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Christian Theatre Companies

PT Admin
February 12, 2025
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A group of actors in plain clothes with their arms up at the front of a church under the stained glass windows and with an audience looking on.

Christian Theatre Companies bring professional actors and artists together with volunteers and amateur actors to perform Passion Plays around the UK. Find out which theatre companies are performing Passion Plays this coming Easter and visit our website to find out where these plays are happening!

Saltmine Theatre Company

 

Saltmine Theatre Company is passionate about the power of story to transform lives. Their missional theatre productions inspire hope, ignite imaginations, and invite audiences to experience the deeper meaning behind every performance.

Their Passion Plays is a unique contemporary retelling of Jesus’ last days, death and resurrection performed live on the streets of towns and cities across the UK. Past performances include Birmingham, Stafford, Norwich, Dudley and in 2025 it will take place in Hereford and Wilmslow.

A combination of live music, processional theatre and an extraordinary story, the Passion Play is adapted every year to reflect the unique features of each city. It includes volunteers casts to tell the Easter story by the city, for the city.

Throughout history, nation and culture storytelling has been at the core of humanity and Saltmine aims to reach all ages, teach people about real life issues and inspire faith, hope and love.

Co-artistic Director Simon had his first acting job with Saltmine over a decade ago and completed a Masters in Acting at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama as well as acted and directed around the world. Co-Artistic Director Ben completed a Foundation Degree in Community Evangelism in 2010 and went on to join us in 2011. He is the longest serving actor and with thousands of performances under his belt he started directing in 2018.

Find out more on their website here.

Manna Theatre

 

Manna Family are a family run missions organisation, passionate about sharing the gospel through the arts.

They are dedicated to helping people experience God through the performing arts. For over 18 years, they have presented powerful, gospel-centred performances throughout the United Kingdom and produced online content that has been viewed worldwide.

  • Bringing the gospel to people for the first time in engaging formats.
  • Encouraging Christians to go deeper in their walk with Go

You can see their productions as they tour around the UK and also audition to be a part of the cast of one new musical each year performed in venues in the North West of England.

Manna has an ambitious vision from daily training classes to having a dedicated space of their own. Their goal is to provide a space for children and adults who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in arts, music, or craft activities, or who have not experienced the beauty of nature.

Jaime Crick is Artistic Director, Founder, & Teacher with over 17 years of vocational experience in teaching musical theatre in the community, as well as Trinity College London Tutor in Speech and Drama and Musical Theatre. Her husband Gary is Operations & Founder. Find out more about the rest of the family and their work on their website here.

 

 

 

 

Rise Theatre Company

 

RISE Theatre company is a professional Christian theatre company with a passion for delivering  exciting, original, transformative theatre.

Starting in 2007, their name comes from Isaiah 52:2 – “Shake off your dust; rise up” and from the outset our aim has been to create drama that not only entertains but has a transformative quality for every audience member or participant – inspiring them to “shake off their dust” and “rise up”.

“From the smallest of seeds, a mighty tree can grow!”

They work at schools, churches, events and festivals across the UK to inspire people of all ages to realise their full potential in life.  Through multi-creative platforms they have opportunities for people of all ages to explore their sense of identity and purpose in the world.

If you ever get the chance to see some of their other productions, you will see faith based stories that spark the imagination and speak to hearts and minds. They have a range of productions – transformative theatre that holds up a mirror to who we are and who we could be.​

​As well as Passion Plays, they also work with a wide range of organisations across the UK, taking part in national tours, commissioned plays, events, festivals, filming, stage work, training, and leading workshops in schools, churches and youth centres.

Stephen Newman is Artistic Director and Charlie Tidy is Artistic Director and Co-founder. To find out more see their website here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is fundraising like online dating?

Online dating is trying to find the right match among many differnet people. Fundraising for Passion Plays is similar to online dating in one respect: trying to find the right match for your Play among different trusts and funding charities. Finding this perfect match is the key to raising funds to tell the Easter story!

Once you find trusts and funders who are of a similar mindset and value the things you value, you are well on the way to a perfect match.

 

How do we find potential funders?

The Charity Commission’s Register of Charities allows you to search for free by using filters to narrow your search. (Remember, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate registers.)
Funding Central is another register that is free to access.
For a more expensive option, you can try the Directory of Social Change’s Funds Online website which is regularly updated.
Since Passion Plays bring many churches of all denominations together, your diocese can be a good source of information and signposting. For example, see the Diocese of Bristol and their list of funders here.  www.bristol.anglican.org/documents/diocesan-funding-guide/
The Christian Funders’ Forum is also a useful source.

 

How do we let funders know our project is a good match for them?

Now is the time to do some research and really think about compatibility with the funders you are researching.

You can research their online content, websites, and also Further information will be inread through their annual reports published on the Charity Commissions website (click ‘Documents’ tab). These annual reports will give useful imformation about projects they have previously funded.

A quick phone call can also be helpful in establishing contact and goodwill as you will be able to find out more about them and let them know what you do.

Remember here that one of the key elements is timing! Some funders have a set application process that requires you to apply before a deadline. Other funders have trustees’ meetings at set times during the year and those times are good to work with.

The timing of your project also matters. Some funders like to fund projects in the early stage of development, while others like to give funding when they see other funders have already contributed.

There is a lot to think about with fundraising! But Passion Plays are such unique projects that it can also be an enjoyable process. Many funders like to hear about large community arts events that tell the Easter story in fresh and inspiring ways. Not only do Passion Plays have large outdoor audiences across the UK each Easter, they are also unique spaces of community, skill-sharing, mentoring and investing in the lives of volunteers across all sections of society. They are more than a one-off performance and the impact spreads across the whole community for many months.

 

Where can I find more help with fundraising?

If you want more help with fundraising, we have plenty more tips and advice on our website here.

We have recorded sessions from previous Passion Trust Conferences including sessions looking at Finance & Fundraising, Administration and Practical Considerations, and Q&A sessions. You can see more information and watch short helpful videos on our website here.

You can also find lots of helpful tips and advice at The Benefact Trust here or click on the image below.

three bullet points with rows of text and images in blue bubbles with white icons for help with fundraising

 

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