Josh Armstrong grew up in Castleford, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, in a family who enjoy performing; his Mum and sister both dance so Josh was dragged along too. “I hated the first few classes,” he laughed “because it was so loud! But I soon found it was a brilliant way to escape the daily routine of school and do something different.”

“I was verbally bullied at school for being a boy who danced,” he said. “There are lots of stereotypes associated with being a male dancer but it’s not all leotards and discipline. Fortunately, my family were really supportive, and I really enjoyed it, so I did my best to ignore it and carried on. The performing arts are such a diverse industry, everyone is welcome.”

At secondary school, Josh appeared in some school plays, which gave him a new insight into a different kind of performance art and opened doors to some National Theatre productions.

When it came to thinking about university, Josh decided it was time to understand what goes on backstage and applied for the Degree in Theatre Production (BA Hons) at the University of Winchester, a practical degree course covering arts and stage management with lighting and sound.

“To move more than 200 miles due south for my course, away from my family and friends was a big challenge, but it felt new and really exciting! I’m pleased to say many of the friends I made in Freshers’ Week are still friends three years later, so I settled in fairly quickly.”

Part of the reason Josh settled in quite so quickly was undoubtedly his idea to set up King Alfred Theatre Arts (KATA), which he started in week three at Winchester. “I was keen to keep up my acting and dancing, even though my degree was more backstage related,” Josh said. “The Performing Arts Department at Winchester includes courses on choreography and dance, drama, and musical theatre too so I realised that I probably wasn’t the only student eager to be on stage as much as possible!”

With the support of the Inspiring Enterprise programme and having made a successful pitch to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style student enterprise competition with IncuHive, Josh was given the business and financial support to get his initiative off the ground. KATA was formed by Josh and a team of volunteers (mostly fellow students) who began putting on performances at venues in the University and the local community, which any student could take part in.

Looking back over almost three years of seeing his idea come to life, Josh does admit there have been some definite highs as well as a few lows. “There have been some real highlights that spring to mind; the first year we took part in Move It, the world’s largest dance event, and got great reviews, I was really chuffed,” Josh recalls. “Performing in London was huge thrill, too. And I wrote ‘The Blackout’ as a stage show designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible.”

“Of course, a lot has to go on behind the scenes to get a show on stage, like licencing, casting, prop-making and other admin’ jobs, which aren’t always very glamourous. I remember we had a show on at The Bunker in Southwark and we spent the night before filling sandbags with straw to make them easier for the performers to move on stage! And I’ve learnt a lot about managing volunteers. There have been days when things don’t seem to go right and I do wonder why I’m doing it all, but something will snap me out of it, like one of our creative ideas sessions which might well take place in the pub!”

Josh would be the first to admit that finance is often a challenge in the world of performing arts, both individually and as an organisation. Whilst he and his team are all volunteers, the costs of staging a show can’t be ignored. “We prepare a financial forecast before we start on every show to make sure it is economically viable,” Josh explained. “Some venues will just take a deposit and we can pay them based on ticket sales later; sometimes we can get some crowd-funding, or through our connections. For Move It, there is a participant fee.”

“Due to the pandemic, it feels like the industry is now at breaking point,” he added. “I’m hoping the new Commissioner for Cultural Renewal can help and I know many organisations are working to find a way to make venues safe for these times. Sadly, some venues are closing, and I think the industry is unlikely to be properly open until later this year. Although many who work in the arts are freelancers, I do believe that they hold us together and will be the key to our recovery in the long run.”

Josh is now doing a postgraduate (MSc) course in International Business at Winchester. He commented, “It’s a one-year, full time course and I’ve been able to fund it through a Postgraduate Student Loan, plus Winchester give a nice discount to returning students! I’m expecting this course to help build my business skills to keep growing KATA.”

And what does the future hold for the KATA project? “During lockdown, we have been holding activities online. When we return to in-person, we’d love to expand the workshops into other local Universities soon and we’re building some great connections with local colleges and councils. We have access to some great venues, but we’d also love to have our own ‘home’ venue one day, that could be a community centre as well as a performing arts space. One day!”

KATA – King Alfred Theatre Arts

King Alfred Theatre Arts is a Community Interest Company based in Winchester, Hampshire. Their main purpose is to provide unique arts experiences to students in further and higher education. Founded in 2017, they have produced multiple productions ranging from plays to dance performances. They are eager to work with more schools and colleges in the area so would love to hear from anyone wanting to stage a performance, host workshops or even commission a new piece.

The initiative now incorporates three arms: KATA itself, staging a variety of performances; the KATA Academy, which runs workshops in dance, theatre production, drama and vocal production that any student at Winchester can take part in; and, KATA Clothing, which provides comfortable, well-fitting clothing suitable for rehearsals.

All three arms share the same ethos of encouraging creativity, cultivating community and promoting sustainability.