BOY BLUE Competitors

The Unicorn is the UK’s leading professional theatre for young audiences, dedicated to inspiring and invigorating young people of all ages, perspectives and abilities, and empowering them to explore the world – on their own terms – through theatre. Year-round, the Unicorn works with some of the world’s most exciting theatre-makers to produce, present and tour a surprising, innovative and broad range of work that is honest, refreshing and international in outlook. At the Unicorn, we believe in: • bringing art to young people and young people to art • pushing the boundaries of what theatre for young audiences can be • opening our doors to everyone • speaking to the audience of today, not just creating the audience of the future • diversity. Because the world is diverse. At the Unicorn, we strive to push the boundaries of imagination in everything that we do; welcoming families, schools, and young people for unforgettable theatrical experiences that will expand horizons, change perspectives, and challenge how we all see and understand each other.

Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that uses performing arts to celebrate diversity and inspire social change. We believe in the absolute insistence on inclusivity so that everyone, regardless of their age, background or ability, has the opportunity to flourish. Through our performance, outreach projects, education courses and membership programmes, we connect with over 20,000 young people every year.

Polka Theatre is one of the few venues in the UK which is dedicated to producing and presenting work for young audiences. Its two theatre spaces, the Main Theatre and the Adventure Theatre are designed especially for children so that their first taste of theatre is welcoming and relevant. At Polka children aged 0 to 12 enjoy a wide-range of experiences designed to make theatre a natural part of their lives. Polka has established itself as a centre for innovation in Early Years work in particular, with a local heart, national reach and international reputation. Every Polka show is supported by a creative learning programme. Schools visiting the theatre benefit from online free resource packs and rehearsal diaries, show-related workshops and after-show talks. Polka embraces family learning and encourages it through exciting family days, after-show events and show-related activities packs. It also runs a regular programme of out-of-school clubs and an extensive participation programme, giving children the freedom to explore their creativity and learn a wide-range of performance skills from storytelling to puppetry. Polka’s welcoming building is a resource for local people with its friendly café, affordable gift shop, free open-access Play Den with dressing up and book corner, a garden and a playground. It is playful, fun and interactive.