fostering agency we work hard to ensure that children and young people in care have as many opportunities to succeed as young people who live with their birth families; the Hippodrome works hard through their youth programme to ensure young people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to access culture and remove obstacles that would otherwise prevent them from doing so and as such share many of the values as our agency.” Tickets are on sale for the Hippodrome’s next spectacular gala evening at Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands on Thursday 8 February 2024.
