Gosforth Civic Theatre Featured in Our Freedom: Then & Now Exhibition
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
Last week, our CEO Rob Huggins joined cultural leaders, partners and participants from across the UK at the Future Arts Centres Our Freedom: Then & Now celebration and digital exhibition at the Southbank Centre.
The event marked a major collaborative project that showcased creativity, community and shared histories through the arts, and this year, those stories are brought to life in a national touring photography exhibition.
Developed by Future Arts Centres and Open Eye Gallery, it draws together images from 60 projects across the UK, including Gosforth Civic Theatre. The images capture moments from the diverse and powerful stories that emerged from the Our Freedom programme in 2025, as communities of all ages and backgrounds reflected on what freedom meant in their place in 1945, and what it means today.
Our Participation in Our Freedom: Then & Now
Photo: Rhiannon Banks Photography - Gosforth Civic Theatre performances and staff for Our Freedom: Then & Now
Last November, we joined the UK-wide Our Freedom: Then & Now project — our largest Freedom Moving platform event to date — presenting new work by people with learning disabilities and autism, exploring what freedom means 80 years on from the Second World War.
Our response to Our Freedom was our first ever full-length show: more than 60 performers, dancers, musicians and our friends Sing United, using dance, physical theatre and song to honour that heritage and celebrate the journey from then to now.
80 years ago, Gosforth Central Hall was opened as a place for all the community to gather. It was built as a memorial to "remember the brave people of our town, who gave their lives whilst serving in Her Majesties Forces and the Merchant Navy in the 1939-1945 war". The hall was very much built by the community of Gosforth; "Every rate payer and resident of Gosforth is aware that the Central Hall was built on behalf of the people of Gosforth as a war memorial for perpetual public remembrance."
Today, that same building is home to Gosforth Civic Theatre — the only public-facing theatre in the UK founded and guided by people with learning disabilities.
Our Portraits in the National Exhibition
We had award-winning photographer Johanna Churchill visit us as part of the project, capturing portraits of our group members and staff that now form part of the wider exhibition. Seeing Gosforth Civic Theatre represented in a national exhibition, alongside participants from across the UK, is something we are incredibly proud of.
Being Featured at Southbank Centre
We were particularly proud to see that James, our shadow board member, features within the exhibition itself, and even appears on the exterior of the Southbank Centre! This gives our work visibility in one of the UK’s most prominent cultural spaces.
The exhibition is open to visit in person, and is now touring until October across arts centres and libraries that took part in Our Freedom - from Libraries Unlimited in the South West to Eden Court in the Highlands. The full exhibition is also available to view online.
The Impact of Cultural Venues
Through workshops, performances and outreach programmes, Gosforth Civic Theatre plays an important role in the life of our local community in Newcastle. We provide a space for creativity, expression and social connection, supporting artists and hosting diverse events that make culture accessible to all, because we believe everyone should have the opportunity to participate in the arts.
Photos: Rhiannon Banks Photography - Gosforth Civic Theatre for Our Freedom: Then & Now performance
