Autumn relaunch of New Wolsey Youth Theatres announced

23 Oct 2020 News, Press Release

The New Wolsey Theatre are relaunching their Youth Theatre programme for the first time since all activity had to be shut down by the pandemic earlier this year.

Jumping back to life in the week beginning Monday 9 November 2020, the New Wolsey Youth Theatres, run by the New Wolsey Creative Communities team, are a great place to make friends, explore your creativity, and develop theatre-making skills with professional practitioners and artists. Participants are aged between 7 and 25 across 8 different groups. This includes Youth Theatre Squared groups for young people with disabilities or additional needs who want to explore theatre-making, develop their creativity, build their confidence and explore the world around them.

While current Youth Theatre members have been prioritised in the reopening of the programme and the groups are all full, bursary (free) places are available for young people who would otherwise be unable to access a weekly group. The New Wolsey is working with community partners to fill these spaces, but encourage you to email RFitzgerald@wolseytheatre.co.uk if you or someone else you know might be interested.

The New Wolsey Theatre is aware that some young people and adults will be anxious about taking part in any non-essential activity at the moment, and want to reassure the public that the safety of its participants and staff is their number-one priority. Professionally run training, education and out-of-school activities for young people are exempt from the government’s ‘rule of 6 law.’ This is due to those organisations having to have verifiable COVID-secure processes in place. The New Wolsey is operating as a COVID-secure venue and all Youth Theatres will be delivered in line with the most current government guidance. If potential participants would like more information about the New Wolsey’s COVID policy, further details can be found on the theatre’s website here: https://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/creative-learning/.

But the new starts don’t stop with the Youth Theatre! The opening of the New Wolsey’s brand-new building, named ‘NW2,’ coincides with the revival of the Youth Theatre programme. This golden-roofed, accessible pavilion, rising like a crown across the square from the main building, is to be the home of the Creative Communities department and all Youth Theatre and local activities when it opens in a few weeks’ time. Equipped with workshop spaces, editing rooms, a Changing Places facility and offices, nothing seems more optimistic for the future nor more fitting for the turning over of a new leaf.

More information about any of the Youth Theatre groups can be found on the New Wolsey website here: https://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/creative-learning/