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Coliseum Gifted winter crafts trail


Poster for "Gifted" arcade experience

A craft trail will transform a historic Oldham arcade into an interactive family adventure on December 16.

The free Gifted winter crafts trail, created by the Oldham-based Stand & Be Counted theatre company and Oldham Coliseum, will offer tours every 10 minutes from 11am- 2pm.

Gifted will offer surprise live performances with music, lights, projections, audio, augmented reality and craft to the town's centre's Victorian Hilton Arcade, and is the first event of a winter programme from Oldham Coliseum.

John Tomlinson, executive director of Stand & Be Counted, said: “Our team, and more than 200 people from across Oldham, have been working to invite everyone to step inside our adventure trail; to see, hear and be inspired by their community."

Gifted will be the culmination of an eight-week project in which SBC worked with community groups and clubs from Lego model makers to the Vibrant Voices choir and the In My Shoes theatre group.

The groups made shared "boxes of creativity" and a book reflecting Oldham’s creative communities – a giant version of which will greet attendees of Gifted. Around 1,000 activity books will be available to take away or be distributed through Oldham libraries.

Gifted is part of Oldham Coliseum’s partnership with Oldham-based Stand & Be Counted and follows a successful Secret Summer audio adventure in two Oldham parks in August.

As another part of its winter programme, the Coliseum team is working in association with Oldham Theatre Workshop on Christmas show The Wrong Reindeer at Oldham Library, and the Coliseum is also funding a schools tour of the show to primary school children.

Lauren Clancy, interim chief executive of Oldham Coliseum, said: “Gifted reaffirms the Coliseum’s commitment to working with and for communities in its new chapter."


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