SALISBURY Playhouse has been awarded £30,000 from The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation which will go towards a three year project developing the theatre’s work with military communities on Salisbury Plain.

The grant will enable the theatre to expand its Stage 65 Youth Theatre to reach areas that are isolated and have limited opportunities to engage with the arts.

The project will work with secondary schools across the area and offer weekly workshops resulting in theatre performances both in the local community and at Salisbury Playhouse.

Youth theatre director Dave Orme, said: “This is a very exciting development in our relationships with these secondary schools and will enable us to provide an ambitious provision for a group of young people who might otherwise struggle to work with us on a regular basis."

Stage 65 Youth Theatre has a branch at Wellington Academy in Tidworth which has been meeting weekly since 2015 and has already performed three productions both at Salisbury Playhouse and the school.

This project will see new groups form in other secondary schools across Salisbury Plain and it is hoped that more than 1500 young people and their families could benefit from it.

As the military presence in Wiltshire increases, the project aims to tackle rural isolation and bring young people from both military and civilian backgrounds together through creative activities.

The grant forms part of the foundation’s active grant programme. Salisbury Playhouse is one of 19 recipients across the UK.

A spokesman for the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, said: “The availability of and participation in creative activities for young people is critical to maintain vibrancy in the arts and enrich the quality of life across communities.

"We are delighted our funding will allow Salisbury Playhouse to extend professional drama expertise to a culturally and socially diverse population, helping to build a sense of integration and encouraging a passion for the performing arts in young people across Salisbury Plain.”