Z-arts marks 25 years as the UK’s only arts centre dedicated to children

Independent.co reports that Z-arts, housed in a converted Edwardian church in Hulme, Manchester, is the UK’s only arts centre dedicated to children and celebrated its 25th anniversary this Christmas. Inside the venue are two theatres (a 230-seat auditorium and an 80-seat studio), a dance space, recording studios, a children’s library, immersive experience rooms (currently hosting Adventures in Wonderland), numerous art-and-craft areas and an atrium café bar with a dressing-up box.

The charity runs low-cost weekly drama, dance, creative-writing and toddler art sessions, free workshops almost daily, a book club that aims to get 10s-and-over reading and outreach into schools and local cultural centres; almost 100,000 people interact with the centre annually. Manchester City Council bought the derelict church in 1988 and the Z-arts charity took the lease in 1997 to begin converting it into an arts centre.

Staff and former attendees say the centre has transformed lives: MOBO-nominated singer Misha B and theatre-maker Benji Reid had early links to Z-arts, and former attendee Sara Nadvi said, "Without Z-Arts, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now," crediting the centre with the confidence to apply to and graduate from the University of Cambridge.

Key Topics

Culture, Z-arts, Liz O'neill, Hulme, Manchester, Misha B