Centre Stage Creatives 2019-20 | Updates

Posted 22 Jul 2023 by Joe Duggan

Centre Stage Creatives is a new career development opportunity for NYT members around the UK, supported by The Foyle Foundation.

The appointed Centre Stage Creatives are National Youth Theatre members who, from June 2019 - Dec 2020, will work with us to facilitate, and link NYT Members to, creative opportunities in their local area, as well as receiving a £6000 grant to support their development as artists, and the production of one of their creative projects.

Here's some more info about our Centre Stage Creatives and how you can get involved locally

Aidan Thompson-Coates, Hull

Aidan Thompson-Coates is an actor, writer and director from Hull. Aidan has run ApposArt Theatre Company since 2016, he produced the first Hull production ever to be streamed out of the city and the first ever UK Pride production respectively.

His CSC Creative Project is Clouded, a new show which will be staged at Hull Truck in 2020.

Updates from Aidan

Playwriting Workshop with Tom Wells | Finding Your Voice in Your Writing

Jubilee Church, Hull

22 February 11am-1pm

Exploring a career in playwriting? Got a great idea but don't know how to get it down? Want a great opportunity to develop your writing skills?

In a National Youth Theatre Centre Stage Creatives x ApposArt session, come and join us for the chance to develop your writing style with highly accomplished playwright, Tom Wells. Not only is Tom a local playwright, being from Kilnsea in East Yorkshire, but he is an award-winning writer, having won the Critics' Circle Most Promising Playwright Award.

Free | Book a place

Complete the Clouded Survey

From Aidan: One of Clouded’s key focuses is how young people use the internet and social media, and how it can be a tool for good and for bad. I am currently conducting research into how young people use the internet and social media for the development of Clouded and would very much appreciate if you could take the time to fill in this survey to help collate ideas and opinions. It’s YOUR VOICES we want to hear and this will directly influence the shape and substance of Clouded. Every survey is anonymous, however please feel free to be as detailed or vague as you feel comfortable with being.

Complete the survey

Book tickets for Clouded

Tickets are now on sale for Aidan's creative project Clouded, which will be staged at Hull Truck in Summer 2020. Aidan will be looking for NYT Members and local young people under 25 to get involved in the production both on stage and backstage in early 2020.

Clouded
Written by Aidan Thompson-Coates
Hull Truck Theatre
10-13 June 2020, 8pm

We live in a problematic and chaotic world. Climate change is real, carbon emissions are burning the earth and poverty proves to still be a huge threat all around us. What a world to live in.

But what if there was an alternative?

What if we could change our very existence?

What if we could live in the internet? In The Cloud?

Clouded is a coming of age story, using the real thoughts, feelings and ideas of Yorkshire's young people, that follows two friends' physical journey from their humanity as we know it, to live inside the internet. Can they save us all from within The Cloud?

Charlotte Evans, Exeter

Charlotte was part of the National Youth Theatre’s Playing Up Company. In 2018, inspired by the likes of TheatreDeli, Charlotte partnered with a friend to open Maketank, a performance hub and “making space” which occupies an empty retail building off Exeter’s high street. The Centre Stage Creatives grant will help support Charlotte's work at Maketank and the provision of opportunities for young people locally.

Updates from Charlotte

Join the South West NYT Members Facebook Group

Based in SW England? Join the Facebook group Charlotte and Sam run for local updates

Get involved in at Maketank

Take a look at the current events, artist development opportunities, workshops, and more at Maketank

Check out the latest opportunities

Faye Donnellan, Liverpool

Faye Donnellan is a loud passionate creative who proudly lives in Liverpool. She was accepted into NYT in 2018, and since then has continued to write and act, whilst also producing and directing for her all female production company The Tempest Studios.

Faye is using the funding to develop The Biting Back Scheme, a community workshop scheme focusing on the issues of women in the work place through verbatim text and popular music made for both theatre and film enthusiasts to enjoy.

Updates from Faye

Bite Back Workshops

Follow the scheme on social media, or check out the site for the latest opportunities

National Youth Theatre Cente Stages Creatives x Bite Back Scheme presents

Audition Workshop with Nathan Powell
Saturday 11th January 2020
Unity Theatre, Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BG

Want to work on your audition skills and get ready for that next big audition? Get involved in this free workshop led by Nathan Powell, open to 14-25 year olds, presented by The Bite Back Scheme and National Youth Theatre. Nathan is a Liverpool based Director and Writer, and Associate Director of 20 Stories High.

Recent workshops include: Kitchen Sink Live Verbatim Workshop, Poetry, Song Writing

Sam Parker, Plymouth

Born in Torbay, now living in Plymouth, Sam is a playwright who is on emerging artist schemes with the Theatre Royal Plymouth and Doorstep Arts. He is co-founder of The Narwhal Ensemble, a devising company whose second show ‘2021: A Cornish Space Odyssey’ opens later this month, following on from ‘Whey Down South’ which toured the South West.

He is also Co-Artistic Director of Down Stage Write, a company committed to providing opportunities for Playwrights in Devon and Cornwall. Sam currently works as a facilitator for the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Engagement and Learning department, and Far Flung Dance Theatre.

Updates from Sam

Auditions

As part of the National Youth Theatre’s Centre Stage Creative scheme, we are looking to form a company of NYT members to create a piece of new writing, culminating in a small-scale tour of Devon and Cornwall towards the end of 2020.

We are interested in Devon and Cornwall’s place in modern Britain, and how this is informed by nostalgia and the stories we tell ourselves. Our company’s relationship with the region will lead the exploration of these themes during the research and development phase of the play, which will then be written by Sam Parker. The play will be workshopped with the company under the direction of Ryan Wilce before moving in to rehearsals later in the year.

Head to the Members' Board to find out more

How to get involved?