ArtsHill Volunteer Performers Group
Next Up; Scratch Night on Friday 22nd November 7pm @ B arts
Here’s some pictures from our most recent Scratch Night in February 2024
About the Group
The B arts Volunteer Performer Group ArtsHill meet regularly to take part in workshops, master classes and perform in B arts interactive theatre shows, at outdoor festivals and other creative events.
The volunteer performer group have created characters that were seen in our 5 part Tomorrow’s Garden film series in 2020/21, performed as walk about performers at Etruria Canals Festival in 2021-2024 and have appeared in our winter family theatre show The Lost Post Office in 2019, 2021-2023 and our immersive interactive show Moontopia in 2022.
The group recently took part in The Longton Carnival & Pig Parade in March 2023 and 2024 with Urban Wilderness.
The group have also taken part in workshops and master classes on acting for screen, creating costume and props, clowning, writing for theatre, and much more. The group vote on what times they are free each week so there is no set day and time to commit to.
The group have most recently worked on Imprints: Tales from the New Wild and are now working towards Scratch Night in November 2024.
If you’d like to be involved - contact kath.stanway@b-arts.org.uk or text/call Kath 07544814720
Selim
I am Selim. I am a freelance app and website developer. I moved to Stoke-on-Trent during the pandemic. I wanted to explore local culture and meet local people in Stoke. B-Arts was organising a great event called Moonthopia and I jumped in. I haven’t had acting experience until I got involved with B-Arts. Since I became a volunteer in B-Arts, I acted in two shows and have gotten so many great masterclasses about acting, singing, and writing. and I am looking forward to being involved in more B-arts projects in the future.
Chloe Belcher
I’m Chloe and I met B-arts in 2015 while studying Fine Art at Staffordshire University. I work in primary education and in my local area Telford, supporting community groups. I love to think up ideas which can be creatively delivered with young people and seeing them thrive from the benefits art provides. I am a firm believer that art really helps support mental health and a way for people to be expressive of their emotions. I have been involved in a number of B-arts different projects now and enjoy being a part of this team, which allows many opportunities to come up.
Evangeline Cooper
My name is Evangeline Grace Cooper I’m an actress and a model. I graduated from Staffordshire University with Acting and Theatre Arts (BA Hons) in 2019. Working with B-Arts has been a wonderful experience. It has been a great learning curve of rehearsing and character-building over zoom for our project, Tomorrow’s Garden. It has given me a chance to create a fresh character and to develop this through the workshops with a friendly team.
Michaela Cooper
My name is Micheala Cooper. I have experience in acting and voiceover work. I have a BA (hons) from Staffordshire University, am a qualified teacher and studied Art and Design at Carlisle, Cumbria. I have worked with Claybody Theatre and been in Votes for Women and Ladykillers at the New Vic Theatre. I am also a front of house volunteer at the New Vic Theatre. I am thrilled to be involved with B-Arts and the Tomorrow’s Garden project.
Jess Simm
Hi my name is Jess Simm, I live in Stoke with my husband Tom and my 2yr old daughter Yaima. I’m a families pastor for a local church but love using my spare time to be creative via projects such as tomorrow’s garden and writing music with my husband. This project has been an absolute joy and I love that we are making art about our situation and our city and the dreams we have for it.
Hannah Walton
Hannah Walton is an aspiring musician from Newcastle Under Lyme with a keen interest in performing arts and many years of performing experience under her belt. She has appeared in many local amateur theatre productions with companies such as Five Towns Theatre which is where she found her passion for musical theatre. Hannah went on to train at The Academy For Theatre Arts but later decided that a career in music was what she wanted to pursue. You can find her band, Behind The Moon, on social media and music listening platforms such as Spotify.
Hayley
Hi I'm Hayley and I am a recent graduate of Staffordshire university where I studied Experimental Film Production. I have never really been involved in creative group projects but I have always felt a pull towards the arts and I first got involved as a volunteer performer with the event Moontopia. I love to learn, write and be silly... and I'm very excited to see what comes next!
Adey Bee
I’m Adey Bee. I have followed the work of B-arts for many years but in 2022 became a member of the board of trustees. I had taken a break from paid work in 2018 following the diagnosis of a stroke. I rekindled a passion for poetry and writing monologues that I had found so useful as a tool to deal with my teenage angst and feeling like I didn’t quite fit in to the world. This creative process helped me to deal with not just the physical effects of my stroke but also the impact on my mental health. I began to perform spoken word at open mic events and have been a regular performer at the Fringe Tent of Stoke-on-Trent Pride. It was liberating to share the private words of my poetry journal with audiences. Joining the Artshill Performers is the next step in this journey where I hope to develop more performance skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Carl Wilson
I started at B arts in 2014 and I was in The Lost Post Office and many other shows. I have my own puppet theatre company called Performing Peppers. I joined ArtsHill in June 2024 and my first ever show was at Bolton Gate Farm, with ArtsHill as well as the brand new Bolton Gate Performers. I created my own character called Detective Romeo Jones and I created another character called Sergeant Sammy. These characters first appeared in Bolton Gate in the show Imprints: Tales from the New Wild and then also appeared at Scratch Night at B arts in November. I would like to develop the characters further to have their own show. I am looking forward to doing more work with the ArtsHill Performers, I like meeting new friends. I can’t wait to do more walk about performances, more shows and more projects.
Below are some of the photographs from our Scratch Night at B arts on Friday 12th May
