“No Room at the Holiday Inn” is Red Rose Chain Community Theatre Company’s Christmas play performing on Thursday 16th December.
The short play is a modern adaptation of the Nativity Story, devised by the Suffolk-based company through weekly drama workshops held at Gippeswyk Hall, Ipswich; the home of Red Rose Chain.
The performance is a celebratory event for the Community Theatre Company. Last month Red Rose Chain secured a grant of £332,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to engage participants in a 3 year programme of artistic and creative activities. The programme funded by the Big Lottery Fund will begin in January 2011.
The Community Theatre Company project uses drama and film-making to help people recovering from drug addiction to turn their lives around. Twelve participants are taking part in the current project, with roles on stage as well as behind the scenes in costume, props, set construction and lighting.
Joanna Carrick, Artistic Director at Red Chain said: “It is wonderful for the Community Theatre Company to be able to celebrate Christmas by staging their own version of the nativity Story, in the knowledge that the programme is going to expand greatly in the New Year!
"The pilot programme over the past 2 years has had an extremely positive impact on the participants. This was recognised by the Big Lottery Fund and it is thanks to their funding that Red Rose Chain is now able to substantially develop the programme to engage more people recovering from drug addiction and empower them to turn their lives around.”
This is the third production from the Community Theatre Company, following from last year’s ground-breaking devised play “I Love KitKats” and last summer’s “Macbeth”, staged at Gippeswyk Hall, as part of Red Rose Chain’s celebrations to mark their move into the Grade 2* listed building.
The project is designed to increase participants’ confidence and self esteem and to support their progress into a life free from drugs. Through their involvement with the project, participants are developing greater aspirations, leading to a reduction in risk-taking behaviour. Increased aspirations will also lead to an increase in participants accessing education, training, volunteering and employment. The pilot project has already enabled over 15 participants to take up volunteering roles with Red Rose Chain.
The play will perform on Thursday 16th December to a capacity audience at Gippeswyk Hall; all funds raised will go to the Iceni Project.
