L&Q teams up with the National Youth Theatre to recruit young residents
L&Q has joined up with the National Youth Theatre to host free theatre workshops in Newham, Waltham Forest and Lewisham.
The three hour workshops are open to young people aged 19-24 and will give participants a taste of the National Youth Theatre's Playing Up course. After the workshop those who take part will have the chance to apply for the free course, which starts in September.
Playing Up is a nine month drama training programme offering young people aged 19 - 24 who are not in education, employment or training access to a higher education diploma in theatre arts, which is equivalent to two ‘A’ Levels.
Earlier this year NYT’s current Playing Up students performed Snakes and Ladders by Rebecca Manley, a new play about homelessness to students at seven schools across Newham, Waltham Forest and Lewisham.
The plays and the outreach workshop have been fully funded by the L&Q Foundation, which relaunched earlier this year with a budget of £250m to invest into its communities across London and the South East.
Matthew Corbett, Director of the L&Q Foundation said: “L&Q believes that no one should be denied the opportunity to achieve their potential because of where they live. The National Youth Theatre share our passion and commitment to changing lives and enhancing communities.
The NYT has an impressive track record, having taught some of the world’s most renowned actors and we are excited to be able to open this opportunity up to local residents.”
Paul Roseby, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre said: “At a time when free opportunities for young people to access drama are at risk, we’re delighted to be partnering with L&Q to bring this important work to residents. If you’ve fallen out of the education system and aren’t in employment then this is a perfect opportunity to get a taste of our vital free training opportunity Playing Up. Even if you’ve never performed in your life before, come and give it a go.”
The National Youth Theatre Alumni include: Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Colin Firth, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Day-Lewis, Orlando Bloom, Catherine Tate, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville, David Harewood, Matt Smith, Zawe Ashton, Adeel Akhtar, Sope Dirisu and many more.
Recent alumni of Playing Up include Ria Zmitrowicz, one of the three lead girls in the BBC’s ‘Three Girls’ which won best mini-series at the 2018 BAFTAs, as well as Seraphina Beh who won Best Emerging Actress Award at the IARA Awards 2017.