Our work with secondary schools is supported by the Spoore, Merry and Rixman Foundation
Secondary Schools
As well as the full programme of events which runs daily at Norden Farm, we have specially chosen events which can link to the national curriculum and offer further learning opportunities for secondary schools.
Many of the live events which we have chosen for our secondary school audience offer extensive education packs, and can include post show Q&A sessions and wrap around workshops.
We also offer workshops for secondary schools which can take place at Norden Farm or at your school and at any point in the year.
For more information about the Farm Out programme please contact our Education Team at education@nordenfarm.org or call 01628 682563
Flick through the 2024/2025 Secondary Schools Workshop Brochure here -
The Norden Farm Roadshow
The Roadshow is a chance for us to get to know what you want out of the Farm Out programme - help us understand the way your school diary works, so we can help you access fantastic performances at Norden Farm.
Find out about the live cinema, theatre and special events which are coming up in the following season.
We are happy to fit around your hectic schedules. To arrange a roadshow meeting email our Education Team at education@nordenfarm.org or call 01628 682563.
Browse upcoming live streamed events
Maidenhead Schools Exhibition 2024
We are delighted to present the fifth Maidenhead Schools: Art, Design and Photography Exhibition showcasing the work made by the students from Maidenhead schools.
All work has been created by students from Berkshire College of Agriculture, Holyport College and Newlands Girls School. The exhibition aims to unite Maidenhead schools and colleges by celebrating the creativity and talent of our local students.
Work will be judged by a panel on Friday 8 November. The panel includes Joshua Reynolds MP; local visual artist Aysha Khan; Nicola Metcalf, a local digital artist; and Chair of Maidenhead Painting Club – Brian Ford.
This exhibition is part of Farm Out, the flagship Norden Farm Arts Programme for schools funded by the Spoore, Merry and Rixman Foundation.
Tues 22 Oct - Sat 9 Nov
5pm - 10pm
Free Entry
- 30 Oct FREE
- 31 Oct FREE
- 7 more dates...
PS145: The Diviners
Four broken AI entities are trying to make sense of the world but no longer have the correct information. These are The Diviners.
In their fragmented state they explore a nether world, between the lines of stories and through unheard harmonics of music. Is this where the truth really lies?
An electrifying and strangely topical story, People Show 145: The Diviners plays out in an imaginary world not so far from our own. Powerfully visual, a colourful cuboid trap defines the parameters of the action.
The show is written and performed by Gareth Brierley, Sadie Cook, Fiona Creese and George Khan (in virtual form). Each night features a secret guest artist from the extended People Show family.
The Diviners premiered at Golden Goose Theatre, Camberwell, London in October 2023, running for three weeks.
'Humorous and somehow profound...great fun on the surface with great depth beneath' ★★★★ The Stage
'Witty, touching, and thought-provoking...this is a piece of theatre which has already wormed its way into my brain' ★★★★ Salterton Arts Review
'Intelligent and perceptive, and it’s short and sweet without being rushed or saccharine' ★★★★ London Theatre1
'Thoughtful, funny, romantic and philosophical…what may happen if AI is left to run without human intervention or guidance' TheReviewsHub
Age guidance: 14+ years.
Studio
£16 | £14 conc
Neon Members - Free membership for ages 16 - 25
£8 (offer applied in basket once logged in). Find out more about Neon Membership here.
People Show's Website
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Avartan’24
Drishti Dance presents Avartan’24, the unique and exciting annual showcase of Kathak works, for the first time at Norden Farm.
Drishti Dance, Reading’s foremost Performing Arts Company brings together its own dynamic and high-quality dance works led by its Artistic director Anuradha Chaturvedi; an exciting new collaboration between Drishti Dance’s talented Youth Dance company that has represented South East Region in National U.Dance in 2018, 2019 & 2022 and young talented dancers from Slough based Dancing Nikita company.
The evening also features, talented dancers from Sutton based Upahaar Dance School bringing their exquisite Mohiniattam works for the first time to the platform and UK’s emerging Artist Pallavi Anand (Bharatnatyam).
Avartan’24 is a truly unmissable event, extraordinary performances that are a feast for the senses, a unique opportunity to celebrate Indian cultural roots in the UK.
Courtyard Theatre
£18 | £16 (conc)
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Paradise Lost (lies unopened beside me)
A one man staging of Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost – but nothing like you’d expect.
The highlights of this well-known story about Creation are combined with the struggles of modern life. From juggling a work-life balance to wrangling the children into the car.
Olivier award nominee Sharif Afifi plays seven different characters – from Adam and Eve to himself and his wife in the present day.
Combining comedy, theatre and music this is a funny and engaging show. For anyone who has created anything (child, garden, paper aeroplane) and then watched it spiral out of control.
Paradise Lost (lies unopened beside me) premiered in May 2015 at Battersea Arts Centre and was shortlisted for a 2015 Total Theatre Award. It has toured to over 60 venues both nationally and internationally.
‘The comedy is divine’ ★★★★★ The Independent
‘Comic yet touching’ ★★★★ The Times
‘Hugely entertaining without sacrificing the gravity of the original piece’★★★★★ The Argus
★★★★★ The Observer | ★★★★★ The List | ★★★★★ Evening Standard | ★★★★ The Guardian | ★★★★ The Herald | ★★★★ The Scotsman | ★★★★★ Edfest Magazine
Presented by Lost Dog.
