In May 2026, Streetz Ahead was thrilled to receive funding from Arts Council England to deliver our third funded professional touring family production, Jade and the Beanstalk.

Following the incredible success of our Shoemaker tour, which reached over 2,500 children, this exciting new project continues our commitment to creating accessible, meaningful, and inspiring theatre experiences for young audiences.

Jade and the Beanstalk is a contemporary hip hop retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, centred around Jade — a neurodivergent girl with a huge imagination. Developed through ongoing conversations with children and families across Streetz Ahead’s programmes, the production explores themes of imagination, grief, identity, and belonging through hip hop theatre, rap storytelling, dance, animation, and physical theatre.

The story follows Jade and her hardworking mother as they navigate life after the loss of Jade’s father. Using storytelling, costumes, and imaginative adventures, Jade creates worlds where her father becomes an astronaut, a firefighter, and a ruler beneath the sea. Through these imaginative journeys, the production explores how creativity and play can help children process difficult emotions and make sense of loss in ways that feel safe and accessible.

At a time when children and young people are facing increasing mental health challenges, Jade and the Beanstalk aims to provide emotionally resonant storytelling that reflects children’s inner worlds while promoting resilience, empathy, compassion, and connection. The production is intentionally inclusive, emotionally accessible, and rooted in artistic traditions from the African and African-Caribbean diaspora.

The project will tour across Haringey and Enfield — boroughs among the 20% most deprived in England and areas with some of the lowest theatre attendance rates in London. Alongside the performances, Streetz Ahead will deliver wellbeing workshops, emotional reflection activities, and provide wellbeing journals for children to continue exploring their thoughts, feelings, and creativity beyond the show itself.

The project aims to:

• Increase access to theatre for children who rarely experience live performance
• Use storytelling and performance to raise awareness around mental health
• Provide relatable role models and positive coping strategies
• Support emotional understanding through workshops and discussion
• Encourage creativity, confidence, and self-expression

Streetz Ahead is incredibly proud to continue creating work that combines arts, wellbeing, and social impact for children and families. We cannot wait to bring Jade and the Beanstalk to audiences across London and continue using creativity as a tool for connection, healing, and belonging.