Buxton Opera House wins top UK Theatre Award
Buxton Opera House has won the Excellence in Arts Education Award at the UK Theatre Awards 2026.
The award is for the BOH Creates intergenerational Connecting for Creativity project which brought together local school pupils and care home residents to share, create, and perform stories rooted in the local community.
Allie Spencer, Head of Creative Learning and Engagement at Buxton Opera House, said: “This intergenerational project celebrated bringing young and old together and we are so grateful not only to our funders, but also to UK Theatre for recognising the importance of this work.”
Across several months, students worked alongside professional freelancers to capture memories from care settings, transforming them into live performances.
They then presented these on the Pavilion Arts Centre stage in March 2026 and shared back with residents in their homes.
The award was presented in a ceremony in London on Monday 12 October celebrating outstanding achievements in regional theatre across the UK.
Allie said: “We are immensely proud to receive national recognition for this project.
“This award is for the residents, family members, volunteers and staff workers at our Buxton care homes and assisted living facilities whom we have had the privilege of getting to know across this project.
“It is also for the schools who, like us, believe that intergenerational work is invaluable, and have allowed us to work with their students piloting a project that pays tribute to our elders and allows old and young to work creatively together to tell their stories, and to sing together in order to remember.”
The Connecting for Creativity Project was made possible thanks to support from Arts Council England and The Hall Bank Trust.
Allie also thanked all the creatives who worked on this project – Elle Hibbert, Kat Hughes, Kerry Allsop, Meg Ryder, Niamh Forster, Olivia Merrick and Ray McLeod.
And she added: “One of our partner care workers said ‘If we can help somebody step out of the world of dementia, even for a few minutes, it's huge’.
“To allow that real person to emerge again, even briefly, and experience some joy, makes a massive difference to their lives.”
To find out more about Buxton Opera House’s Creative Learning & Engagement work visit: buxtonoperahouse.org.uk/get-involved