Go Live Theatre to host UK’s largest ever education performance with Sylvia at the Royal Albert Hall

Go Live Theatre has announced what it says will be the largest education performance ever staged in the UK, with almost 5,000 children and young people set to attend a performance of Sylvia at the Royal Albert Hall this November.

The education matinee will take place on 13 November, the final day of the musical’s run at the venue. Supported by the Garek Trust, the initiative will offer tickets priced at £10 as part of Go Live Theatre’s ongoing work to improve access to theatre for young people.

The musical tells the story of suffragette activist Sylvia Pankhurst and features a score blending hip hop, funk, soul and gospel. The production stars Beverley Knight and Sharon Rose and is directed and choreographed by Kate Prince.

Sita McIntosh, chief executive of Go Live Theatre, said the organisation was “thrilled” to be staging its largest education matinee to date, adding: “We know first-hand the lasting impact that live theatre can have on young people – with thanks to the Garek Trust nearly 5000 children and young people have the opportunity to experience this inspiring production.”

Knight, who is also a patron of Go Live Theatre, described the event as a landmark occasion and said the Royal Albert Hall was a fitting venue for a story centred on “courage, activism and freedom”.

Eleanor Lloyd, co-producer of Sylvia, added, “Sylvia has had a remarkable journey from the Old Vic to a UK tour and now finishing at the Royal Albert Hall with the biggest education matinee ever staged in the UK. The story of Sylvia Pankhurst remains as powerful and relevant as ever, and this production offers young people an inspiring and accessible way into that history. We’re honoured to collaborate with Go Live Theatre, whose work continues to transform access to live performance for thousands of young people.”

The Royal Albert Hall has a long association with the suffragette movement, having hosted more than 20 rallies and several major speeches connected to the campaign for women’s voting rights. Suffragettes were banned from the venue between 1913 and 1918.

Founded as Mousetrap Theatre Projects in 1997, Go Live Theatre has enabled more than 275,000 children and young people to attend theatre performances. The charity works with young people from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds and runs programmes, workshops and theatre visits designed to encourage engagement with the arts.