Welcome to our third instalment of Supporting Our Local Heroes, our new series celebrating Hertfordshire’s incredible local charities.
Herts Inclusive Theatre is an award-winning arts charity, offering children, young people and adults, many of whom have learning and physical disabilities, the opportunity to participate in drama, dance and music in an inclusive and safe environment.
The charity has been running for over 20 years and is at the very heart of Hertfordshire’s thriving arts scene. We find out more…
Can you tell us a little more about the work Herts Inclusive Theatre does?
Herts Inclusive Theatre (HIT) aims to improve the well-being of people who are disadvantaged or disabled, by using the arts to build confidence and develop skills in an inclusive, fun and creative space. Our work brings together people of all abilities, from different socio-economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds to learn from each other, learn new skills, make friends, and have fun. Inclusivity is at the heart of our work including our staff, participants, audiences, volunteers, stage crew, and trustees.
How long have you been running?
21 years..and counting!
What kind of workshops and activities do you offer?
We provide an extensive programme of venue and online-based drama and arts activities for disabled and disadvantaged children, young people and adults throughout Hertfordshire including Watford, Borehamwood, Stevenage and Hertford. We work with participants from 5 years upwards, with no upper age limit. Our work in activities range from script reading, acting techniques to games, crafts and movement.
What do you love most about your charity?
Jenny and Ellie from the HIT office team said:
Jenny: “The inclusive ethos is at its core, HIT really welcomes EVERYONE - it is a place where people can come and feel included, whether as a staff member, volunteer, participant or trustee, it is a truly unique environment and the door is always open.”
Ellie: “I love working for an organisation that has participants at the core of all its delivery. Everyone is welcome and everyone wants to be there. I love seeing the participants come out at the end of a session, smiling, full of energy and having had a confidence boost and most importantly, having had fun.”
What would you say were your highlights from 2022?
We have many highlights of 2022 - some of our favourites include hosting our annual Heart of HIT Awards which celebrate all of our participants, staff and volunteers; it was the first big in person event we have held since 2019 so it was a truly fantastic day.
We also celebrated a National Award win for a leader in Inclusion and Diversity as part of the Herts Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
We also saw brilliant performances from our children, young people and adults, including taking part in the Disability Arts Festival in Harrow. We were thrilled to take part in some events across the year including storytelling at Dacorum and Watford Fun Palaces.
What would you say to anyone who is interested in joining HIT as a participant in one of your activities?
We offer two free taster sessions to all new participants wanting to join our term time theatre groups, you can come along try it out completely free of charge and see what you think.
We are fully inclusive meaning we welcome absolutely everyone to our sessions, we want everyone to have a taste of the arts whether you stay with us just for the free tasters, a term or multiple terms! If you want to try out a one-off activity with us, our holiday activities are a great place to start! Our sessions are relaxed, creative and fun. Why not come along?
As a registered charity, you obviously rely on donations to keep offering this incredible platform. What do these public donations fund?
Public donations are a vital part of our ongoing fundraising. Donations contribute towards the running of the organisation. They enable us to provide participants who may be unable to afford even our reduced fees a space at activities; help to pay for safeguarding checks and training which enables volunteers to attend sessions and support participants. Other ways include purchasing of materials and tools to support participants' needs during workshops. Without public donations, we would struggle to keep going.
In what ways can our readers support the charity?
There are many ways you can support HIT. We are fundraising to celebrate our 21st birthday and keep HIT going for the next 21 years. Donations can be made here.
If you cannot donate at this time, we are encouraging everyone to please share our page and spread the word. Other ways to support HIT include, becoming a volunteer and getting involved, particularly in our activities where volunteers play a vital role in supporting our participants, and purchasing a copy of the children's book 'Wands Wings and Wifi' written by local children's author Marion Hertz. All sales from the book go directly towards supporting HIT.
We also encourage you to share our posts on social media, attend any performances or productions we have coming up and tell friends and family about our work and activities - word of mouth is such a powerful tool! All information about upcoming productions will be available on our website very soon!
Finally, what does HIT have planned for the rest of 2023 and beyond?
It is our 21st Birthday and we are excited to be celebrating with a wealth of productions put on by our theatre groups this year, including Alice in Wonderland, Hairspray and an adaptation of the book 'Wands Wings and Wifi'. We will also be holding our annual Heart of HIT Awards in the Summer to celebrate our participants' hard work this year and our 21st birthday.
If you would like to find out more about Herts Inclusive Theatre, please visit their website www.hit-theatre.org.uk or email admin@hit-theatre.org.uk for more information.