Post by Vicki Hill

 

It’s all go at StrikeFans.com! As if the news that Tom Burke’s back on our screens on August 30th wasn’t exciting enough, we’ve got a new campaign to help him with that will switch young minds onto theatre and inspire a whole new generation of future fans.

Tom’s the patron of the brilliant Box Clever Theatre Companywhich takes top quality plays directly into schools where, for many of the students, it’s their very first experience of the thrills of live drama.

Box Clever reached nearly 57,000 young people last year in 213 schools across the UK, many in areas of social deprivation. Research shows their productions inspire the pupils to find their own voice, positively affecting behaviour and decreasing feelings of isolation and low self-esteem while championing diversity and confidence.

This year the company have chosen “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” to take on tour because it contains “many issues that are highly relevant to today’s society.” They plan to reach 10,000 children, involving them at every stage of the production from script development to the final production itself.

But they need funding, which is where Tom’s stepping in:

“I’ve known Box Clever for many years and have first-hand experience of the huge impact their work has on children and young people around the UK,” he says. “Please show your support to the next generation of actors, writers, directors and technicians by donating.”

The company have set up a crowdfunding campaign called “Outside of the Box” aiming to raise £10,000 (that’s £1 per child involved) to take the production on the road. To support Tom and Box Clever click here to donate today.

Here is also a YouTube clip of Tom Burke performing an extract from the play 16 Up, written by Michael Wicherek.

You can follow Box Clever on Twitter here. They’re also on Facebook, which you can find here.