Vita Nova

DON'T MISS OUT!
This is a rare opportunity to see the amazing work that Vita Nova usually delivers in schools and conferences all over the country but right here on your doorstep! Tickets are very nearly SOLD OUT – come and support us and our wonderful creative partners The Black Cherry as they host the final performance in this wonderful venue. https://vitanova.co.uk/event/the-wasps-nest/

It’s going to be a great night Seth,Jamie ,Gerry,Martin ,Emily all from Vita Nova plus alumni Myriam taking part in The Pipedown Collective 🎉

BreakdownOrBreakthrough part 2 @ The Black cherry Boscombe We are back at the Black cherry for another round of BreakdownOrBreakthrough. Get ready for strings rhymes and stories passed through time.

As part of Refugee Week Vita Nova is hosting a FREE film showing by ICN 🕊️🕊️🕊️

For 25 years Vita Nova’s Community Theatre group has been engaging young people about the risk of drug and alcoholabuse, addiction and more recently, knife crime and county lines: The Wasps’ Nest is a short, compelling play that platforms the group, their passion for drama and a message of caution for young people. Come and meet the cast at Black Cherry on June 24th.

The Wasp's Nest - Vita Nova A compelling new play that tackles the prescient themes of county lines, drug use and knife crime, written through research and dialogue with young people and those who have experienced first-hand the impact. Book your tickets here

This July, Vita members Tom and Martin will walk over sixty miles from Golden Cap to Hengistbury Head to raise money for Vita Nova. Both have been involved in the project and feel moved to give something back to it because of its positive effect on their lives. Starting on the 5th July and aiming to complete on the 7th, we're looking for your support to keep them moving along the way and to motivate them to get training!

Donate to Wessex Coast Walk for Vita Nova, organized by Michael Armstrong For 25 years Vita Nova, a Boscombe-based community arts and education project that s… Michael Armstrong needs your support for Wessex Coast Walk for Vita Nova

We had great fun doing The Wizard of Boz at Freezone Festival. Lots of audience participation and laughter and the weather was fabulous. Can't wait to do it again..

On 5,6, & 7 of July Tom and Martin are going to walk over sixty miles from Golden Cap to Hengistbury Head to raise money for Vita Nova. Both have been involved in the project and feel moved to give something back to it because of the positive effect it has had on their lives. Vita Nova is a Boscombe based community arts and education project that works with people in recovery from substance abuse, those challenged by mental health issues, asylum seekers and refugees. Please, support if you can!

Donate to Wessex Coast Walk for Vita Nova, organized by Michael Armstrong For 25 years Vita Nova, a Boscombe-based community arts and education project that s… Michael Armstrong needs your support for Wessex Coast Walk for Vita Nova

We’re back home after a warmly received performance of The Wasp’s Nest at the National Drama conference: come and see what all the fuss is about on June 24th, when we return to The Black Cherry for our final community play before the summer.

THEATRE; The Wasp's Nest | BLACKCHERRY A compelling new play that tackles the prescient themes of county lines, drug use and knife crime, written through research and dialogue with young people and those who have experienced first-hand the impact.

Vita Nova on the road.
Taking our message of hope and prevention to help people of all ages better understand addiction through recovery, positive action and community presence!

Here we go Birmingham!

Vita Nova on the road! On our way to perform 'The Wasp's Nest' at the National Drama Conference in Birmingham! We are very excited!

Vita Nova’s’ Celeste’ group had a fantastic evening at Poole Lighthouse attending The Boy at the Back of the Class. Excellent play and performances. Thank you, Lighthouse!

Vita Nova will be at Freezone Festival again this year! We can’t wait! We will be workshopping extracts of our new light-hearted play the Wizard of Boz. Our familiar characters are all searching for something or other but what they don’t realise is that they all have gifts that they just never realised they had.

We are very proud to announce that we’ll be performing our new play about county lines and knife crime The Wasps Nest at the National Drama Conference in Birmingham on 30th May. The conference, ‘Self -Advocacy for Teachers’ supports the promotion of drama within schools, and ND’s belief that all young people should have access to drama and all the benefits it holds.

THEATRE; The Wasp's Nest | BLACKCHERRY A compelling new play that tackles the prescient themes of county lines, drug use and knife crime, written through research and dialogue with young people and those who have experienced first-hand the impact.

Morning all
We finally launched our new website earlier in the year and will be upping our ante on the Blog posts. Where better to start than having our members talk about what Vita Nova means to them. First up, the marvellous man (and poet, writer, musician) that is Gerry. Know someone that you think might benefit from joining Vita Nova? Tell them to get in touch :)

What has Vita Nova done for me? - Vita Nova A new bi-monthly blog where we shine the spotlight on the people who make Vita Nova great – our members. First up is Gerry Gilbert, a long-standing member of our community theatre group, a musician and more recently, prize winning poet! Before coming to Vita Nova I was isolated, depressed and I ha...

It's been just over a week since Celeste performed at the inaugural Bournemouth Writing Festival. Here are a few pictures to capture the moment on our timeline - huge shout out to Dithering Chaps and Dom for the encouragement and opportunity - being part of the first year of this exciting new addition to Bournemouth's cultural offer was an absolute honour for us and our cast.

