Abseiling 350 feet down the side of the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays was the way The Kings Theatre Technical Manager, Louise Birchall chose to spend Sunday 27th June!

Raising £250 for the Stroke Association, Louise bounced down to the bottom in full harness with a safety line firmly attached and with her eyes wide open, taking in the view.  ‘I don’t have a problem with heights’, said Louise, ‘and really enjoyed the experience’.  ‘Some of the abseilers shuffled down the tower, but I lent back and just went for it, taking about three minutes to get to the bottom.’

The fundraising event had been scheduled to take place over two days, but owing to a power cut in Portsmouth on the Saturday, all those jumps were cancelled.   Louise was already planned to go on Sunday, but the delay meant she one of the lucky ninety to make descent on the day, even though she did have to wait until 7.30 in the evening before stepping off on her epic journey!

The chance to perform on the Kings Theatre stage in Portsmouth was all that was needed to encourage a group of eager young people to sign up to the new Youth Theatre group being organised by the Kings as part of their expanding education programme in the City.

Under the direction of Joanna Everett, the Youth Theatre offers young people from seven to seventeen years of age the opportunity to explore performing arts through script work, improvisation, games and performances.  A free taster session will be held on Saturday 24th April from 11am-1pm, with normal classes starting from Saturday 1st May onwards.  There will be two separate age groups; Juniors (7-12 yrs) and Seniors (12-17yrs). 

 Amongst the potential stars of the future was six year old Etienne Middleton who came along with her parents.  Her mother, Demaras, recalled being on the Kings' stage as a child with her brother at the end of a performance of Mother Goose.  'It was the bit before the finale and my brother was getting annoyed with me because I seemed to be awe struck by the occasion'.  Now it is her daughter's turn and, having been dancing since she was three, Etienne cannot wait to take part in a show.

Mother and Daughter (Etienne (6) and Demaras Middleton)

The Youth Theatre will train youngsters in acting, dance and stage craft with the intention of performing one major show at the Kings Theatre whilst putting on a variety of other shows around different venues in the city.

Jo Everett said, 'I am really pleased with the response to the launch day.  I've taught on the Kings stage, but never performed on it, so these young people will experience something I haven't yet done.'

For further details on the Kings Youth Theatre, please call the Box Office on (023) 9282 8282 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it