Theatre kept 100 students safe during Hull riots

Carl Wheatley said audiences "come here for joy, to make friends and have fun"

A stage school boss said he and his team kept more than 100 students safe after a performance on Saturday as rioting took place nearby.

Students aged between four and 21 were at the Northern Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Hull when a group threw bottles at a hotel on Ferensway believed to have housed asylum seekers.

Staff sheltered young cast members and the audience in the theatre following the matinee show.

NAPA chief executive Carl Wheatley said: "We needed to protect our children and shield them from this kind of thuggery."

Humberside Police said 25 people had been arrested and 11 officers were injured during the disorder.

Paddy Start, NAPA's head of musical theatre and outreach, said at the time of the riot there were more than 100 students and 120 people in the audience.

He said that during the matinee, staff regularly left the building to check with police what was happening outside.

He said their priority was to keep the children safe.

After the matinee, staff decided to keep everyone in the building for their safety.

Jess Carrison said the theatre was "filled with love"

The protest grew hostile and, after consultation with the police, a decision was made to cancel the evening performance.

Jess Carrison, 20, who had performed in the lead role, said that after the announcement was made, "the whole building came together to look after each other and keep everyone calm and safe".

Paddy Start and Carl Wheatley made sure the show went on, with a rescheduled performance on Sunday

Mr Start said: "When we found out the news, [we] decided without question that we had to do the show the next day.

"It was a really lovely community feel. Parents stuck by us, the children stuck by us and it made a real warmth to the building."

Police were attacked with bricks and fireworks on Saturday as trouble flared in the city centre.

Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said it "was not the Hull we know and love".

He said the actions "from a small group of criminals" did not reflect the beliefs of those who genuinely cared about the city and their country.

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