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2015-2017

The At the Root project launched in 2015 as the Regal Youth Company in partnership with the Regal Community Theatre in Bathgate, West Lothian.

As part of the Regal Youth Company project we ran weekly drama and music workshops from the theatre for 12-18 year olds. We also provided lots of performance opportunities across these years in the Purple Orange, Regal Community Theatre and venues across West Lothian.

Our partnership with the Regal Community Theatre lasted until the charity operating the building went into liquidation.

During this time we focused on building a performance collective to create high-quality theatre and impressive music performances to be shown to audiences across West Lothian, and beyond. One of our most notable successes during this period was our production of 404 which was selected to be performed at the National Festival of Youth Theatre in 2017. 

We worked to create valued, safe and important spaces in the lives of young people. We nurtured talented, championed young people having agency and ownership in their creativity and gave a space for them to be themselves. These first few years of the At the Root project helped us build the foundations of what we were to become.

2018-2020

The At the Root project continued to grow after the closure of the umbrella organisation.

During this period, At the Root reached new heights by introducing classes for children and project by project work. We aimed to establish a successful creative programme for people of all ages to engage with.

We also engaged with lots of local musicians during this period and produced lots of gigs at the Purple Orange in Bathgate giving space for emerging and early-career musicians, soloists and bands to hone their craft and perform to local audiences.

Then 2020 struck and brought Covid-19 with it. Like all other companies, we had to think of an alternative and took our projects online with weekly workshops and performance projects happening via zoom. This was a massive challenge but one that our staff and participants took in their stride. We created some incredible online shows with all of our age groups. We also introduced a new online adult acting group which had people from all over Scotland join us, and we even produced an original online performance with them!

In 2020, we celebrated five years of the At the Root project and officially changed our name to At the Root Theatre. With new ambition and drive, we knew were on our way to creating At the Root Arts CIC.

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2020-2024

In May 2021, we got back in the room and launched some brand new exciting projects too!

It's tricky putting these years into a few paragraphs because so much has happened and so much is happening.

Over the course of the last four years we have: introduced a popular holiday camp programme, launched a production company, taken our groups to nine different venues, became Christmas elves, hosted birthday parties, created a successful events programme, engaged with different age groups including our Blackburn Flyers programme and worked with schools.

And that isn't even half of it! Over the past few years our mission and ethos have become so much clearer: we exist to make people's lives better and more creative. We have worked really hard over the past few years to establish connections, become a leading voice in the West Lothian arts scene and engage thousands of people over the course of a year.

At the Root Arts CIC is the home for grass-roots community arts in West Lothian, and now... beyond.

T: 07427674594
E: info@attherootarts.org
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