Cheltenham theatre centre 'vitally important', says Josh O'Connor

BAFTA-nominated actor Josh O'Connor says a new theatre education centre in his hometown is "vitally important" for young, aspiring actors.

O'Connor, who is reported to be in the running to be the next James Bond , officially opened the new £1m Everyman Theatre education centre in Cheltenham, where he grew up, earlier.

The centre sits in a former community venue and will be used to help give everyone access to the performing arts.

O'Connor, who attended Everyman's youth theatre, said: "It's an incredible gift to be able to learn to do drama."

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He said the space was a "great opportunity for young people and old people and everyone in between".

The 36-year-old actor, who played Prince Charles in Netflix's The Crown, spent a lot of time growing up at the former Axiom arts centre in the town, describing it as "an amazing space for learning the arts and crafts".

A number of attempts were made to revive it before the borough council sold it in 2005.

O'Connor, a former Bristol Old Vic Theatre School student, said the Axiom "left a big hole in the community".

"I think there's a shortage of community spaces," added O'Connor, who worked at a local Waitrose before starring alongside Daniel Craig in the film Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Charis, 17, from Cheltenham, started at Everyman's youth theatre aged seven and is hoping to study musical theatre at university.

She said the theatre had "changed my life around for the better".

She was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, a disorder that damages your lungs, digestive tract and other organs, at nine years old.

Charis said the diagnosis "really flipped my life upside down" but the youth theatre was "a big escape".

Charis came to the new centre for classes over the summer and said it was a place where she could feel herself because she was "surrounded by people that I've got to know and doing the thing I love with".

It cost £1m to buy and refurbish the building in Grove Street and make it a permanent base for the theatre's Education and Community Department.

But the theatre needs to raise a further £170,000 per year to keep it open.

Chief executive Mark Goucher said: "Our job is now to keep it running and keep it open... so that we can carry on delivering great work down here."

Free and heavily subsidised arts and culture projects such as youth choirs and family clubs will be offered at the venue.

Goucher said the project was about "giving opportunities to children who may not necessarily have had those opportunities".

They have plans to add more choirs, as well as dance classes for older people and sessions for people with dementia.

"We're doing the right thing and the theatre changes people's lives, and that's what I think Grove Street will do as well," added Goucher.

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