Volunteer Stewards
Join our team of front of house volunteers at events
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Teacher Network CPD sessions
Supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing
A six-part course for children and young people motivating them to take responsibility for their own physical, mental and emotional, social, educational and holistic wellbeing. The course can be tailored to both the Primary Curriculum and as a KS3 course for young people. Sessions focus on creative, interactive arts activities based around the nationally-recognised 5 ways to wellbeing, in order to create meaningful, positive change in young people’s daily lives.
This course could also be designed as a series of podcasts or a 3 day intensive course for those aged 15 – 18, delivered at the Corn Exchange for a small cohort by referral.
Developing Life Skills is a one-day drama-based course tailored to ages 15 – 18 (years 10 – 13) to help equip young people with the interactions skills useful for the workplace. It has been designed to support the development of young people by increasing their confidence, encouraging positive thinking and helping to raise their aspirations. Students are often selected by the schools involved to provide the opportunity for those who they know will most benefit from support with social interaction, self confidence and communication. Content addresses teamwork, ‘How do I fit in?’, voice impact, positive thinking and presenting skills through drama games and reflective practice. Sessions are led by professional drama practitioners.
These sessions may also be developed to be led as an out of school session at the Corn Exchange or as a series of online sessions.
Mental health and creative arts support for Year 5/6 pupils.
The Corn Exchange has a well-established reputation in West Berkshire for delivering high quality arts provision and for using the arts as a tool for children and young people’s artistic and cultural development.
This one-off hour-long workshop has been created because we understand that transitioning to Secondary school is an exciting and important milestone in a child’s life but that it can also be a time of intense emotion, fear and mental ill-health. This session provides a variety of tools to help with resilience, stress and anxiety though a period of change.
A creative writing project culminating in original poetry based on a chosen theme. This has been an intergenerational project in the past, collaborating with local care settings and creating partnerships with local schools, Primary and Secondary. The project run usually as a course of 4 x creative sessions culminating in a rehearsal and performance/ sharing session of the groups’ works.
A six-week literacy and drama project (6 x 2 hours) exploring Roald Dahl’s classic texts and rehearsing an adaptation of one of the stories. The project culminates in each school involved joining other local schools for a performance on the Corn Exchange main stage! The project takes place annually in the summer term.
If you are interested in finding out more about one of our courses or have any questions, please get in touch with us at getinvolved@cornexchangenew.co.uk or phone the box office on 01635 522733
Join our team of front of house volunteers at events
Help out with some of our regular performing and visual arts-based groups, projects and events.
Ever fancied operating a giant insect through the streets of Newbury or being part of a tale of hope and redemption that involves dynamic promenade action, stilts, aerial performance, soaring music, fire and pyro techniques…? Then this could be the opportunity for you!
Join us every Thursday for a social stitching session!
Join us for Coffee Companions, every Thursday morning in our Café Bar!
Join us on the first Wednesday of each month at Café B for this Coffee & Crafts session.
Sing and socialise as part of a community singing group.
Experience the vibrant rhythms of Latin America without needing a partner!
Join Yoga Therapist Katt Garde for this gentle and relaxing yoga course.
Join us for this fun, creative after school club for children aged 7-11.
Join this free weekly group and learn from a professional photographer about their style, develop your own skills and hear about their career journey.
Join our resident artist Cáit Gould to make your own clay animal in response to the wildlife photographer of the year exhibition.
Have fun with clay this summer with Susie Oates from Pots of Hope.
Discover the art of life drawing in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
Relax in this calming Restorative Yoga session.
Make your own clay animal inspired by Wildlife Photographer of the Year 60.
Wild about wombats? Fanatical about foxes? Print your own artwork inspired by The Wildlife Photographer of the Year 60 exhibition with Berkshire Printmakers.
Open to children in school years 3 – 6 (KS2) who are home educated, our junior drama sessions provide a fun interactive introduction to drama.
Designed to support children in school years 3 – 6 (KS2) who are home educated.
Ideal for beginners keen to explore new techniques and enhance their skills.