Since last autumn we've been touring The Wasps Nest across Dorset and BCP schools.

Described as compelling and vital' by an audience member, we're bringing it back to The Black Cherry this June (24th) once more for the community. Tickets are only £5 and will go towards us continuing the work we do with people in recovery addiction. You know what to do :)

THEATRE; The Wasp's Nest | BLACKCHERRY A compelling new play that tackles the prescient themes of county lines, drug use and knife crime, written through research and dialogue with young people and those who have experienced first-hand the impact.

Writing Home: Stories from the edges of print 📖

When? 28th April
Where? Pavilion Dance South West, BH1 2BU

Join us at evening of showcases, celebrating the writing talent of local community arts groups on Sunday 28th April 2024 at 7:30pm at the

Our Celeste group will be taking the stage to perform their newly devised piece. The group is integrated, made up of those in addiction recovery working with people with English as a second language, including refugees and asylum seekers who have overcome real struggles.

Experience specially-commissioned pieces, promising to captivate and inspire, showcasing the resilience and creativity of marginalised communities. The evening will also feature performances from Kainat (formerly Rising Voices), Wordmakers & Silence Breakers, Allies in Action and The Outsiders Project, and is curated and hosted by Myriam San Marco.

Tickets are based on "Pay What You Can". Book here: https://www.pdsw.org.uk/whats-on/writing-home-stories-from-the-edges-of-print/?fbclid=IwAR1WNyo0JMHF8v8ZghkvFogPOXAoO6WmoIZW79Lo0stF42qBc8DIhATyenE_aem_AUcnSuDKgwjhP3MSAacPriqW-DPbpLcCIYpdBPa-ARYGH4zW2tTj119cwKzitn6Y_ICGRaJ4tJbW_F-c4YueYrhA

As part of our ongoing mission to raise awareness about pressing social issues through theatre, our Community Theatre group recently joined the students at Lytchett Minster School to perform "The Nest," a thought-provoking production centred around asking for help on the road to recovery

Part of our joint educational mission with is the aim to elevate the profile of drama in schools and advocate for theatre as a tool for children and young people. Drama & Theatre Education Alliance are committed to ensuring that every child and young person has access to high quality drama and theatre education regardless of their background or where they live.

The workshops we conducted alongside the performance served as a platform for students to delve deeper into the themes of the play and initiate meaningful conversations.

As we bid farewell to Lytchett Minster School, we continue our Dorset-wide engagements with schools.

Come and join the team – we’re recruiting! - Vita Nova We’re on the look out for a new Community Arts Administrator/Education Coordinator: this is a vital role in our small but perfectly formed team, assisting the Board of Trustees, our Artistic Director and Creative Producer to advance our mission to support those in recovery. We’re also supported ...

*Bournemouth Writing Festival Flash Fiction & Poetry Competition*

So, the long list is out there! You can read it on our website, here:

https://www.ditheringchaps.com/competitions

We are getting to the sharp end of the competition now, and the winners, chosen by Arts University Bournemouth, will be announced towards the end of the month.

Meanwhile, it gives us enormous pleasure to say that 100% of donations made in support of Vita Nova, as part of this competition, have been handed over to help this wonderful, life-changing organisation continue to have an impact in the community.

Tickets to an event where Vita Nova, Kainat (formerly Rising Voices), Wordmakers & Silence Breakers and The Outsiders Project, will be performing, curated and hosted by Myriam San Marco, are available here ...

https://www.pdsw.org.uk/whats-on/writing-home-stories-from-the-edges-of-print/

Thank you!

We were thrilled to welcome Boscombe-based theatre company, Vita Nova, to our Poole campus for the debut performance of ‘The Wasp’s Nest’; a powerful production that raises awareness of the threats of county lines and knife crime on young people.

Funded by Public Health Dorset, the Police and Crime Commissioner, SNG and the George Temperance Trust, the dialogue of the piece is inspired by real-life interviews with people who have experienced drug-related crimes first hand.

Vita Nova works with people in recovery from addiction, using theatre and expressive arts to support wellbeing, educate and challenge the stereotypes of addiction.

Read more: https://www.thecollege.co.uk/news/college-welcomes-debut-performance-charity-theatre-company-tuesday-27th-february-2024

The Wasps Nest Trailer 🐝

We're excited to share the trailer for our impactful educational program tackling the pressing issues of county lines and knife crime.

Delivered by the dedicated cast members of our Community Theatre group, our program brings vital awareness to schools across Dorset, sparking conversations with our young people.

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xcpovceyYA

The Wasps Nest (Theatrical Trailer) Promotional trailer - a play abvout the dangers of County Lines and child exploitation. Performed by cast members of Vita Nova, a drama group made up of peo...

On the 11th day of Vita Nova Christmas centre stage are our members and everyone who access our offers throughout the year...

We extended our offer across the last 18 months to welcome even more people to Roumelia Lane, offering support and a cup of tea to hundreds of people who needed to connect for a variety of reasons.

The lifeblood of Vita Nova are those who come every week: our work across schools and into the wider community across Dorset simply would not happen if it wasn’t for the love and dedication of these people – you know who you are!