An example of this was Rebels Rising Stars which took centre stage at the Quad Theatre — this marked the reopening of the theatre at Marjon and included eight talented young musicians who shared the spotlight with their practitioners and industry professionals; Jon Fazel, Alex Hart, Rose Kimberley, Harry Morris and Cat Rose. It was a standout gig attended by families, friends and our local MPs and councillors. Plans are already underway to scale up this format!

Our 2025 Rebels Young Company (RYC) was formed to produce a brand new piece of theatre, The Witching Hour. This included everything from writing a new script, devising and producing, costume and set design, technical design, rehearsing - all to be taken on tour as far as Durham. They planned to visit 13 destinations across the country — a major moment for young creatives on a professional platform.

In schools, our reach continues to grow with creative workshops delivered across the city, with a particular focus on areas under-served.

Connecting Communities Through Creativity 

Our community projects are breaking new ground across Plymouth’s neighbourhoods, thanks to funding from Esmee Fairbairn’s Confident Communities programme. Projects include:

• Family Dance sessions continue to thrive in Whitleigh, with the sessions being a consistent part of many families week. The sessions have been so popular that we have expanded into Southway and Estover with a number of taster sessions being held in community hubs. The focus continues to be on healthy lifestyles for families, fun and creative activity as well as providing a free lunch for participants. 
• Unspoken – From Stonewall to Stonehouse began work with LGBTQ+ over-50s, creating space for stories that deserve to be heard. From regular themed sessions, working with Plymouth’s LGBTQ+ Community Builder, we have built an audio experience that is set to be shared at TRP’s Scene Dock Festival on 24th Aug. The future of the project will involve a steering group of community members developing intergenerational events for the queer community in the city.
• In East End, our regular partnership with Take A Part and Prime included a local scavenger hunt, designed in collaboration wit the East End Arts Action group. We have recently celebrated our work at Prime with a Biodiversity Festival, offering crafts, planting, activities and live music from our young musicians from our Youth Music Programmes. 
• Keyham saw creative collaboration with the 1st Keyham Scouts, hosting a Japanese Sports Day, as well as inviting their Squirrels (4-6 years) into the theatre to create a ‘Play in a Day’ as well as holding an overnight residential at the Theatre.  
• In Honicknowle, in collaboration with the Burrington Hub, we hold monthly craft sessions, responding to the interests of attendees. These sessions are focused on skills development, with a view to support the members of the group to continue to make, create and eventually sell their crafts. 

Adult Creative Classes saw regular strong attendance and a real appetite for performance — a promising start ahead of the refreshed ACTivate and EXCELerate relaunch in September. Their highlights included performing at our River Plym celebration event, designing and delivering their own performance for Plymouth Pirate Weekend, a number of public sharings of their work to audiences, as well as performing a show that they had not only devised as a group but took on production roles to develop skills and understanding beyond the stage.

Live Performance & Audience Reach

We presented a vibrant and varied public programme throughout the year and the results are already speaking volumes:

• We welcomed 6,100 people to 77 shows at Barbican Theatre and the Quad Theatre.
• The official launch of the Quad Theatre kicked off with Seth Lakeman to a full house.  
• Our programme featured a rich mix of music, comedy, and theatre — all curated with care and community at the core.

We’re looking forward to launching our autumn/winter season very soon, look out for our new official seasonal booklet!

Freelance Impact & Sector Support

We’re proud to be fuelling Plymouth’s creative economy through real, paid opportunities:

• In 2024/25, we contracted 92 freelancers, investing over £140,000 directly into the local creative workforce.
• 44 of these practitioners worked hands-on with young people, contributing to over 5,800 hours of creative training.
• This resulted in many hours of paid work delivering professional, engaging training and skills development, helping sustain creative careers and champion freelance talent.

Looking Ahead

As we prepare to launch our 2025/26 programme, we’re building on these foundations with a fresh focus on relevance, reach, and resilience.

Stay up to date on what's next by visiting www.barbicantheatre.co.uk or following us on social media. Whether you're a participant, artist, partner, or audience member — thank you for being part of the journey.

Together, we’re not just making theatre. We’re making change.