On Saturday 5 August, we hosted our first ever Open Day – opening ALL of our doors to the public with an array of backstage tours, theatre workshops, circus performances and food and drink tasting.
With over 6,000 people through our doors, it’s safe to say it was a brilliant day for all involved! We look back at the jam-packed day and share some of our favourite highlights…
Bhangracise on the Plaza
Nothing gets you more in the mood for a day full of activities and workshops than a bit of Bhangracise in the glorious sunshine! The plaza just outside of the theatre was packed with people of all ages ready to dance along with the duo, and as you can see, no one was too shy to throw some moves!
You can find out more about Bhangracise here.
Backstage tours
Arguably the most popular feature of our Open Day, everyone was really intrigued to see what ‘behind-the-scenes’ really looked like. Our team took patrons through stage door, backstage, into the dressing rooms and even up on the fly floor (which is essentially a grid above the whole theatre – eek!) It was a great experience for everyone.
Keisha Thompson’s poem
The brilliant Keisha Thompson from Poet In The City was set with the task of taking everything in from our Open Day and then writing a poem about it. And what a beautiful poem she wrote! Check out the video below.
Amazing, right?
Cirque Bordello
If activities and workshops weren’t for some people, then we also had a hilarious circus performance to keep the masses entertained! We had two stellar performances of Cirque Bordello by Lost In Translation Circus which made the adults chuckle and the little ones get excited (who wouldn’t if they were given a water bomb to throw at a performer!) 5 stars from us!
Design A Dessert Competition
Quite possibly the most unexpected highlight of the day due to the fact that the demand for Design A Dessert was sky high (what’s not to love?!) Little ones and their parents flocked to Pier Eight Restaurant to design the most scrumptious dessert, with the promise of the best one being put on our next menu. Keep your eyes out for the new addition to our desserts!
Written by Georgia Litherland, Digital Executive
You can find more of what happened at our Open Day over on our Storify.