About
Vita Nova

Established in Boscombe in 1999, Vita Nova has been working with people in recovery from addiction ever since. We use theatre and the expressive arts to support well-being, to educate, promote health and to challenge the stereotypes of addiction.

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Communicate a Message of Hope

Our outreach and education offer takes our message into schools, treatment centres and prisons, using theatre and frank dialogue to communicate a message of hope and prevention through recovery and the value of local communities.

Theatre & Expressive arts
to support wellbeing

The authenticity of our work is communicated through the voices of lived experience and a shared understanding of the power of community arts. At the heart of our creative process lies co-production, placing our members’ voices at the centre of everything we do, be that the development or delivery of new work, leading workshops, or representing us both locally and nationally within the recovery and health sector. Our work with Bournemouth University, National Drama, and Hope University, extends our practice and reputation right across the UK.

We’re an active member of the local arts community across Boscombe, contributing to the ongoing development of the area through our partnership work with BCP Council and festivals such as Increase the Peace. We are extremely fortunate to have the support of other local arts providers and creatives, including The Black Cherry and our diverse team of facilitators.

Who benefits from our work?

Vita Nova works holistically, actively supporting members with their ongoing recovery through providing purpose, focus and friendship. Our offer to the recovery community is one tool that works to prevent the ‘revolving door syndrome, that often sees those in recovery back in treatment centres, mental health institutions or prison.

Meaningful Engagement Through Our Theatre-In-Education and Outreach

We offer meaningful engagement through our theatre-in-education and outreach, using the safety of fiction to enable our participants to share their stories with students, teachers, and other people in recovery.

Following the generous grant from Public Health Dorset, which supported the development of our new play (The Wasps Nest) and the extension of our work across the whole county, we have secured additional funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, SNG, and the George Temperance Trust. This funding will enable us to take our message of prevention and resilience to even more schools across Dorset this year and into 2025.