Help Kitchen Sink Live buy a new computer

Hi everyone, we are Abby Melia and Bradley Thompson, the founders and artistic directors of socially-engaged theatre and film company Kitchen Sink Live.

Like lots of arts companies, the COVID19 pandemic has had a massive impact on us and the communities we work with. We haven’t been able to work or make money. We desperately need a new computer and are asking our friends, community and fans to help.

We need £1,500 and thanks to the generosity of two people who've donated £300 we're already well on our way - but now we need you to get involved too.

About Us
Kitchen Sink Live is a Liverpool-based artistic theatre and film company. We exist to:

- empower disadvantaged young people to tell their real stories creatively through performing arts
- challenge perceptions
- raise awareness of the issues that affect their lives.

Supporting vulnerable people in our community and promoting good mental health and wellbeing is at the heart of our work. You might know us from our work with 20 Stories High , Epstein Youth Theatre and Merseyside Youth Association , where we make a real difference in young people’s lives.

“I feel like when I’m in school I have to put on a persona to be popular and not seem weird but here I can just be myself and say whatever I want… I wish it was on every day, it’s my favourite part of the week”.
Epstein Youth Theatre participant

The problem
We are a small and young - but ambitious - arts company. We don’t receive any regular funding from Arts Council England or elsewhere. Since COVID19 hit in February 2020, nearly all our work and income have disappeared. We have tried to work with our young people digitally but our computers are old and, when the pandemic hit, one computer finally packed in.

We don’t have enough money to buy a new laptop and have been forced to share one computer for 10 months. This has been difficult and made it even harder to continue our work supporting the young people who need us and the theatre we make together. 

The solution
The answer is simple: we need a new computer.

We have been working hard to keep young people engaged online and have their voices heard while also staying safe. So far, we’ve managed to muddle through, reaching over 70 participants and young people during the pandemic, making new relationships, and finding new ways to work in this socially-distanced, online world.

Imagine how much more we could do with the right equipment. A new laptop is our office, our workshop space, editing suite, and recording studio - and it’s also our way of broadcasting our work professionally. It would mean we can:

* Expand our reach to new participants and partners
* Balance our workload, relieving tight time pressures and stress
* Increase the quality of experience for audiences online
* Build a creative and supportive online community
* Give voice to even more vulnerable young people at a time when they need it most

How you can help
We need to raise £1,500 to buy a new, high-quality laptop to make our online work possible.

The cost of the computer is £1,800 but we have scraped together £300 from our own budget to put towards it - and have received two amazing gifts of £150 from close supporters.

So we're appealing to you - our friends, close community, and creative colleagues  - to help us buy a computer. Your gift will help us get to Christmas and look to 2021 with confidence and positivity that we can continue using theatre to change the lives of the young people that rely on us.

Please donate if you can. Every gift, no matter how large or small, will make a massive difference to us and our community of young people.

With love and thanks from Abby & Brad x