As the UK emerges from its third national lockdown, Company Three is launching a project that puts young people and youth theatres at the heart of a big conversation about the future. We are thrilled that a Young Company from Tobacco Factory Theatres has been chosen to work with Company Three from the very beginning of this exciting project.
When This Is Over is a new play in which young people tell us their life stories: the things that have happened to them already, and the things that might happen for them in the future. Through these modest predictions for lives not yet lived we see ourselves for who we are right now – and how we want the world to change.
Our Young Company are drawn from members of our existing Young Theatre Makers 14-19 group and are one of 18 youth theatres that Company Three is working with across the UK as they develop the first draft of this play. Each company will workshop their own version of the play this spring in a process which will help Company Three write a blueprint (devising guide). Youth theatres everywhere can then perform the play as a collective expression of teenage voices leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in autumn 2021.
As a first-stage participating company, the Tobacco Factory Theatres group will be accessing workshops, resources, training and evaluation. They will also help curate a series of Gatherings – online conferences bringing youth theatre participants and leaders together with experts from outside the arts to think more broadly about the future of youth theatre in a post-Covid world.
We hope to present a live first-draft sharing of the work of our Young Company in May or June, alongside the other companies involved in the project. Keep an eye on our website and social media for updates.
More activities for young people at Tobacco Factory Theatres…
Here’s a little taster of some more projects and activities for young people that we have coming up in the next few months. Watch out for full announcements soon!
- Kicking off the summer term is an exciting project with our YTM Perform company of 14 – 19 year olds, who worked on the production of Navajos last year. The final production was unable to take place due to the coronavirus pandemic, so instead the company will now create a brand new film, in collaboration with Jay Crutchley and Mikael Techane. The film will depict a collage of thoughts and ideas based on the key themes of Navajos: activism, rebellion, advocating change, joy, trust, and friendship.
- Throughout the summer months we will welcome children aged 7 – 13 to a range of theatre skills workshops, where puppetry, clowning, standup comedy, writing and more will be explored.
- In August we will deliver Summer Schools for young people aged 7 – 19, offering them the opportunity to take over our building, collaborate, learn new skills and perform in our spaces.
Posted on 07 April 2021
