Culture in Norwich: The Garage

Culture in Norwich: The Garage

The Garage is more than just a performing arts venue, it’s a hub for supporting emerging creatives, regional artists and young theatre lovers.

In their intimate auditorium, you truly feel immersed in what’s going on on-stage and behind-the-scenes, the connection is equally as strong. From supporting little ones’ first experiences of theatre, to nurturing young talent and offering shows, classes and events that inspire every age. At its heart is community.

Here we speak to Creative Director, Mark Finbow, and Communication & Participation Producer, Amelia Stephanides, about everything The Garage has to offer!

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Norwich is home to a brilliant selection of independent arts venues- and that includes The Garage! What makes The Garage stand out? 

What makes The Garage stand out is its commitment to community work that genuinely connects people, a strong focus on accessibility, and professional studios that are open and available to everyone! Alongside its professional theatre, The Garage plays an active role in early-career development and offers ongoing support to artists at every stage of their career journey.

At the heart of it all is a simple but powerful mission: to transform people’s lives through the arts. The Garage isn’t just a venue, it’s a place where people begin, learn, grow, and become part of a broad artistic network, making lifelong connections. 

What types of performance can we see at The Garage?

We are a small-scale venue with a 115-seat capacity, which means we host intimate, high-quality theatre, comedy and music. Our mission means we want audiences to grow with us.

Every Christmas we produce an in-house My First Panto, often a young person’s first experience of theatre, and at the other end of the spectrum we host hard-hitting drama and brilliant comedy. We also support regional and early-career companies who need space to test and showcase their work in front of an audience. 

You have a great selection of family shows, particularly during school holidays. Why are these integral to your programme? 

We believe great art should be part of everybody’s life, from the earliest years onwards. 

My First Panto is designed as a first experience of theatre for young audiences. Last year we produced Rapunzel, which saw increased ticket sales and fantastic reviews, and this year we are producing Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears.

Alongside these productions, we run early years performance classes, and many young people stay with us into adulthood, learning skills and forming friendships. To be able to enter high-quality arts experiences at a very young age and continue on an arts development pathway through to university and beyond is something really special, and we continue to curate life-changing experiences by staging great work which, in turn, helps fund further artistic opportunities.

The Garage also welcomes touring productions and supports Norfolk-based creatives. Is there anything coming up that we should have on our radar? 

We have recently relaunched our Scratch Nights. Scratch is an opportunity for regionally based artists to trial new live performance work in front of an audience for the very first time and gain insight to help develop the work further. We offer free space, mentoring and financial support to help artists develop this early-stage work, hosting three Scratch Nights a year and supporting twelve artists and companies through the process.  

Later this year we will also be announcing an Associate Artist development programme, offering more in-depth support for regional creatives. Supporting regional professional artists to thrive, in what is a challenging time for live performance, is incredibly important to us.

You also produce your own shows. How much work goes into this?

Lots! From ideas and licences to set and costume design, we start producing our internal shows for our class participants as soon as the previous year’s shows have finished. It’s a brilliant opportunity for our creatives to not only perform in our professional theatre, but also at Epic Studios and The Playhouse, giving them a real taste of the regional industry and the chance to perform in other fantastic venues in the city. 

The whole team bring these shows to life through dance, theatre and music, and none of it would be possible without the incredible workforce and support from our community. What many people don’t realise is that our internal shows for our creative classes do not make a profit. But we don’t do this for profit; we do it to add value to our classes and give people opportunities they might not otherwise have.

As a charity, how do you use the performing arts to support young people?

We use the performing arts to help young people build confidence, make friends and feel part of a community. For many of our young people, The Garage is the place where they feel safest and where they’ve found their tribe. We know school can be overwhelming and doesn’t suit everyone, so it’s incredibly important that we can offer a space where young people feel like they belong, can express themselves and grow in confidence. 

Tell us about the classes you offer. Can anyone join?

We host almost a hundred classes and events at our venue every week, from acting and musical theatre to dance, for all ages and abilities - and we’ll soon be adding filmmaking opportunities too. Our classes are a chance to explore, play and develop real mastery of your craft through technique, working with tutors who are actively involved in the arts industry. Many participants meet people here who they will perform alongside for years, forming lifelong friendships and creative relationships. 

We do host opportunities for all levels and abilities, yet what makes being a participant at The Garage truly unique is that we are a working theatre. We regularly host professional artists, so while you may be attending a class - something you could do in many places - here you are part of the creative industries from the moment you sign up. You have direct contact with professionals; you make work in a professional arts building and you get seen by the regional industry.

The Garage is a gateway into the professional world. You become part of an industry, part of a network, and part of a family. 

The Garage hosts performances, classes and events weekly. You can see what’s coming up and book tickets via their What’s On page!