In February, Shaw Playhouse Youth Theatre received a grant from the East Lancashire Masonic Charity (ELMC), grant making committee, for the sum of £1,500.00 to purchase 12 Drama blocks, and a new PA System for the theatre. Shaw Playhouse Youth Theatre or as they are often called PH2Youth help provide quality education in drama and theatre for the young people of Shaw and surrounding areas including Oldham and Rochdale and are looking to bring through the next generation of actors and volunteers to Crompton Stage Society to whom it is affiliated by providing them with the opportunity to develop skills in acting teamwork and Self- Confidence.
The Crompton Stage Society, along with the PH2 Youth, directly supports up to 60 young people a year and is committed to enriching the community through accessible performing arts. Sustaining the theatre activities requires a consistent engagement from the community, the youth theatre program also serves as an important gateway to introduce young people, along with their families and carer`s to the theatre. The initiative not only fulfils a community’s need for youth-oriented arts, but it also helps strengthen the Crompton stage society role as a cultural hub.
Playhouse 2 is a 153-seat theatre in the heart of Shaw, Oldham. The organization is run entirely by Volunteers and over the course of each season, they provide a wide range of entertainment including producing plays, hosting gigs, and running a cinema with all the latest films.
On Saturday 7th of June 2025, the Eastern Area Charity Steward, Russ Perks along with Andy Halford (Eastern Area Chairman) and Lee Reilly (Eastern Area Communications officer), was kindly invited to visit the theatre by Catherine Sharp (Youth Theatre Manager) who kindly gave us a tour around the theatre, we were also welcomed by all the children of the theatre who have benefited from the new blocks and the PA System.
Catherine Sharp said that she could not thank the ELMC enough for their kind and very generous grant that the theatre received, and thanked the area charity steward for his help in also making this happen, she said you can see by the reaction of all the children here today what it means to them as well.
(Pictured: Russ Perks, Catherine Sharp, Andy Halford)
We were also accompanied by members of Solidarity Lodge No7885, which is a local lodge based at Shaw, who are looking to help with a charity evening in the theatre, and are keen to get involved and help the local theatre, which is known as a hidden gem to the local people of Shaw, were they are potentially
looking to do one show, and let the charity sell all the tickets, and a raffle and they will then take all the proceeds.
(Pictured: members of Solidarity No7885, with the Area Charity Steward, and Area Chairman and Christine Sharp)
And finally, Andy Halford (Area Chairman) pictured on the set of the new production, this time on the correct side of the bar.
