Cecilian Society
"The grant allowed us to book a venue to keep growing our membership, ensuring our society is inclusive and accessible via our open chorus policy, where anyone can participate in our shows regardless of skill level"
- Evie MacGillivary (2025-26 Treasurer)
Type of Grant
Big Ideas Grant
What the Grant Supported
The Big Ideas grant helped fund the venue hire for the society's annual production of Carrie: The Musical, enabling around 80 student performers and technicians to stage five performances for an audience of more than 1,000 people. The funding allowed the society to remain at Platform Theatre, a venue capable of accommodating its large, inclusive cast, ensuring the production could go ahead and giving students the opportunity to showcase the results of months of hard work.
"Without the grant funding, the society would not have been able to afford the venue, with which we have a good relationship from the last few years."
Long Term Impacts
- The grant supported continued membership growth by funding a theatre large enough to accommodate the society's full cast, which many venues are unable to host.
- It enabled the successful delivery of the society's production of Carrie: The Musical, with rehearsals running from October 2025 to March 2026 and significant committment from members alongside their academic studies.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
"As we have an open chorus policy to students, this means our company is very large and most theatres are not equipped to handle this amount of people. Therefore, it is difficult to find other theatres that would fit us. However, we want to keep our society inclusive to everyone and were very happy to have managed to stay at Platform Theatre this year. This funding allowed the students to see all their hard work pay off and enjoy performing this show."
Lessons Learned
"It helped us realise the positive impact that our society has on our members, and the widely community."
Additional SRC Support Provided
- Met with a Clubs and Societies Engagement Coordinator during the grant application process, which provided valuable guidance and made the process straightforward.
- Used the SRC Lending Library microphone system for band call rehearsals, helping ensure smooth running of the production.
- Utilised SRC room bookings for meetings to plan and coordinate the show's production.
Would Your Society Apply for an SRC Grant Again?
"Yes, throughout the whole grant application process I felt supported and like I could reach out for help, so I would definitely consider applying again with the aim of keeping our society as inclusive and accessible as possible."