Norden Farm Centre for the Arts

Theatre and Entertainment Maidenhead

Norden Farm Centre for the Arts is a local organisation situated in Maidenhead, which has been running since 2000.

As a registered charity, the art centre is run by a small team and is supported by over 200 volunteers. It hosts a number of diverse events, including theatre and entertainment, classes and community events to participate in.

Built on old farmland, Norden Farm was once a dairy farm. The 18th century farmhouse and barns still exist, but is now a vibrant centre for visitors and locals.

What to Expect at Norden Farm

There are a variety of upcoming shows at Norden farm including quality family entertainment, comedy nights and plays.

The Courtyard Theatre can accommodate up to a maximum of 265 people. It has wooden balconies and is also equipped with 35mm film projection, which transforms the theatre into a cinema.

Cafe Bar

The cafe bar and outdoor terrace is open for seating or takeaway Thursdays – Saturdays from 11am – 10pm.
Food is served at lunchtime from 12pm – 3pm and in the evening from 5:30pm – 7:45pm.

Community Events

There are many community events which are organised by Norden Farm that happen all year round. These include workshops, dance and drama with local schools.

The annual Kite Festival takes place every September on Punt Hill. Workshops in the weeks leading up to the festival to make your own kite take place either in person, or on demand.

And during the winter months, the Lantern Parade takes place in Maidenhead town centre. A great way to bring the community together and light up the town with willow lanterns and a celebratory concert. Lantern making workshops leading up to the event are organised by ‘Same Sky’. They are the largest community arts charity in the South East.

In the art centre, there is also a Social Arts group for older people. It includes craft activities, dance, music and visual arts. It’s a great opportunity to get social and learn new skills.

Outdoor Markets

There are regular outdoor markets that take place either in the daytime or evening. Local artisan and craft businesses set up their stalls for you to find unique gifts and to support local.
Keep an eye on the website and social media pages for dates.

About Norden Farm Centre for the Arts

You offer a wide variety of entertainment, workshops and events. How successful have they been whilst they have been online?

We moved our first classes online within three days of the first lockdown – and haven’t stopped since. We then fundraised to buy cameras and streaming equipment and learned how to produce really high quality live streamed shows. It’s been a challenging but very rewarding journey learning these new skills and taking the audience on the ride with us. Being able to live stream meant that we could continue to provide entertainment for audiences and work for artists which has been so uplifting.

I think what surprised us all the most, was how people (audiences, participants and artists) who had not engaged with digital arts before really embraced the virtual world. For example, Social Arts – our flagship arts project designed to address social isolation for older people where everyone is 80+ moved online really successfully. Everyone got to grips with making creative work online so quickly. Being able to expand our reach was another delightfully unexpected outcome of going online. We’ve had audiences watching performances direct from Maidenhead from countries including Kenya, the US and Italy. We’re going to continue our digital programme into the future as it’s been so great in opening up access across the board

Are people often surprised how at much Norden Farm offers to the community?

Yes absolutely. Norden Farm means different things to different people. We offer such a wide range of activities at Norden Farm that people are often unaware of the whole breadth of work we deliver. For example, audiences for stand-up comedy programme, might well not know about, ‘Farm Out’ -our work in schools. Someone attending painting classes might not know about our Concerts for Care Homes. Audiences for our art house cinema programme may not be aware of our programme for disadvantaged children and families. What we love is people’s sense of ownership of Norden Farm. It’s a home for so many different people doing so many different things, it makes for a strong, inclusive community where everyone is welcome.

As Norden Farm is a registered charity, what ways can people get involved to support the centre?

There are lots of ways people can support Norden Farm – from making a donation and becoming a Member, to nominating us on Amazon Smile or buying Gift Vouchers for a friend! We’ve put together a range of ideas here [https://norden.farm/pages/ways-you-can-support-norden-farm].