Curve Theatre means a lot to the people of Leicester. Ever since the building opened in 2008, it has become a place where the community has been able to grow and develop together. Whether this is the young people who have attended Curve Young Company performing onstage or as an audience member watching one of the many high quality shows, Curve is part of Leicester's identity.

Since the country went into lockdown amidst the Covid-19 outbreak, Curve has had to close its doors, with many of those who work there having to lay down their tools and wait for it to become safe to reopen. It is important the skills at Curve are not lost because of the lockdown, because they have been the backbone to everyone's experience of the theatre. The arts facilitators who have given so much confidence to all those that have participated in the Over 55's workshops and Curve Young Company, the Little Movers classes that bring parents together or in partnerships the theatre has with companies like Bamboozle who work with people with special learning difficulties. The theatre has been a place where young technicians have learnt their trade, with a lot of them moving on to work in other theatres, on theatre tours and large-scale events.

The stage, the rehearsal rooms and the cafe have brought people together for meetings, rehearsals and performances because of work that the theatre presents. Performances like Cameron Mackintosh's The Phantom of the Opera and Curve's own productions of My Beautiful Laundrette and Giraffe's Can't Dance have been received to great acclaim nationally and internationally. It is something that Leicester can be proud of and something that Leicester shouldn't lose.

The longer that the theatre stays closed, the less likely the theatre will be able to open up again. We will be doing a sponsored bike ride on the 24th September, starting at Orton Square. We are cycling past many of the sites that inspired our production of Adrian Mole - The Musical, as well as passing many of the places in the city where a theatre once stood. All donations will help the theatre to continue to survive while audiences aren't able to enjoy the work the theatre produces.