READ GUARDIAN FEATURE HERE:
BBC RADIO SOLENT INTERVIEW:
Bringing The Outside In
A brand-new youth-led theatre performance centred on themes of climate and nature will tour Hampshire in 2026, brought to the stage by community arts organisation, Theatre for Life, based in Southampton.
The play, titled Bringing The Outside In, is inspired by Southampton’s urban landscape and draws influences from New Forest folklore to explore the topics of climate anxiety in young people and local issues like air pollution through a combination of music, puppetry, and digital storytelling.
We have FREE tickets for local 11-25 year olds + one accompanying adult per young person, supported by the New Forest National Park Authority access grant for the 13th and 14th January, 2026 at Solent University. Please complete our enquiry form here.
To enquire about free access offers for Forest Arts Centre, The Spring and The Arc, please complete our enquiry form here.
ABOUT:
Amber is alone.
She’s not turned up for the first day of her final year of sixth form.
She’s terrified of the climate crisis, and everyone knows it.
Enter Yerna - a three thousand year old “giant” she accidentally summons, who turns her stuffy flat into a forest oasis.
But can their intentions be trusted?
What can an ancient story teach a girl that she doesn’t already know?
Bringing The Outside In is a soul-stirring exploration of fear, hope, and the importance of community in a changing world.
Theatre for Life’s Bringing The Outside In comes as part of the Youth for Climate and Nature (YouCAN) scheme – a partnership project supported by the National Lottery Community Fund and match funding with the New Forest National Park Authority as a lead partner.
2026 Tour
SOLENT UNIVERSITY, Southampton
13th January 19.30 pm
14th January 19.30 pm
FOREST ARTS CENTRE, New Milton
31st January - 19.30 pm
1st February - 14.00 pm
THE SPRING, Havant
3rd February - 19.30 pm
4th February - 11 am
THE ARC, Winchester
9th February - 19.30 pm
10th February - 14.30 pm
CURRICULM LINKS
PSHE Physical health and mental wellbeing, Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World. GCSE Drama, Science and Geography.
Supported by New Forest National Park and National Lottery Community Fund
When The Clouds Come
Eva is desperate to write and find independence despite her neurodivergence. Sian is coming to terms with a degenerative disease and the impact that may have on her own life, her family's, and what it may have felt like for her own Mother. In the midst of a pandemic the two find an unlikely companionship and begin to realise how their sensory experience of the world seems to have similarities and how, in turn, they are able to support each other the way nobody else can. Rooted in joy and acceptance, When the Clouds Come is a powerful two hander about the intricacies of brain health, self help and living life with dementia through a neurodivergent lens and how freedom can be found by simply changing your perspective.
Suitable for audiences aged 14+
This production will explore themes of neurodiversity and dementia.
2 pm - 30 minute relaxed version available for SEND audiences.
2025 Tour
We are currently touring across Hampshire with our production to the following schools & SEND groups from the 10th November to the 15th December.
Hounsdown Secondary School, Southampton
Upper Shirley High, Southampton
The Arnewood School, New Forest
Trafalgar school, Portsmouth
Oasis Academy Lord's Hill, Southampton
Woodlands Community College, Southampton
Wildern School, Hedge End
South Hampshire College Group, Southampton
Autism Hampshire Serendipity Groups
Cantell School, Southampton
The Romsey School, Romsey
Itchen College, Southampton
Castle View Academy, Portsmouth
Eggar’s School, Alton
CURRICULM LINKS
PSHE Physical health and mental wellbeing, Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World. GCSE Drama and Devising.
Please email education@theatreforlife.co.uk for further enquiries.
Supported by Alzheimer's Research UK (Inspire Fund) & BeeWell Youth Commissioning Fund (Hampshire City Council)
CREATE AND INNOVATE: 2
Youth social action video campaigns supporting our 2025 "Your Brain Explained" theatre production.
Empowering young campaigners aged 16-25 yrs with lived experiences of neurodiversity to engage in advocacy & youth social action.
Explore and enhance access to arts and culture for neurodivergent young people in Hampshire & how we can support long-term mental health and well-being through inclusive creative opportunities.
As part of the
#BeeWell
funded project, they are currently researching ways to enhance participation in arts, culture, and entertainment specifically for SEND groups, which currently has limited data in our local area.
Using research findings, the campaigners will create a two-minute & creative social media video aimed at promoting and sharing current arts & cultural opportunities available for Hampshire's neurodivergent communities. Additionally, the video will highlight ways in which decision-makers and organisations can enhance future access for these groups.
CREATE AND INNOVATE: 1
In our inaugural CREATE & INNOVATE youth social action programme, we engaged with our local youth community in Southampton from May to September 2024.
Youth-driven creative initiatives aimed at exploring cultural views on menstruation and addressing the stigma and societal disparities surrounding female reproductive health with local Asian and Muslim groups.
Youth-led creative campaigns to tackle healthcare inequities and barriers impacting our LGBTQIA+ community (including gender-affirming care).
The final goal was to advocate for accessible healthcare, normalise discussions, and promote a more equitable society for future generations through youth-led video campaigns which were shared with local stakeholders and decision-makers from the NHS, Public Health, researchers and LGBTQIA+ charities.
This youth-led programme was supported with funding by Young Southampton (UKSPF fund).
The Feeling of Knowing Something is Wrong, But it Isn't
At its core, the play is a cry for help from a community of voices who have felt silenced. The performance aimed to increase understanding around female reproductive health care and LGBTQ+ health care inequities, as well as generate discussion around the language we use to make healthcare in Southampton and England not just accessible, but equal to all.
After the performance, policy makers, healthcare professionals, the cast and the audience discussed the topics raised and how they can be used to tackle health issues in Southampton and across the south.
Emily Bridges, Head of English, said the performance had a profound effect on those who went to see it, adding:
“The response from all of our young people was brilliant – they really enjoyed the show and loved the way the story was told. The music and singing were mentioned a lot – this was a real highlight for some students. It was lovely to hear them enthusing about it.”
Fran White, Associate Director of Policy, Innovation and Partnerships at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, was also in the audience. She said:
“The play was amazing and helped me as a local policymaker, to reflect on people’s experiences related to gender-based care and women’s health services and what we could do locally. There was a quote about healthcare professionals which really resonated with me. It helped to re-energise me and remind me why I do what I do.”
Supported by Southampton Institute of Arts and Humanities, Propel Associate Artist Programme at Mayflower Studios and Young Southampton (UKSPF).
