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What is Chickenshed?

Chickenshed is a theatre for absolutely everyone.

For fifty years, we’ve created bold and beautiful work from our limitless belief in each other.

Through our productions, our performance training, our education courses, and our outreach projects, our mission is to create wonder out of chaos and change out of challenge.

We succeed together or not at all. This is our vision of how the world should be - a society where everyone can flourish. We’re here to shake things up by sharing our experience with each other, with those who hold power and with those who feel they have none. We do this on stage, off stage and wherever people come together.

Chickenshed, theatre changing lives.

Photo from Kensington and Chelsea 2019 gala, with Chickenshed students dancing together. Gabriel is in a wheelchair.

What do we do?

  • Performance

    We make outstanding theatre.

    Our work is brave and beautiful, using the stage to share our experience and spark change. We present original and entertaining productions for young children, families, and adults, inspired by our community and the world around us.

  • Education

    We lift each other up.

    We take performing arts training to the next level, by bringing together young people from all social and economic backgrounds, cultures, and abilities to study creatively alongside each other. Over 200 students join our BTEC, Foundation Degree and BA Courses every year, where they then collaborate to create powerful productions to perform in the outstanding Rayne Theatre.

  • Participation

    We are a community of everyone.

    Everyone who comes through our ‘door’ changes us in some way. We hold weekly workshops for children, young people and adults - providing them with a safe creative space, where they can gain in confidence, have the opportunity to perform or just be part of something joyful.

  • Outreach

    We show what the world can be.

    We reach out through projects and workshops in schools, youth centres, young offender centres - to name just a few - engaging, educating, and breaking the mould.

  • Youth Mentoring

    We succeed together.

    We provide young people with access to training and practical work experience in a variety of theatre skills. We supercharge their skills and arm them with the tools needed to further their professional development – teaching the next generation to have limitless belief in each other.

Chickenshed is a UK registered charity, under the name of The Chicken Shed Theatre Trust.

  • View our Registration with the Charity Commission here.
  • Read our Annual Accounts and Returns here.

50 Years of Chickenshed

We are celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2024.

50 paddy and child

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