Cap-a-Pie began, as many things do, with a group of graduates figuring things out as they went.
In the mid-1990s, while studying at Northumbria University, Gordon Poad, Mark Labrow and Annie McCourt started making work together – taking ideas straight out of the classroom and into community settings. One of their first projects was a youth theatre in Dipton, County Durham.
“We were responding to our own need. We wanted to make some theatre… and we needed some money.” Gordon recalls.
With a small grant from the local authority and a newly opened bank account that made them, officially an organisation, they created their first show, The Wild Man, with a group of local children.
From there, things grew quickly. In those early days, there wasn’t a fixed plan – just energy, curiosity and a willingness to try things.
“We would take all of the things that we were learning at university and go and apply them immediately,” Annie says.
Projects ranged from immersive theatre experiences in museum spaces to large-scale community productions. One early piece, set around the railways and the First World War, saw young people shifting piles of coal as part of the performance, eating together in shared spaces and stepping in and out of role across the day.
“It was really good fun,” Annie remembers. “Cold, freezing cold, but really good fun.”
Gordon describes those early years as full of momentum:
“We used to cram a sound system and a lighting rig into a camper van and just make plays in days… plays in weeks. And I remember thinking, this is the work.”
Alongside the creativity, there was always a strong sense of purpose.
“What always mattered to us was that the work had real value for the people taking part,” Gordon says. “We wanted to make good theatre, but we also wanted people to feel that they were part of something meaningful and creative.”
This meant working with a wide range of people – children, young people excluded from school, adults returning to education and communities experiencing unemployment.
Programmes like the Small Fires Leaders Course worked with adults for whom mainstream education had not been successful, helping them develop creative and facilitation skills and supporting them to lead arts activity within their own communities. Many participants went on to develop creative careers, lead community projects and create opportunities for others. Other projects brought together professional actors, community participants and young people to create ambitious productions.
“It was all about putting together interesting groups of people,” Gordon says. “And having fun. We were having a great time.”
One of the most significant milestones was the transformation of a derelict co-operative store in Dipton into a creative and community space.
“We raised like half a million pounds to renovate it,” Annie says. “It became a studio theatre, rehearsal space, healthy living centre – all of that.”
For Gordon, the moment the community first filled the building stays with him:
“The place was absolutely full of flowers… it was like your wedding day.”
The space became home to performances, workshops and a long-term research programme exploring emotional intelligence through theatre, working with young people over several years.
“They were joyful,” Annie says. “Absolutely amazing.”
Across all of this work ran a shared belief in the importance of creativity, not just as an artform, but as a way of participating in the world.
“When children take part in this kind of creative work, they come away feeling that they matter, that their ideas are valued and that they are part of something bigger.” Gordon reflects.
“When we honour children’s contributions in that way, it helps them see themselves as part of their community. That sense of belonging can stay with them for life.”
For Annie, the work was as much about the people leading it as those taking part:
“Working in this way helps everyone to grow – teachers, artists and students. Being in that playful, imaginative space enables us to think in ways that are not always possible within the requirements of formal education.”
Her own philosophy remains rooted in that idea:
“I believe in walking alongside people so that they get the opportunity to speak in their own voice and say the things that they feel are important in a way that enables other people to hear them.”
Thirty years on, both founders see clear threads connecting the early projects to the work Cap-a-Pie continues to do today.
“The practice has stayed constant. If you want people – children, young people, anyone – to feel that they are participating in society, one of the richest ways is through the arts.” Gordon says.
For Annie, it’s about growth – personal and collective:
“Human thriving – that’s what it’s all about. It’s about people coming together, thinking new thoughts, imagining differently.”
And while the organisation has evolved, adapted and changed shape over time, the core remains recognisable.
“It feels like lots has changed,” Katy Vanden reflects in conversation with Annie, “but also not much has changed in the way we work with young people.”
Annie agrees: “It was a time of experimentation and growth and joy… working with my best friends was the best thing I could have ever wished for.”
From a small youth theatre in Dipton to a nationally recognised organisation working at the intersection of theatre, education and research, Cap-a-Pie’s story has always been shaped by people and by the belief that creativity matters.
As Gordon puts it:
“When we bring imagination and honour people in that way… it starts to glitter. People come away feeling better about themselves. And that’s the platform we want them to be on.”
