“All the world’s a stage…”
NEW YOUTH THEATRE COMPANY WITH A DIFFERENCE OPENING IN FARSLEY…
As long as I can remember I have wanted to set up a youth theatre company. But a company with a difference (I think!). And all my life, certainly my professional life, I have never had the time or energy, having had both of these sapped by my career in teaching.
For reasons that I won’t go into here, I left teaching at Christmas, this has now given me the opportunity to set up my youth theatre as I have always dreamed of. This alone, confirms that I have made the right decision, aside from the other exciting doors that have been opened for me.
The Urban Theatre Collective is a new venture for me and I am soooo excited by it. One of my favourite parts of teaching was the youth theatre company I set up that created devised performances, and were very well received by the community. I loved working with young people who were brave, committed and talented (in many ways).
Now I get to do this again, but with a boat load of professional experience and support from some of those young people who have gone onto have some amazing careers.
We have set up in a fab place – The Spinning Mill at Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, home to Scrap Leeds. Aside from the theatre company this is a great place to visit with an abundance of…well of everything and anything…you want it, Scrap Leeds most likely have it, run by the lovely Louise, there’s always something fun going on, from Scrap Explorers to Scrap Sheds that are sent out to local schools. Not your conventional setting for a theatre company, but we are not a conventional theatre company!
We are based at the other side of the materials in a huge, creative space where the sunlight floods in, and where I believe anything can…and will happen.
The Urban Theatre Collective is open to young people aged 11-18, with little, no or loads of theatrical experience. We aim to create short pieces of theatre which will be performed to the community and at various events.
As a director, I am heavily influenced by companies such as Kneehigh, Frantic Assembly and any theatre that engages an audience by creatively telling stories. So we will experiment with lifts and flips, different techniques movement, mime, puppetry, verbatim… multi rolling…anything goes. We will create theatre about issues we feel strongly about and/or bespoke pieces for specific events.
I can’t wait to get started and we already have our first booking at Farsley Festival on 24th June at Hainsworth Park. We just need performers!
To give you a little insight into what we do, we are holding 2 taster sessions on Saturday 20th May 10.00-11.00 and 11.00-12.00. Please book on by emailing us at urbantheatrecollective@outlook.com. We are sooo excited to be launching that we have a special introductory offer: If you book onto a taster and then sign up to the first term (which includes the performance at Farsley Festival, you will get the first term for HALF PRICE!!!!)
Check out our website: urbantheatrecollective.co.uk
All directors and facilitators have a clean enhanced DBS and many, many years experience of teaching and the performing arts industry. We cant wait to get started…we just need you!!!
Urban Theatre Collective