Our Involvement

This year the Theatre Royal is supporting Plymouth's Refugee Week Partnership for the third year running.

The Partnership comprises many of the groups from around the city who work with refugees and asylum seekers, either directly or because they provide for all of Plymouth's residents. We've come together to organise events across the city which include arts, sport, music and food, as well as opportunities to meet other people in your local area and of course to do some celebrating along the way!

Why has the theatre got involved?
As the largest arts organisation in the region we feel we have an important role to play. We welcome diversity and value what it offers us as an organisation; we would like to foster an environment where everyone feels welcomed and where everyone has something to offer.
Refugee Week is a series of arts and cultural events which take place across the UK. The Theatre Royal can provide the infrastructure and relevant experience to help deliver this, and help bring diverse communities together.

We are a charity, and our job is not only to entertain. Part of the role of theatre is to engage with people's thinking, to challenge stereotypes, to inspire and educate, as well as bring its audiences together. It's apt then that the Theatre Royal Plymouth coordinates Refugee Week for the city - which consists of a programme of events that aim to do just that.

We've been working with the refugee and asylum seeker communities in Plymouth for 8 years now. This experience informs our strand of work entitled 'Dialogues', which is about enabling people who have come to Plymouth as asylum seekers or refugees to access other services in the city, connect with Plymouth's cultural mainstream and build their confidence to share their experiences with other communities. We aim to improve understanding on both sides and Refugee Week is a vital part of this.

For more information about Dialogues click here.

Did you know? The UK hosts less than 2% of the world's refugees