Level up your painting skills with expert guidance from Base resident artist, Richard Francis Bellin.
This course is aimed at complete beginners who haven’t danced any Ballroom and Latin American before and are ready to take their first steps!
Join Fi from Fitter Mother, a qualified postnatal specialist, for this gentle and low-impact post-natal Pilates class.
Boost your fitness and flexibility in a friendly setting.
Have fun this summer getting creative with your little one on Thursdays!
Join us at the Learning Centre for this relaxing class.
Join us for a session of traditional self-healing, meditation, and self-cultivation exercises originating in ancient China.
Join actor Joe Evans for our popular Theatre Skills sessions for adults of all ages and experience levels.
A relaxed, first introduction for pre-schoolers to experience live music up close.
Join artist Gemma Kirby for these fun messy story sessions that are based around popular children’s books.
Explore the Gallery and creative spaces of The Base through songs, stories, sensory play and movement with professional classical singer Louise Ashdown for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 60 exhibition.
Bring your camera to experience a day with wildlife photographer Simon Booker and gain an insight into the life and techniques of a professional photographer.
Come along to our After School Drama Club at Stockcross Primary!
Suitable for beginners and more experienced potters alike: discover the elemental nature of 'raku-firing' with Base resident artist Cáit Gould.
Our summer holiday art club is supersized! Join our art club for a fun filled adventure! Try out exciting new mediums and work on your own project.
Using upcycled and sustainable materials, create floral displays and brightly coloured placards as a family.
Join us as our Infant and Junior Youth Theatre present the fantastical story of a girl and her curious friends.
If you love fashion and being creative with paper, this workshop is for you!
Explore the basics of fashion illustration, including fashion figure proportions, drawing garments, and sketching techniques with fashion illustrator Caroline Pearsall.
Dance fans this one is for you!
Join stained glass artist Emy Mills and create your very own stained glass sun-catcher!
Our monthly Memory Café's are for people living with dementia and their carers.
Rev up your Monday mornings for the ultimate blend of inspiration, incredible cars, camaraderie and the joy of photography at Podium Place, Newbury
This summer join us for some creative fun. Activities include arts and crafts, drama and more!
Explore the arts and crafts of cultures around the world and master them yourselves in our weekly World Crafts workshops.
Enjoy a morning of relaxation with the whole family.
Immerse yourself in the natural landscape and experience painting in the open air, under the guidance of Base resident artist Richard Francis Bellin.
As part of our festival of Arts and Crafts, come and learn the art of embossing onto coloured foil, in this taster workshop with Flora Gare.
As part of The Base's Festival of Arts and Crafts, join Susie Oates from Pots of Hope to throw a pot on the potters' wheel.
As part of our Festival of Arts and Crafts, dive into a vibrant world of colour and pattern in this one-hour taster workshop with Base resident artist Samantha Emmons.
As part of our Festival of Arts and Crafts, explore the beauty of birch trees in this fun one-hour taster with Base resident artist Samantha Emmons.
As part of our Festival of Arts and Crafts, explore experimental painting techniques with Base resident artist Francis Bellin.
As part of our Festival of Arts and Crafts, explore the medium of oil painting in this taster session with Base resident artist Richard Francis Bellin.
Fancy taking part in our pottery throw down?
Curious about crochet but not sure where to start? This one-hour taster session is the perfect way to get hooked.
As part of our Festival of Arts and Crafts, Join Libby from Magpie and the Mob on a journey through your senses.
As part of our Festival of Arts and Crafts, join Hazel Reindorp for this fantastic introduction to bookbinding.
As part of our Festival of Arts and Crafts, come along and try your hand at Linoprinting with Charlotte Adcock.
Discover the culture and practice of drama school and industry auditions with professional actor Simon Darwen.
LAMDA is a nationally recognised qualification in Drama that looks at developing a clear speaking voice and building confidence in dramatic performance.
Join Yoga Therapist Katt Garde for this gentle and relaxing yoga course.
Join actor Joe Evans for our popular Theatre Skills sessions for adults of all ages and experience levels.
