Captive Audience Ltd
Captive Audience was set up as a community group by Larry Waller to offer opportunities to the young people of Belper and the surrounding areas. Larry offered excellent acting and confidence building lessons using the skills he had developed through his professional acting, directing and teaching work. Through directing local productions he has offered children opportunities to perform with adults in amateur plays, and events through his connections with amateurs and professionals in the industry, this has gone from strength to strength. Creatives in the industry such as Kitty Winter, Paul Davies, Joan Hardy, Fliss Goldsmith, Jane Wilton, Sheila Kay Sly and Louis Vella have all held half termly workshops in movement and TV and film making, and Captive Audience have been asked to perform at a number of local events annually, including Belper Arts Festival, Belper Goes Green and Belper Food Festival. Captive Audience now also employs freelancers to deliver weekly term time classes and holiday workshops.
Captive Audience classes develop confidence and self-esteem, improve presentation skills, and helps to build lasting social and interpersonal skills.
We run a range of classes including Drama, LAMDA and Musical Theatre.
Drama classes are held at the Strutt’s Community Centre in Belper on Saturday mornings, Musical Theatre on Tuesdays late afternoons/early evenings at the Fleet Arts. LAMDA classes are private, individual or paired classes and are also held in Belper on weeknight afternoons and evenings.
We also offer many children and young people opportunities to take part in theatre, TV and film projects locally, regionally and nationally if they and their parents wish.
Past projects that children from Captive Audience have taken part in include Romeo and Juliet (2019), Oliver (2018), Nell Gwynn 2018, Captive Audience Showcases 2015, 2016, 2017, (also known as SHINE) and 2018, A Christmas Carol at Derby Theatre 2014, We’ll Be Home for Christmas 2014, The Belper Passion 2013, Channel 4’s Utopia, Nickleby – A Tale for Christmas 2012, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe 2011, Christmas Carol 2011 and a number of our children have been to audition for professional productions.
Supporting the community and adult productions
As well as delivering drama classes for children and adults in the community, we also work in partnership with local artists, writers and creatives to deliver groups for other community members and have put on shows with adults and children including We’ll Be Home For Christmas 2015, 14 Men 2016 and the highly acclaimed Hamp 2017, Nell Gwynn 2018 and Oliver 2018.
Working with partners
We work in partnership with other organisations to create quality community theatre projects. Collaborations so far have been with: