Five ways Vamos Theatre is changing lives

Vamos Theatre is the UK’s leading full mask theatre company. Based in Worcester, the team has been taking wordless theatre across the length and breadth of the country and beyond since 2006. As The National Lottery turns 25, we look at how Vamos changes lives through creativity. 

1. Sharing human experiences

Vamos Theatre believes that full mask theatre taps directly into the power of empathy and encourages awareness of shared human experiences. Through partnerships, it tells socially relevant stories, collaborating with contributors from all walks of life to create live theatre that gives a voice to those who are often without one – and National Lottery funding helps make this possible. Its work covers mental health, dementia, aging, disability and trauma– making it accessible for all and encouraging conversation about things which can often remain hidden.

2. Supporting the health sector

Vamos has been working with the Health and Care sectors since 2013 and in that time more than 42,500 people have experienced its Health and Care workshops and performances. This includes its work supporting new models of community-based, person-centred care by providing training and performances, and supporting care homes, communities and organisations to become Dementia Friendly places, made up of dementia-skilled and dementia-aware people.

3. Making mask accessible to all

Theatre should be for everyone – and Vamos Theatre is on a journey to integrate accessibility and diversity into everything it does, from creating BSL trailers for its shows and taking work into care homes, to offering relaxed performances and providing Visual Story Guides which explain each show using pictures and accessible text. In 2018, in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Vamos Theatre also worked at the Engage 50+ Festival in Stratford promoting assisted performances and access to resources, with the help of its full mask characters Midwives on Call.

4. Reaching those living with Dementia

Vamos Theatre creates powerful work for people living with life-shortening conditions such as dementia, cancer, heart disease and other neurological conditions. To make sure everyone has opportunities to enjoy the arts in the places they live, Arts Council’s National Lottery funding supports Vamos Theatre to take some of these shows into residential homes and hospitals as well as theatres and arts centres. This means that the company can share the joy that art and culture can bring with people who can so often become cut off from the things they used to love. As dementia progresses, non-verbal communication becomes more and more important. By using masks and body language, Vamos Theatre creates shows that draw you into wordless worlds where you listen with your eyes and begin to see the things around you in a new way.

Between 2017-19, the company’s work has reached over 13,000 people.

5. Inspiring young people

Working with schools and colleges has been part of Vamos Theatre’s ethos since it began and it offers engaging workshops which cover mask performing and making, and encourage teamwork and confidence, focus, participation and creativity. It also runs Vamos Youth Theatre (VYT) for people aged 14-21, and Vamos Central, a Youth Theatre for young people aged 16-25 with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Both groups offer young people who love theatre the chance to discover and develop performance skills in a safe and supportive environment, guided by theatre professionals.

Find out more about Vamos Theatre here.