An evening of cabaret, comedy and celebration of Arcola’s community companies.
Short acts and songs performed by 50+ Group, Queer Collective and Mental Health Community Company.
All donations and ticket sales for this event will support the productions as part of our Participation Festival in Spring 2026. Through this annual celebration of youth and community theatre, we provide high quality performance opportunities to members of our local community.
In 2025, we ran 30 in-house projects which reached 768 participants through workshops and classes. 251 participants performed across our Studio 1 and 2 spaces through Participation.
In a recent evaluation with our current community company members, 100% of the 40 members interviewed answered yes when asked if being part of Arcola Participation had had a positive impact on their sense of self and community.
Supporting this event helps us to continue to do this work.
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Running time
1 hr 30 mins with breaks between acts -
Age guidance
12+ -
Content warnings
What our community company members say about Arcola Participation
"This is my weekly dose of feeling alive. It is so precious and valuable for me for the inclusivity, creativity and encouraging"– Mental Health Community Company member
"It’s stimulating, thought provoking, fun"– 50+ Group member
"I feel like the group immediately connected... it felt like a safe and open space. I don't think I've experienced that in an acting-y space before"– Queer Collective member
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Adam Carvell
Director
Adam Carvell
Director
Adam co-creatively leads Queer Collective.
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Aoife Beaumont
Director
Aoife Beaumont
Director
Aoife co-creatively leads 50+ Group and Mental Health Community Company.
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Hannah Lee
Director
Hannah Lee
Director
Hannah is the assistant facilitator for 50+ Group.
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Jess Mckenna
Director
Jess Mckenna
Director
Jess co-creatively leads Queer Collective.
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Josh Picton
Director
Josh Picton
Director
Josh co-creatively leads Mental Health Community Company.
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Hannah Brennan
Assistant Producer
Hannah Brennan
Assistant Producer
Hannah is Assistant Producer for Community Companies and supports the runnings of 50+ Group, Mental Health Community Company and Queer Collective.
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Layla Desouza
Participation Intern
Layla Desouza
Participation Intern
Layla is a placement student from Central School of Speech and Drama who has supported 50+ Group this term.
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Dafydd Veck
Musical Director
Dafydd Veck
Musical Director
Dafydd worked with 50+ Group, Mental Health Community Company and Queer Collective on their song performances.
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Joel Gatehouse
Physical Comedy Specialist
Joel Gatehouse
Physical Comedy Specialist
Joel worked with Mental Health Community Company on their movement sequence.
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Duane Nasis
Queer Cabaret Specialist
Duane Nasis
Queer Cabaret Specialist
Duane worked with Queer Collective on their Cabaret performances.
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Ella Zgorska
Facilitator
Ella Zgorska
Facilitator
Ella supported the workshops in Mental Health Community Company and Queer Collective.
This production is supported by
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Mila Foundation
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J. Productions
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Arts Council England