Join The Base’s resident portrait artist Ellie Kerr-Smiley in this Portrait Masterclass workshop.
New for 2025, create a cute and quirky willow house for the wild birds in your garden with Judith Needham.
Relax in this calming Restorative Yoga session.
Dive into this fantastic introduction to bookbinding and learn to bind a hardback notebook to take home.
Suitable for beginners and more experienced potters alike: discover the elemental nature of 'raku-firing' with Base resident artist Cáit Gould.
Join us for this relaxing Sunday morning Tai Chi session.
Perfect for absolute beginners, this one-day workshop gives you all the essentials to start your crochet journey with confidence.
Join stained glass artist Emy Mills and create your very own stained glass panel!
Join artist Gemma Kirby in the Balcony Bar for our fun pre-show workshop.
Join Yvonne de Savigny to learn how to create a needle felting landscape.
Fancy trying something a little different? Want to learn a new skill and create a unique piece of silver jewellery?
Come and spend a relaxing session learning the ancient art of Indian block printing.
Give yourself an evening to feel rejuvenated and quiet that busy brain.
If you love fashion and being creative, this workshop is for you!
Make and paint a decorative seasonal pinch pot in clay.
Get ready for Halloween by designing and screen printing your own unique bag for Trick or Treating.
Our summer holiday art club is supersized! Join our art club for a fun filled adventure! Try out exciting new media's and work on your own project.
Join artist Gemma Kirby in the Balcony Bar for our fun pre-show workshop.
Help us create our annual illuminated lantern display for The Base's festive season.
Creating a stylish and practical tote you’ll be proud to carry.
Explore a variety of mixed media techniques using wax, watercolors, inks, pastels, acrylics, and more.
Join Fi from Fitter Mother, a qualified post-natal specialist, for this gentle and low-impact Post-natal Pilates class.
Under the expertise of Sally Haynes extend your practice and explore art with all your senses, and a variety of media and methods.
Join Tessa Kirby for this painting course, focusing on watercolour and pastel techniques.
Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra), the fixer of New York's longest established floating crap game, is feeling the heat on all sides.
Join the Berkshire Printmakers for this fun, creative hands on Silkscreen Printing on Paper course suitable for absolute beginners or as a refresher course for those with some screen printing experience.
Guided by Base resident artist Ellie Kerr-Smiley, develop your artistic skills in this relaxed art class.
Join us for our Cinema Club, where you can enjoy a screening in our cinema before coming together to talk about it with fellow film fans.
Develop your theatre practice in this exciting series of expert-led masterclasses.
Lay down and relax to the soothing tones of quartz crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, Wind Chimes, Native American Flute, Guitar, Percussion instruments blended together with digital effects to create a truly unique and immersive experience.
Our monthly Memory Café's are for people living with dementia and their carers.
Work with Emma Mayo to learn the basics in Waltz, Cha-Cha-Cha, Slow Rhythm, Rumba, and Quickstep.
Work with Emma Mayo to continue developing steps and variations in Waltz, Cha-Cha-Cha, Slow Rhythm, Rumba, and Quickstep as well as introduce new dances and rhythms.
Enjoy singing in these relaxed, wellbeing sessions.
Join Judith Needham to make willow Christmas decorations.
Join stained glass artist Emy Mills and create your very own festive stained glass panel!
Reuse Reduce Recycle! Here is a workshop that will help with all three!
Learn the ancient art of Indian block printing with Homemade by Mils and Mum.
Create your own Christmas cards in this fun packed festive workshop with Charlotte Adcock
Enjoy creating your own unique glass wreath or festive decorations and gifts in this seasonal workshop.
Calling all film fans!
Explore the arts and crafts of cultures around the world and master them yourselves in our weekly World Crafts workshops.
Starring Judy Garland, this musical follows the Smith family though a year in their life beginning in Summer 1903, leading up to the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904.
The Hilarious Low-Down on High Life!
S'Wonderful! S'Marvelous! ...She's the fairest lady of all!
Everybody remembers it how they need to.