YOUNGSTERS from a leading full mask theatre have received a funding boost towards its latest film-based project.

Worcester-based Vamos Theatre and its Vamos Young People’s Theatre have received £2,500 from the Elmley Foundation to help deliver the Projectionist, which will explore Worcestershire residents' memories of cinema in the 1950s.

Members of the youth group have begun preparations for the project which will bring them together with historians from the Hive, who will train them in oral history recording.

The cornerstone of the project is the gathering of local people’s stories which will be used as inspiration for the making of a performance and feed into an exhibition to be staged in July

Vamos Theatre’s artistic director, Rachael Savage, said: "Our young people are delighted to have received such generous support from the Elmley Foundation, which will make a real difference to the project.

"The Projectionist will create a wonderful opportunity for Vamos Young People's Theatre members to understand more about heritage and the cultural life of their county: which in turn will inform their theatre making."

The foundation is an independent grant-making charity which supports the arts in the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

This funding boost follows a a successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid and support from Worcestershire county councillors Matt Jenkins and Anthony Blagg.

Vamos Young People's Theatre offers 16 to 25 year olds the opportunity to experience high levels of excellence in drama training, with a particular emphasis on the innovative and engaging full mask theatre for which Vamos Theatre is renowned.