Raise a Glass to Our Public House 

From Tuesday 2 to Tuesday 9 December, every £1 you give will be matched £1 for £1 through the Big Give Christmas Challenge – doubling your impact and helping us bring this extraordinary project to life.

2025/26 is Dash Arts’ 20th anniversary – our most ambitious year yet. Our Public House, a bold new play by Barney Norris and directed by Josephine Burton, premieres at Leeds Playhouse in spring 2026 before touring to Prescot, Coventry, Cornwall, Sheffield, and potentially London.

Set in The Albion, a struggling pub at the heart of a divided community, the play tells a deeply human story of people finding their voice – a love letter to the pub as a space of democracy, solidarity, and connection.

Over the past three years, we’ve worked with schools, prisons, deaf groups, youth clubs, and community centres, helping over 600 people create political speeches about their hopes for the future. Participants – aged 12 to 65, from all walks of life – will perform alongside professional actors, bringing their voices and stories to the stage.

Creating and touring this production costs over £300,000, and we still need £75,000 to deliver it. Through the Big Give, we aim to raise £20,000 – our biggest target yet.

How your gift makes a difference

• £1,000 – fund the musical score or a pre-show hustings workshop with community participants, stakeholders, and MPs

• £500 – cover costumes for professional and community performers

• £200 – pay for onstage training for one non-professional performer

• £60 – provide tickets for 5 community participants to see the show

As Josephine Burton says:

“I want to give voice to the unheard — to tell a story of who we are, and who we could be, together.”

Your support will help us:

• Bring Our Public House to life with communities at its heart

• Pay and support our artists, creatives, and local participants

• Keep our work accessible and inclusive nationwide

Give between 2 and 9 December and your donation will be doubled. Help us raise our voices – and keep the doors of Our Public House open to everyone.