Arts Engagement & Outreach: February 2026 News

Here’s a taste of what our Arts Engagement & Outreach team at The Octagon & Westlands have been busy working on this month… 

Our Arts Engagement & Outreach team develop and deliver programmes and activities that benefit health and wellbeing, enrich learning and education in and outside school, inspire and celebrate talent. Creating work that will support local artists and tell “local stories”. In everything we do and programme we will seek to improve inclusion and remove barriers, whatever they may be, so that everyone is able to enjoy and benefit from the creative arts. Our Arts Engagement & Outreach team look to provide more opportunities for our communities to watch, take part and benefit from arts and cultural activities where they live.  

February has been bursting with creative energy, excitement, and a real sense of community spirit across the South of Somerset. Our Winter Playdays brought joy and imagination to Yeovil, Wincanton, Chard, and Langport, welcoming 2,336 people of all ages to get creative during the school holidays. The events sparked creativity and brought families together through a vibrant blend of facepainting, filmmaking, music making, circus skills, African dancing, arts and crafts, and a host of professional workshops. 

Alongside this, we were delighted to welcome work experience students from Gryphon School in Sherborne, who supported our Winter PlayDay events by developing, creating and delivering an engaging craft activity for children and young people. Plus, we were thrilled to host the National Youth Theatre in Yeovil for the first time, as they brought their nationwide auditions to Westlands, inspiring young performers from across the region. 

Read all about it and more below… 

Participation 

Over 2,330 people unleash their creativity and sense of play during the school holidays 

Our Winter PlayDays ran once again during February Half-Term, offering families free, high quality creative opportunities right on their doorstep.  While PlayDays are traditionally delivered outdoors in the summer months, our winter programme focuses on providing warm, welcoming indoor community spaces where families can take part in free arts activities together.  This year’s Winter PlayDays were held across our local communities in Yeovil, Wincanton, Langport and Chard, attracting families from the towns and surrounding areas to take part in a wide range of creative workshops and drop-in activities.  The programme welcomed over 2,336 attendees, a substantial increase from 1,470 participants last year, demonstrating growing community demand and the continued value of accessible free activities during school holidays. 

Across the events, children and their families took part in a variety of activities designed to encourage creativity, movement, skill building and imaginative play.  Workshops included musicmaking sessions, where participants sang and explored a vast selection of instruments, and circus skills, offering opportunities to try tightrope walking, juggling, plate spinning and more.  A board range of arts and crafts activities were also available throughout the day, from woodcraft, willow work and clay modelling to mask-making, creative colouring and collaborative art pieces created collectively by attending families. When asked what they enjoyed most, visitors highlighted the variety on offer, sharing comments such as: “Had a wonderful time, been kept so busy and loved it all” and “I loved it today because I spent time with my family.” 

The Arts Engagement & Outreach team worked alongside a cohort of 15 local arts practitioners throughout the programme, helping to engage over 2,336 children, young people and their families across all our Winter PlayDays.  Additionally, we were also pleased to continue working in partnership with local community organisations including South West Heritage Trust, Young Somerset, Freedom Leisure, Somerset Libraries, Girlguiding, Balsam Centre, Yeovil Country Park, and Chard Community Hub, who supported the event by running their own activities and promoting their services. 

Participants expressed how important it was that activities were free, local, and offered opportunities for children and young people to be creative, try new things, and socialise.  Many families noted the value of having warm, welcoming indoor spaces during the winter and appreciated the positive impact that shared play and creativity had on their wellbeing.  Comments included: 

“Thank you – something wonderful to light up Feb ½ Term.” 

“It is important to do events because it brings people together.” 

“Opens us & the children up to new hobbies and creativity.” 

“I had the best day ever – thank you so much – it made me smile.” 

This year’s Winter PlayDays clearly demonstrated their continued role in improving access to the arts regardless of background or circumstance, while supporting families to stay active, connected and creative during the school holidays. 

Creative Learning & Education 

Bringing world-class theatre professionals into Somerset Schools 

Our workshops with the Emma Rice Company have engaged more than 100 students across 4 Somerset secondary schools this month as part of our Elevate programme, enabling younger people to access meaningful, high-quality arts specialist activities. The second set of drama & theatre workshops in the series focused on developing characterisation by exploring status and physicality, alongside techniques for devising original performance work. Students experimented with new approaches to creating characters and developed key performance skills, demonstrating a willingness to take creative risks and think more imaginatively when approaching new work. All those who participated expressed how valuable the project had been in strengthening ensemble skills and performance technique, helping them collaborate more confidently and push their creative boundaries.  

'‘It was amazing and made me improve my confidence massively’ Student 

Opening up arts opportunities for young people in schools 

Responding to the growing need for greater access to arts specialists in schools, our in school Performing Arts workshops are enabling more young people to experience high quality singing, dance and drama sessions within their own learning environments. These sessions, led by experienced arts practitioners, launched in February with our Key Stage 2 Drama workshops and have so far given 85 children in Years 4–6 the opportunity to explore comedy, slapstick and mime while learning how to work creatively and collaboratively. Teachers reported that the workshops provided access to performing arts expertise that their schools would not otherwise have, and that students developed valuable skills in performance, teamwork and creative expression. The sessions have already begun to build confidence, spark curiosity and broaden pupils’ understanding of what the performing arts can offer. 

