Take a look behind the scenes at Zest Theatre to find out more about what we do and how we do it.
What a year 2023 has been! As we lock up Zest HQ and head off on our well-deserved festive holiday, join us as we reflect on the last 12 months: an epic year of graft, changes, and growth. A year that saw Zest go BIG, reaching over 424,000 people with our work! Let’s look at our 2023 best bits…
Read MoreFor the first time since the pandemic began, Zest is back with a brand new show!
Written by Bush Theatre’s Young Company Director, Katie Greenall, with new songs by Loop Artist Koko Brown, Camp Phoenix is a show packed with adventure, new music, and vital life lessons, featuring a dynamic cast of professional performers and local young people who helped develop the show.
This new show has been commissioned by Lincoln Arts Centre, Barnsley Civic, and ARC Stockton and will be our first touring production since becoming an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
Read MoreZest Theatre’s Board are thrilled to appoint Adam Pownall, who joins Zest from his current position as Senior Producer at Hull Truck Theatre, as Executive Producer of Zest Theatre at a momentous time for the organisation.
Read MoreFor the first time since the pandemic, Zest is making a brand-new production!!! Throughout January and February 2023, Zest will travel the country to Research and Develop (R&D) the yet-to-be-titled new show. Across the process, we’ll meet over 700 children and young people from Lincoln, Stockton, Canterbury, Barnsley, and Lewisham.
Read More2022 was another year of big lows but, thankfully, even bigger highs. We’re still here, we’re still open, and still thriving for the communities we serve. And thanks to the news that we’re becoming an NPO, the future has never looked brighter!
Read MoreWe are beyond excited to announce that Zest Theatre will join Arts Council England’s National Portfolio from April 2023! Earlier today, it was announced that Zest has been awarded £180,000 of public income every year for the next 3 years, amounting to over £540,000 of support. This investment will enable Zest to create increasingly transformative, high-quality theatre and cultural experiences for thousands of young people across the length of the country between 2023 - 2026.
Read MoreZest is making space for Lincoln’s young people to hang out, get inspired, and shape the future of the city. For one weekend only, we’ll be taking over St Benedict’s Square in Lincoln with The Forum – a colourful, pop-up space for young people aged 11-18 to hang out in the city centre.
Read MoreThis summer, Zest Theatre will tour an interactive art installation to 5 locations across Lincolnshire. Fuelled by the words of the county’s young people, The Forum will create space for communities to think, discuss ideas, and imagine the future of Lincolnshire inspired by the next generation.
Read MoreZest is spending the first 3 months of 2022 facilitating an ambitious new research project with over 1,000 young people across our home city!
Commissioned by city-wide partners in Lincoln, Zest will meet 1,250 young people between January and March 2022. Over 50 workshops will be delivered in schools, colleges, and community groups, making space for Lincoln’s children and young people to share their vision for the future of the city.
Read More2021 has been another interesting one, right? For Zest, it’s been a year of big highs, big lows, and many unexpected pivots. We’re still here, we’re still open, and still thriving for the communities we serve. But it seems that unexpected pivots create unexpected results.
Read MoreLast week Zest released the Refresh Lincoln Audio Experience as an additional point of access to the installation of the same name, currently visible in Lincoln city centre through 4 September. When landing on Zest’s website, those looking to engage with Refresh Lincoln via headphones, will also notice new accessibility tools, provided by Recite Me, in order to support the diverse range of people in our community.
Read MoreZest is taking over Lincoln! For 8 weeks this summer, Zest will unleash 80 vibrant artworks on posters, banners, and billboards around every corner of the City Centre. Today we’re announcing the full details!
Refresh Lincoln is set to reclaim the city centre for young people, placing their voices at the heart of Lincoln’s re-opening and recovery following a year of being in and out of lockdown.
Read MoreZest Theatre has been awarded £25,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund to ensure they continue to meet the needs of young people. Receiving this funding means that Zest will be able to survive the effects of the pandemic on our industry, and develop further to meet the increasing needs of young people and the changing cultural landscape. In addition to supporting our core costs, this funding will support the Research and Development of a new production and continue Zest’s financial and developmental commitment to antiracism and accessibility.
Read MoreThe last 12 months have taken their toll on Young People. They are facing a mental health crisis. Young people need culture and creativity more than ever before. Zest, therefore, has to respond with impactful work that can happen despite the pandemic, whilst serving the needs of Gen-Z. We’ve always worked outside the box, fearlessly pushing preconceptions of form and what a small-scale company can achieve. This new work for Spring / Summer 2021 is no different. This is the beginning of our response.
Read MoreAt Zest, our Maxims underpin everything we do. These short statements share our key values and shape the work of our trustees, staff, creatives and performers. In December 2020, we asked Future Proof what they thought our maxims might be. As participants, they had never seen our maxims document before. The thoughts they shared were solely based on their experience of working with us. We soon realised there were 4 reoccurring themes that we hadn’t recognised as being key components of the Zest experience. Together we set about re-writing Zest’s Maxims.
Read MoreFuture-proofing a product, system or organisation gives it the ability to continue having value into the distant future. It stops the item becoming obsolete. But in these unprecedented times of continuing change, is it possible to be future proof? The young people from Zest’s new Youth Advisory Board have been discussing that question in recent weeks - discussions that indicate where they may lead Zest, whilst also giving an insight into how young people feel about their own future.
Read MoreWell, 2020 has been quite a ride! It’s definitely not been the year we’d planned. At times we’ve cried about the projects we’ve lost, whilst at other points we’ve relished the opportunity to experiment and try new things. 2020 may have been the worst, but there is still so much for us to celebrate. So here goes…
Read MoreZest Theatre has been awarded £50,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary has announced today.
Read MoreAs the confetti falls on our 2019/20 national tour of Youthquake, we reflect on the entire process and hear from a selection of the Young People, Cast and Creative team that have made it all happen.
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