Hopscotch theatre Company
Who we are
We are one of Scotland’s most loved and longest running Children’s Theatre Company’s. Creating the magic of theatre for children and their families, so young people of all backgrounds can experience the magic of live performance.
We are passionate that children should have the opportunity to experience work of the highest quality. This is why we advocate for Scotland’s most upcoming playwrights and writers of today, supporting creatives who want to develop work for young audiences and enriching theatre for families.
Overall we create theatre experiences that enlighten, challenge, and inspire for more than 10,000 young people annually.
Our story
Our aims
Our team
Our Story
Hopping all the way back to 1988, we visited our first excited school audience with our Play Pieces project. It was jam packed with stories for our young audiences and our passion for providing educators with unique opportunities to support learning and development was born!
To this day, we are still dedicated to producing the highest quality theatre and championing the practice of new writing for non-traditional spaces. From there, the company grew leaps and bounds from a small touring company to working with over 300 creatives and actors a year and reaching over 100,000 children in Scotland.
We’ve always remained on beat with what’s hot in schools from historical projects to wellbeing. Our thirty-year experience makes us a top leader in delivering highly experienced theatre for schools and community spaces. We were one of Glasgow’s first theatre companies creating work specifically for young audiences.
We continue to maintain the playful ethos of the company creating work that is beneficial and entertaining. We believe that theatre for young audiences should be imbued with emotion, memory, hope and heritage. It should be participatory, honest and inclusive. Speak with our audiences, not at them, and address stories that matter to the young people of Scotland today.
What We Do
Pantomime
Our pantomimes are hilarious and legendary amongst Scottish primary school alumni since the 90’s.
Projects
Our projects are always on beat, whether health and wellbeing inspired, environmental or cyber safety – we have you covered!
Space hire
We love welcoming other creatives to use our space and offer affordable rates to help projects get off the ground.
Learning
We are passionate about creative learning, sparking the imagination and providing educators with unique resources.
Our aims & the future
We’ve stayed true to many of the company’s aims and ambitions over the years. From employing countless creatives to providing new graduate actors with their first professional work. Commissioning passionate writers for children and employing risk taking artists across the UK’s theatre sector. We also work in partnership with other organisations where young people are at centre of what they do, promoting inclusivity and diversity to encourage participation in the arts.
We firmly believe that early engagement with the arts is vital to create the theatre makers of tomorrow. This is why we look to engage schools and children early in the creation process to make work that will last well into the future. We think that theatre should be transformative and accessible which is why we bring theatre to spaces such as school halls, community halls and gyms and continue this work by creating opportunities for emerging artists and graduates to work alongside us to make world class theatre.
34
years established
Unrivalled experience in community touring. You can guarantee that your event is in safe hands with us.
300+
actors employed
We have launched some amazing careers. Alumni have worked on Game of Thrones, with The National Theatre of Scotland and Outlander to name a few.
10K+
YOUNG PEOPLE REACHED EACH YEAR
We combine learning with unforgettable stories to create memories that will stay with young people throughout their lifetime.
100%
Fun!
By combining learning with unforgettable stories we create memories that will stay with your young people for a lifetime.
Our team
Thomas McCulloch
Producer and Co-Manager
Thomas is one half of the co-management team at Hopscotch. He has been working with the company since 2019.
He is passionate about developing new theatre and performances for young audiences. Thomas manages the day to day running of the company and uses his expertise as a producer and dramaturg to support creatives to develop fantastic new plays for children.
thomas@hopscotchtheatre.com
Stephanie Black-Daniels
Creative Learning Producer and Co-Manager
Stephanie is one half of the co-manager team.
Her passion for Hopscotch’s work started back in 2014. Since then she’s worked across a variety of projects, demonstrating her passion for creative learning and utilising her expertise as an artist across many projects.
stephanie@hopscotchtheatre.com
Liz Doward
Bookkeeper
Originally from an IT background Liz joined Hopscotch as bookkeeper in 2016.
A college refresher course gave her the skills to embrace the role in this vibrant children theatre company and eventually see Hopscotch migrate to an accounting package with improved visibility of the charity’s daily financial status.
liz@hopscotchtheatre.com
Gill McGowan
School coordinator
One of Hopscotch’s friendliest faces on the road, Gill has toured with the company for many years.
Highly experienced as a tour leader and actor she is also Hopscotch part-time School Coordinator. Gill is always a friendly voice at the end of the phone and coordinates our school bookings.
info@hopscotchtheatre.com
Arron Greechan
Marketing & Communications Officer
Arron joined Hopscotch as the Marketing Officer in 2021. He is a freelance Creative Producer with a range of experience in business development, fundraising, marketing and project management.
He is passionate about creating engaging and relevant theatre for young people reaching across Scotland.
He is also the Creative Producer of Brixton-based, Babel Theatre.
arron@hopscotchtheatre.com
Some of our partners and funders
Got a question?
Send us a message
Do you have a question, an idea or want to share your project with us? Then we would be delighted to hear from you!
We love nothing more than sharing and talking with others, whether it’s the concept for a new performance or you simply need some advice, our specialist children’s theatre team are here to help. We aim to respond within 24 hours or call from Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Registered in Scotland No. 151359 | Registered Charity No. SC022633
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