Welcome To Our Table - Community Project

Inspired by the themes of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, and as part of their collaboration this summer**, Guildford Shakespeare Company and the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre have created a special community project working with displaced young people in Surrey.

In partnership with the award-winning Big Leaf Foundation, Welcome To Our Table is an 8-week project that will see participants share food, stories and cultural experiences, culminating in a public performance event on Friday 20th June at St Mary’s Church, Guildford.

Eli Murton, GSC’s Development and Learning Coordinator, who is leading the project, said: “The Comedy of Errors explores themes of family, displacement, and isolation which run parallel to many of the lived experiences of the young people Big Leaf work with.

With this year’s Refugee Week theme of “Community as a Superpower,” we were inspired to create a project that combines food, community and storytelling to promote inclusion and belonging.”

Welcome To Our Table will encourage participants to work together to find common ground in a safe space. Alongside preparing and cooking food in the kitchen, participants will also work with puppetry specialist Chase Hembrow. Chase is a puppeteer, puppet maker and performer who has built and puppeteered several giant, outdoor puppets including Thingumajig Theatre's Hope the Hedgehog, and a 10ft tall river spirit (Raine) with Rotherham Council.

Kayte Cable, Co-Founder of Big Leaf: “Finding opportunities for our community to come together is always a priority for Big Leaf Foundation. Displaced young people in this age group rarely get the chance to meet their local community peers, and both groups can miss out on the opportunity to share the wonderful talents, interests and hopes that they so often have in common.

A project like this, where food and stories can be shared in a safe and welcoming environment, where young people can share their creativity on equal ground, feels truly unique.” The public event on Friday 20th June will give audiences an opportunity to sample the foods and hear the stories that have been shared. Tickets are by donation but must be booked in advance via GSC’s Box Office.

Full details on the GSC website

**10-26 July: Guildford Shakespeare Company and the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre’s co-production sees two hilarious comedies staged at the same time, with the same cast. Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors will be on the main stage, whilst A Company of Rascals, a new play by Phil Porter, performs in locations around the theatre.

Last Updated: Apr 2025