Play to the Crowd, the arts and education charity that runs Theatre Royal Winchester, Hat Fair and Playmakers, was pleased to announce it has been awarded the title of Theatre of Sanctuary in recognition of its work with people seeking sanctuary by City of Sanctuary UK – a nationally coordinated network of organisations and services that welcome and support refugees and people seeking asylum.

The local arts charity celebrated the award with an evening of music, dance and poetry.

There was exceptional local talent which featured a dynamic mix of music, spoken word, and dance with performances that were chosen to reflect the diversity and spirit of the community.

Hannah Jones, Engagement Producer and organiser of the evening, said: "We started three years ago, and part of the new vision was to attract more diverse audiences and create more diverse performances. We started talking to the Winchester Ukrainian Cultural Association and other refugees in the community.

"We discovered there were a lot of artists in the community, and we also ran some of our own events such as Carnival, the Hat Fair and an angel lantern parade. Through these events, we became connected to poets, musicians, and choirs and made our own partnerships with Winchester School of Art, amongst others.

"This local talent night came from wanting an intimate yet safe space to share work, and natural leaders within the group emerged so the event is essentially run by and managed the group. We are so grateful for the award, as a theatre of sanctuary we want everyone to feel welcome. It is very important to me that the theatre is a place that people in the community can call home."

The evening was kicked off by their energetic host, Omar Mahmood Lagres, who performed some of his own songs and welcomed the audience. 

Other acts that followed included WUCA's Ukrainian "Kalyna" choir, who have been performing traditional Ukrainian music in Winchester since 2022. Ava Solomonova-Satchwell, a 12-year-old singer from Ukraine got everyone smiling with Dame Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again and then another young singer, Zarina, stunned the crowd with a cover of Michael Jackson's You are not alone.

Truth Be Told Theatre Company, a group of students at the University of Winchester, performed their "Shrewish Women", a piece that won the Hat Fair's 2024 Top Hat competition for its reflections and exploration of divine femininity through song.

The evening then saw rappers, street dancers, Iranian music blended with South American rhythms and Just Lucy's acoustic guitar. It really was a celebration of diverse culture.

To finish, CEO of Play To The Crowd, Deryck Newland, gave a moving speech where he said: "This isn't our award, this is your award. We play to the whole crowd and this evening has proven that if ever we doubted it, we are all one.

"Spaces like this are designed for evenings like this. Theatres are special, sacred places and in these places we can celebrate being one crowd. We are very proud to be becoming a theatre of sanctuary." 

Well done to all organisers and performers for a great evening, and congratulations on your award.

You can learn more about Play To The Crowd here;
playtothecrowd.co.uk/