With around a quarter of young people in Bristol coming from low-income backgrounds, many are facing financial or social barriers to attending theatre. The cost of tickets and travel put live performance out of reach and limited arts provision in schools means many are missing out on the opportunity to engage with theatre at all. As a result, too many young people facing disadvantage are excluded from the confidence, skills and sense of belonging the arts can offer.

Young Company City addresses this inequality by targeting schools and community centres in areas of high deprivation. It provides fully funded tickets and transport to see BOV productions, alongside delivering a series of workshops that use the production as inspiration for participants to create and perform their own work. Together this will enable them to benefit from experiencing all facets of theatre as both audiences and performers, while building confidence and essential life skills.