April Newsletter

UK Pantomime Award win
We are thrilled to announce that South Hill Park won the 2023 Pantomime Award for Best Script by Joyce Branagh for Jack and the Beanstalk.
When accepting the award, Joyce said, “Thank you to the whole team at South Hill Park Arts Centre and thank you to panto”.
We are so proud of the entire team at South Hill Park, with a shout out to Victoria Spearing who was nominated for Best Set Design.
Tickets for Sleeping Beauty, running from Fri 24 Nov – Sun 31 Dec, are on sale now with returning writer Joyce Branagh and Director Adam Stafford. Book here.
(Photo by Bekki Frost)

Kinky Boots triumph
What an amazing week being in the fabulous world of Kinky Boots! With sold out performances and rave reviews, we couldn’t be prouder.
Congratulations to all the cast and crew behind the incredible show and like always, we couldn’t have done it without the support of our wonderful audiences, who donated a total of £3184.17 to South Hill Park Trust over six days of the production.
We’d like to thank you all for making our Easter production such a great success!

Community work with local primary school
It is a pleasure to share this video from the staff and pupils at Nine Mile Ride Primary School, where we provided a course of free creative arts workshops. Generously funded by Wellington College, this is just a snapshot of the charitable work that we undertake, thanks to the generosity of our donors.
If you would like to contribute towards our charitable work, you can either donate or become a member. Find out more on our website.

The Golden Festival of Food and Music
The Festival of Food and Music returns this summer – and this year it will also be a celebration of South Hill Park’s 50th anniversary.
As always we have a talented line-up of live music including tribute acts and local artists. There will also be free family creative drop-in sessions and amazing food and craft stalls for you to purchase from throughout the weekend.
This free event runs from Sun 7 – Mon 8 May. For more information visit here.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road – A Wizard of Oz Experience
We have teamed-up with The Lexicon and Bracknell Forest Council to bring South Hill Park’s first ever two-site promenade performance to Bracknell.
Starting at South Hill Park and finishing at The Lexicon, the audience will move through several different locations, for the Follow the Yellow Brick Road performance, combining story-telling, participatory theatre and visual arts. This production runs from Thu 17– Sun 27 Aug and you can book now.
We are also looking for adult actors to be a part of this amazing immersive production. If you would like to audition please contact mark.hooper@nullsouthhillpark.org.uk, and more information can be found here.

Chris McCausland: Yonks! on sale now
Chris McCausland is hitting the road again with another masterclass in stand-up comedy that has literally been yonks in the making.
Make sure to get tickets to see him on Sun 28 Jan 2024 as the last tour was a sell-out! Book here.

Easter workshops success
Our learning and participation team loved meeting children and families of all ages over the Easter holidays. Over 200 participants took part in creative fun with a range of activities from sculpture to street dance and drama to printing making.
Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for our summer holiday programme coming soon.

Sleeping Beauty Junior Ensemble auditions
Are you a young performer aged 7 – 18 and would like to be involved in a professional pantomime? Come along and audition to be a part of our junior ensemble in Sleeping Beauty 2023.
This year, we are looking for three groups of 12 triple-threat performers who are motivated to be a part of our pantomime this Christmas. For more information and to book your audition slot, visit here.

Upcoming May Workshops
We have a wide selection of creative workshops taking place in May
Highlights for adults include Monet Waterlillies in Acrylics as well as Jigsaw Lino Printing. For children, we have a half term Jewellery Making Taster workshop to learn the basics of making jewellery pieces.
To find out more and to book, visit our website here.

50th anniversary throwback
This month’s memory of South Hill Park is from Wendy Whitmarsh. She sent a photo from May 1976 when South Hill Park held a wonderful ‘Under 5’s Festival’. The whole mansion and grounds were given over to activities for little ones and their parents and carers.
We are so grateful for Wendy’s lovely memory, and she said, ‘it was a brilliant week’!

Vacancies
South Hill Park is currently looking for a Box Office Receptionist (casual) to join the team. We particularly require cover on evenings and weekends, so availability at those times is essential.
This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to work in a creative environment within the arts sector.
If you are interested in this role, please visit our website here to find out more.