Rowena Cade created the Minack as a community asset to bring people together through theatre. As part of her legacy, we seek to engage as many young people as possible with the performing arts, both as audience and participants. Our Taking Part programme reaches thousands of young people across Cornwall every year, and most of our projects are delivered free of charge. We aim to make theatre affordable and accessible to all young people, regardless of their background or circumstances.
The Minack has no external funding. This programme is entirely supported by the income we earn from our visitors and audiences.
We work with schools to create workshops and mini-festivals that bring together groups of schools to share their work at the Minack. We also partner with community support organisations to reach young people in deprived areas. We also provide work experience placements for young people and attend school careers fairs to advise students on career opportunities in the performing arts and tourism.
We run a wide range of individual programmes including the Minack Acting, Musical Theatre and Technical Academies, which provide training and personal development for young people wishing to explore a career in the arts.
Some of our projects are based in the community. Our Rising Stars theatre group gives over 100 children in Penzance free training and performance experience. We run a weekly children’s arts club in Newlyn and have developed an intensive therapeutic arts project to support local families affected by trauma.
We also stage free workshops for both children and adults that are open to everyone to enjoy.