Studio
£16 I £14 Supporters
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Varnish
Presented by Doubletake Theatre.
It takes star quality to get adopted… and Jonathan Mayor has it.
'I was chosen, you see. Right from the start. They weren’t prepared to leave the quality of their offspring to chance!'
In an explosion of sequins and songs, our prince of stage and screen is every inch the superstar.
It’s been a tough journey from the cobbled streets of Oldham to the glamour of Hollywood. Tougher still for a Scottish-Mauritian adopted son of white parents. But let’s not dwell on that… your fabulous host is here to entertain you!
Inspired by stand-up comedian Jonathan Mayor’s real life, Varnish is a blistering new play from Janet Taylor, exploring transracial adoption and the struggle for identity.
Snap up your hot ticket to join Jonathan's live, star-studded audience and buckle up for belly laughs in this darkly flamboyant, varnished version of the truth.
Studio
£16 I £14 Supporters
Pinocchio
Visit the incredible world of Stuff and Nonsense as they bring Pinocchio to our stage for Christmas 2024.
Three very funny men seek refuge in a grand but abandoned old house - one of them is Pinocchio and it turns out he’s had quite a life!
Stuff and Nonsense are leaders in family theatre. Their adaptation of Pinocchio combines classic elements of the story – a poor woodcarver, the tell-tale growing nose, the dream of becoming a real boy – with their hallmark hilarity, skilled puppetry, original music, fantastic staging, outstanding performers and extraordinary physical tricks.
'The show was extremely clever and I was very impressed by the fantastic use of staging, which is definitely one of the key elements, along with the lively music, that kept my little boy transfixed throughout' coastalmum.co.uk
Invest in your children’s imaginations: join us in the theatre and take playfulness home with you!
Age guidance
3 + years.
Relaxed Performances
The performances on Saturday 30 November at 11am and Friday 27 December at 11am are Relaxed. Ideal for families with babies or toddlers and children with SEND. Everyone is welcome to join us for this friendly format.
Signed Performance
The performance on Saturday 21 December at 2pm will be signed.
Run time
Pinocchio is 60 minutes long without an interval.
Tickets
£16 | £14 Under 16s
£56 Family and Friends (4 people)
Tickets for children under 18 months
For this show, tickets/seats are not required for children under 18 months who are happy to sit on laps.
Creative Team
Directed by Niki McCretton
Music by Dom Coyote
With additional music by Tim Dalling
Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company's website
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- 26 Nov
- 26 Nov
- 43 more dates...
The Carnival of the Animals - Lantern Parade
The Lantern Parade returns to illuminate Maidenhead on Saturday 7 December 2024.
This year's theme is Our Animal Neighbours!
The Lantern Parade is free to attend and open to all. You don't need a lantern to take part - just head down and celebrate with the community! The Parade encourages local people to get together, create fantastic artworks, dance and parade their fabulous creations through Maidenhead town centre.
Entertainment starts at 4.30pm and the Parade departs at 5pm. Keep an eye on our website for announcements about this year's line up!
Norden Farm are once again working with SameSky to bring you the Parade and Workshops, an award-winning community arts charity who have been creating fantastic lanterns, costumes and community events since 1987.
Get Parade ready and make a Lantern!
Get involved at one of our Lantern Making workshops, running throughout November and December. Our expert lantern makers will guide you through the process to create your own lantern to illuminate at the parade.
Norden Farm Workshops
Sat 2 Nov 10.30am - 12.30pm and 2pm - 4pm
Sat 30 Nov 10.30am - 12.30pm and 2pm - 4pm
Adults Lantern Making at Norden Farm
Sat 16 Nov 10.30am - 12.30pm and 2pm - 4pm [Ages 17+]
Nicholsons Centre Drop In Workshop
Sun 1 Dec 10.30am - 4pm
Maidenhead Library Drop In Workshop
Sat 7 Dec 10.30am - 2pm
Join a Drop In Lantern Making Workshop in the town centre. Get parade ready in 20 minutes – drop in any time between 10.30am and 4pm to make and decorate a simple willow and tissue lantern.
- 7 Dec FREE
Hauntings
Hauntings is a spellbinding evening of three tales of the supernatural during which the award-winning actor, Gerard Logan, will take you to world of invisible, but terrifyingly present, spirits.
Gerard Logan's masterful storytelling of two of the world’s greatest writers of ghost stories, E.F. Benson and M.R. James guarantees a spinetingling evening not to be missed.
From E.F. BENSON comes:
Naboth’s Vineyard - in which just desserts are meted out to an unscrupulous lawyer.
The Hanging of Alfred Wadham - in which the forces of the devil test a man of faith to his limits.
From the acknowledged master of the ghost story genre, M.R. JAMES, comes:
Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad - in which a medieval spirit strikes terrorizes an arrogant professor.
'Logan is astounding....He takes a strong script and flies it to the stars' ★★★★★ Edinburgh Festival 2016 Review
'Watching Logan work is like being privy to a wonder of nature and remains with you ... A true masterpiece of solo performance' ★★★★★ The Edinburgh Guide
Hauntings is also underscored by a beautiful, original and specially commissioned score by the award-winning RSC composer, Simon Slater.
Studio
£16 | £14 (Supporters)
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