We look forward to continuing these workshops throughout the remainder of the academic year, further expanding opportunities for young people to engage with the arts in meaningful and inspiring ways. 

'Absolutely brilliant and incredibly engaging. Every child loved it and responded so well to the leaders energy and passion for the subject' Teacher 

Talent Development 

Empowering the next generation of creatives 

As part of the Next Generation Creatives programme, we welcomed three work experience students from Gryphon School in Sherborne to support our Arts Engagement & Outreach team, plan, develop and deliver activity for our Winter PlayDays events. Across a three-week period, for one day a week, they worked closely with the team to plan a creative activity aimed at engaging young people attending the PlayDays. They demonstrated enthusiasm, teamwork and thoughtful planning throughout the development stage. The students successfully delivered a maskmaking activity at the Yeovil PlayDay on 16 February 2026, confidently engaging with young participants in arts and crafts. Alongside this, they had the opportunity to meet members of the Octagon & Westlands team and gain insight into our day-to-day work across Arts Engagement & Outreach programme and the wider venue. The placement offered valuable hands-on experience, deepening their understanding of how creative projects are planned, organised and delivered within a professional arts setting. 

Pictured from left to right: Anthony – Arts Engagement & Outreach Officer, Beau, Dakota, Fawn, and Katherine– Arts Engagement & Outreach Manager 

 

Local young performers attend National Youth Theatre Auditions 

This month saw the National Youth Theatre bring their nationwide auditions to Westlands, welcoming 30 young performers from across the region. The day was charged with focus, nerves and real ambition as emerging talent stepped into the room ready to take part in the NYT experience. For many of the young people attending, this was far more than an audition. It represented an important step in their creative development, offering a first encounter with a nationally recognised organisation, an opportunity to test themselves against professional expectations, a chance to develop essential audition skills and a clearer sense of what it means to pursue the performing arts at a higher level. 

Hosting the auditions in Yeovil also carried real significance for the local community. Opportunities of this scale are rarely available in the town, and bringing the National Youth Theatre directly to Westlands removed barriers that often prevent young people from taking part in national arts opportunities. For many, the chance to audition locally meant they could step into a professional environment without the cost, travel or pressure of accessing opportunities in larger cities. It created a space where local talent could be seen, supported and celebrated close to home, reinforcing the importance of making high-quality arts pathways accessible to all young people, regardless of where they live. 

“The level of commitment and individuality on display was inspiring — a reminder of just how much raw talent exists outside the major cities.” Arts Engagement & Outreach Officer 

Inspiring the Next Wave of Creative Talent 

This month also saw Producer, Anthony Kosky, lead a Page to Stage workshop at Westlands, centred on the development of original work and new writing. The session encouraged artists to generate material from the ground up, exploring voice, structure, and storytelling through a practical, collaborative process. Participants were guided in shaping ideas into performable pieces, with an emphasis on creative ownership. The workshop also featured an online in conversation session with actor and writer Melissa Johns, known for her work in Coronation Street, Grantchester and Adolescence, offering insight into her creative practice and experiences within the industry. Her reflections added depth to the day, giving participants a real sense of how new writing evolves from early ideas into fully developed performance. 

“The room became a place of possibility — artists discovering not just how to perform work, but how to create it.” Arts Engagement & Outreach Officer  

Arts for Health & Wellbeing 

Improving mental health & wellbeing through the power of music 

This month we delivered a three-hour open session in Chard for our Somerset Wellbeing Orchestra, inviting people to come along and have a go at making music, in a relaxed setting with the support of wellbeing professionals. 6 people took part in the open session, where they made music together. Throughout the morning they explored new skills, built confidence, and formed meaningful connections with one another. The atmosphere grew more vibrant as the session progressed, with participants reporting a noticeable lift in energy, mood, and overall wellbeing. It was wonderful to see the session offering such a welcoming space where creativity, community, and wellbeing can flourish. The Octagon & Westlands are working in partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, ARK at Egwood and WATCH CIO, to bring this wonderful music-making opportunity to Somerset. 

‘Just being here has made me feel so much better. I feel joyful, connected, happy, I have more energy! I feel courageous and proud.’ Open Session Participant

Productions & Events 

Nurturing a Love for Music from an Early Age 

Working in partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, more than 100 young people and their families enjoyed a relaxed live orchestral concert of Curious Creatures & The Natural World at Westlands. Audiences were invited on an orchestral journey through the natural world, travelling from verdant forests to the open ocean and experiencing music by Mancini, Elgar, Grace Williams, William Grant, Vaughan Williams and an adaptation of a popular work by Björk. 

Led by BSO Associate Zoe Palmer, the performance created a welcoming and accessible environment, with higher lighting, open doors and a relaxed approach to sound and movement so that everyone could enjoy the experience comfortably. For some of the young people attending, this may have been their first time hearing live orchestral music, offering an opportunity to encounter a full orchestra in a setting designed to feel open, friendly and easy to enjoy. 

The programme captured the wild in all its forms: the energy of forest creatures, the shifting moods of the sea and the soft calm of twilight. The setting encouraged families to engage freely and created a shared atmosphere where people could connect, enjoy music together and feel part of their community.

To keep up to date with all the activities coming up head over to the What’s On section on our website or check out our Participate page which will link you to all our projects and upcoming opportunities.