Northern Stage’s Pay It Forward appeal helps us to offer free or heavily subsidised tickets to our shows, workshop places and bursaries to community groups and young people who may otherwise be unable to engage with the arts. 

As we reflect on what we have been able to achieve in the last year as a charity with the support of our audiences, funders, partners, and supporters, we’re so excited to update you on the success of our 2025 Pay It Forward appeal. 

Through the generosity shown by everyone who donated to the appeal last year, we’ve been able to raise over £18,000 to share the magic of theatre with young people and communities who would not otherwise have had the opportunity to take part. 

Proceeds from our Pay It Forward appeal mean we can offer children and their families tickets to see shows; we can provide funded workshop places and bursaries on our young people’s programmes; and we can support young people’s skills development. In 2025, we provided over 800 free tickets to performances, 20 bursary places for our young people’s projects, and we also welcomed 32 young people onto our Work Experience programme.  

Pay It Forward Christmas 2025

Over Christmas, we welcomed 278 excited school children to see one of our Christmas shows: Beauty and the Beast and The Night Before Chrismouse (our feel-good relaxed show suitable for under 5s). 

As you can see in the short clip here, schools really got into the Christmas spirit as they cheerfully sang along to classic Christmas tunes whilst waiting for the performance of Beauty and the Beast to begin in our Epic Space auditorium! 

It is thanks to all those who donated to the appeal that these children were able to take a trip to our theatre with their school to celebrate the festive period.  

Following their visit to Northern Stage, we heard back from some of the schools that attended, as they told us what they thought of their experience: 

It was so super and amazing!

I loved it as it was exciting to go to a theatre

Coming to Northern Stage made me feel excited and watching Beauty and the Beast made me feel Christmassy

I really enjoyed the show and clapping during the songs

The kids absolutely loved the show! – Teacher

I can’t thank you enough for allowing us to take part. It was amazing that you allowed so many of our cadets to see the show, especially when we have such a diverse demographic. I am a great believer in if you give to one you give to all not just those who can afford things. This opportunity allowed me to do this, so thank you.

We also received some wonderful drawings of children’s favourite parts of Beauty and the Beast: 

Why the Pay It Forward Appeal is important 

Here at Northern Stage, we know that there is significant value in enabling young people to access arts and culture – cost can be a barrier to young people experiencing and engaging with culture, and your donation breaks that barrier, facilitating access for young people from across the city. We see the positive impact it has on wellbeing, increasing agency, and helping participants to express themselves through storytelling, creating a sense of belonging within the community. 

However, we also know that in the North East, rates of child poverty are some of the highest in the country (North East Child Poverty Commission). We believe all young people should be able to engage with the arts, which is why our Pay It Forward appeal matters – it means children, families and communities who face disadvantage don’t miss out on opportunities to take part and feel empowered by theatre.    

You can learn more about the appeal here.

Thank you – from everyone at Northern Stage 

We want to thank our generous donors who have contributed to our Pay It Forward appeal this year, including The Hoult Family Grassroots Fund, Ward Hadaway, R.W. Mann Trust, Hoults Yard, MHL, Sir Graham Wylie Foundation, The Frazer Trust, and Karbon Homes, as well as our Supporters, whose regular donations help to ensure that we can continue to offer such an important scheme alongside our other Young People’s and Community projects that help make the arts more accessible.