How Ricnic began
RicNic was born in 2004 when a teenage group of musical theatre fans took over a local theatre for the summer holidays. Together they staged a theatre production, taking on every role in the production team, cast, crew, and band. The project was repeated in subsequent years and RicNic grew into a flourishing theatre company, supporting young people to produce multiple events each year in schools, online and in professional venues around the country.
In 2024, after 20 years of our Summer Musicals programme being the main focus of our work, we went back to the drawing board and reimagined our work to meet the new needs of our participants and the communities in which we were working. This led to the relaunch of our activity strands with a year-round programme of activity delivered across Staffordshire, Cheshire, the West Midlands, and further afield. We’re now busier than ever creating theatre productions and music festivals, running workshops, holding open mic nights, providing training opportunities, mentoring participants, and more; all with the same ethos that we began with 20 years ago.
RicNic has had young people at its core from the very start and that remains essential to our development to this day. Everything we do is conducted with this same, youth-led approach in mind – a unique approach that we are yet to see matched in the UK, in terms of the level of autonomy that we give to our participants.
We are an arts charity for all young people to enjoy, whether they are searching for a new hobby or wish to find more support in developing a creative career. We believe that there should be no barrier to enjoying and engaging with the arts, and so we strive to make all our projects free for young people to attend and fully inclusive regardless of additional need, ability or experience.
The impact Ricnic has had…
RicNic now works with approximately 2000 young people each year across the UK. The majority of our existing programme and all of our plans going forward, focus on bringing opportunities to areas with limited alternative arts provision. We are committed to opening up opportunities for young people everywhere to develop their creative potential, gain advice from professional mentors and raise their aspirations.
Every year we provide
- Some individuals with their very first experience of being in a theatre project
- Others with the opportunities they need to take their next step towards a professional career in the creative industry
- Learning experiences which many have been able to draw on as example answers in their interviews for further education or employment.
- A safe space for young people to explore their creative potential, share their ideas and collaborate with others who share the same interests.
- A place for young people to form new friendships, often with peers across their community they otherwise would never have met.
- Support for schools who are looking to expand their creative curriculum
- Free opportunities to gain hands-on creative work experience
- Opportunities for the local community to enjoy performances and events.
Our previous participants talk about RicNic being a ‘family’ that you never really leave! We are fortunate to have many alumni who support our current programme as audience members, donors, associates, and ambassadors. With alumni now working across many different industries, this provides us with a strong base that we can call on to support our current participants.
Find out more about what we offer:
