Be My Baby, 2018
We lead Youth Theatres, deliver workshops in Schools & Colleges, tour productions to Primary and Secondary Schools, work with local communities and support the next generation of outstanding theatre makers.
Everything we do is high quality, accessible, inclusive and fun.
Want to know more or get involved? We’d love to hear from you:
creativelearning@wolseytheatre.co.uk
01473 295 930
Our Youth Theatres are a great place to make friends, explore your creativity, and develop theatre-making skills with professional practitioners and artists.
We hold auditions once a year to join our Youth Theatres. Our auditions are a group workshop and give you the chance to have fun and see what a Youth Theatre session is like. You won’t be asked to perform on your own and no preparation is required.
Our next Taster Session will be Saturday 28th March 2020.
At High Street Exhibition Gallery, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH
To register your interest, get in touch here
If you want to make new friends and learn about theatre by playing games and telling stories this weekly groups are a great place to start. Throughout the year, participants develop theatre making skills through imaginative play, and begin to find their own creative language.
Every year the group takes part in Youth Perform! at the New Wolsey Theatre, for which they will create a 10-15 minute piece of theatre to be performed on the main stage alongside other groups.
Spring Term: 18 January – 4 April
Saturday mornings during term time
Youth Theatre 1: 10.30am – 11.30am
Youth Theatre 2: 12.00pm – 1.15pm
High Street Exhibition Gallery, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH
Termly cost: £50 / £40 for a second child / £30 if you’re in receipt of means-tested benefits / Assisted (£free) places are available, call us to find out if you are eligible.
If you want to explore your creativity and continue to develop your abilities as a performer, this weekly group gives you the chance to work with industry professionals to develop your skills and understanding as young theatre makers.
Every year the group takes part in Youth Perform! at the New Wolsey Theatre, for which they will create a 10-15 minute piece of theatre to be performed on the main stage alongside other groups.
Participants from this group can also audition to take part in our annual youth theatre production in the autumn term.
Spring Term: 21 January – 31 March
Tuesdays during term time
Youth Theatre 3: 5.00pm – 6.30pm
Youth Theatre 4: 7.00pm – 8.45pm
High Street Exhibition Gallery, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH
Termly cost: £50 / £40 for a second child / £30 if you’re in receipt of means-tested benefits / Assisted (£free) places are available, call us to find out if you are eligible.
See above for January 2020 audition information.
If you want to explore your creativity and continue to develop your abilities as a performer, this weekly group gives you the chance to work with industry professionals to develop your skills and understanding as young theatre makers.
Participants from this group can audition to take part in our annual youth theatre production in the autumn term.
Spring Term: 22 January – 1 April
Wednesdays during term time
Youth Theatre 5: 6.30pm – 9.00pm
High Street Exhibition Gallery, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH
Termly cost: £50 / £40 for a second child / £30 if you’re in receipt of means-tested benefits / Assisted (£free) places are available, call us to find out if you are eligible.
If you’re a young person with a disability or additional need who wants to explore theatre making and develop your creativity, come and join us at these weekly sessions. Sessions will allow participants to explore the world around them, build their confidence and develop their theatre making skills.
Every year the group takes part in Youth Perform! at the New Wolsey Theatre, for which they will create a 10-15 minute piece of theatre to be performed on the main stage alongside other groups.
Spring Term: 20 January – 4 April
Monday evenings during term time
Group 1 (11-15yrs): 6.00pm – 7.15pm
Group 2 (16-22yrs): 7.45pm – 9.00pm
High Street Exhibition Gallery, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH
Termly cost: £50 / £40 for a second child / £30 if you’re in receipt of means-tested benefits / Assisted (£free) places are available, call us to find out if you are eligible.
Groups are allocated loosely by age, but also take into consideration the level of need and will place each participant in the group we feel they will benefit from the most.
There is no audition for this group, if you’d like to join please contact us: creativelearning@wolseytheatre.co.uk
If you’re serious about a career as a professional theatre maker, the acclaimed New Wolsey Young Company is an ideal stepping stone onto University, Drama School or even as a direct route into employment in the performing arts.
Young Company is a place for young theatre makers to develop their skills and understanding of theatre practice through weekly workshops, to work together to present professional standard productions in our Studio Theatre, and to use theatre to change the world for the better!
Ages 16-25
Thursdays during term time, 6.30pm – 9.00pm
With rehearsals on selected Sundays.
Sessions will take place at the New Wolsey Studio Theatre, St. George’s Street, Ipswich OR High Street Exhibition Gallery, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH.
2020 fee: £40 or £20 if you’re living independently (this is the total fee for two terms, January-August 2020).
The 39 Steps 2019
Previous productions include; Woyzeck, Our Town, Spring Awakening, Passion, Vernon God Little, The Turn of the Screw, Be My Baby, and The 39 Steps.
Previous collaborations include; Doug Rintoul/Transport, Punchdrunk, Daniel Bye, Gecko, Rich Rusk, Analogue, Nigel & Louise/Shunt, Emma Frankland, Laura Mugridge, Danusia Iwaszko, Company of Angels, and Slung Low.
‘Each performance is astonishing in its detail…’ ***** Whatsonstage.com ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’
‘The next generation has arrived and are determined to make their mark immediately.’ The Reviews Hub ****½ ‘The Elephant Man’
‘Performances are pitched perfectly…’ ***** Whatsonstage.com on ‘Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!’
‘Brilliantly performed by an all female cast of six budding actresses’ Ipswich 24, Be My Baby
‘I soon forgot I was watching a Young Company show, instead I regarded this as a great evening of theatre and worthy of being in the main house.’ East Anglian Daily Times, The 39 Steps
The Young Company is led by Rob Salmon, Associate Director, as well as other visiting practitioners.
Every year we run free courses for young people age 16-25, who want to develop their knowledge, skills and employability as young directors, writers or technicians. No audition – just register your interest by emailing creativelearning@wolseytheatre.co.uk
Introductory – you don’t need any previous experience, just come along and get stuck in!
Ages 16-25
Cost: Places are free but limited.
Learn about sound, lighting, set design, prop making and stage management and technical theatre roles.
Our next session will run in Spring term 2020:
Introductory session: Thursday 23rd January 2020, 6.30pm – 7.30pm
Followed by weekly sessions: Thursdays 6.30pm-8.30pm; 30th January, 6th, 13th, HALF TERM BREAK, 27th February, 5th & 12th March 2020.
Register your interest by emailing us at creativelearning@wolseytheatre.co.uk or call 01473 295930
Our schools engagement programme has bags of opportunities for both students and teachers.
We offer a wide range of one-off and ongoing workshops, backstage tours, industry days, and specialist workshops connected to our main stage productions.
We also offer school groups the opportunity to perform on our main stage as part of our annual Youth Perform! Festival. For more information, please see the Youth Perform! Section below.
You can view our current workshops in our Creative Learning Brochure below, or if you would like something more bespoke get in touch with our Creative Learning Producer, Sian Thomas: SThomas@wolseytheatre.co.uk or phone 01473 295 930
We do not currently have any work experience placements available for 2019 – 2020.
If you are interested in a career in theatre then please take a look at our Youth Theatres, Young Company and Short Courses, all of which are a great way to develop skills and gain insight into the industry.
Arts Award is a range of unique nationally recognised qualifications for anyone up to the age of 25. It encourages the growth of artists and arts leaders, and inspires participants to connect with the wider arts world.
We are an Arts Award Supporter – meaning that we don’t run the Arts Award ourselves, but support schools and other organisations who are registered as centres, taking young people through their Arts Award.
Many of the workshops we offer could be part of building your students’ Arts Award portfolios, so do take a look at our ongoing workshop offers in our Creative Learning Brochure (above in Schools & Colleges).
The New Wolsey Theatre is proud to be working in partnership with schools and settings on their Artsmark Award journey. By supporting Artsmark settings, we’re helping put the arts at the heart of education, inspiring young people to create, experience and participate in high quality arts and culture.
Find out more about Artsmark here
We have a long history of producing schools touring productions that challenge young people’s perceptions, encourage them to ask questions and allow them space to reflect on their own lives. We work with professional actors, designers, writers and directors to develop original theatre both with and for schools. Our productions also include engagement opportunities such as post-show discussions and workshops.
We’re currently developing our next touring productions for Primary and Secondary Schools. Check back for an update later this year.
Previous schools touring productions have included:
An interactive experience for students in year 9 to explore risk taking in connection to drug misuse. This production visited 47 schools in the region and reached over 3000 students.
A fun-filled production that challenges young people to think about diversity and question whether difference really is that scary after all.
The Youth Perform! Festival brings young people from all over Suffolk together to showcase their skills as young theatre makers. It is a unique opportunity for schools (KS2-4) to create a 10 – 15 minute piece of original theatre and perform it on the New Wolsey’s main stage.
In 2019 we explored ‘Space, The Final Frontier’.
Check back for 2020 dates and theme, or contact us to register your interest: creativelearning@wolseytheatre.co.uk
These events are a chance to have a drink and some nibbles, chat to us and meet the creative teams and companies behind some of our productions. Oh, and see a show…all for free!
Each session includes meeting a theatre company or industry creative who will be bringing their work to us. These sessions may be chatty or practical, or both – but are always informal, and are designed to give insight into a variety of rehearsal processes and theatre techniques, and will give you invaluable tools for use in the classroom or rehearsal room.
“Incredibly interesting with a lovely atmosphere”
“The wealth of opportunities sounds wonderful for our pupils”
“Very relevant and understanding to the needs of teachers”
“Very welcoming session, everyone was approachable”
To register your interest email our Creative Learning Producer, Sian Thomas: SThomas@wolseytheatre.co.uk
Storymaker is an engaging storytelling experience for children aged 3 – 6. It runs on selected Saturday mornings during our Spring and Autumn seasons, upstairs in the New Wolsey Theatre Bar.
There are two sessions, Little Story (3-4 yrs) and Big Story (5-6yrs), which are both followed by imaginative play based on the story that has been told.
Both sessions are facilitated by one of our expert practitioners and children are encouraged to join in throughout. Brilliant fun for a Saturday morning!
Selected performances are led by a BSL practitioner. See our What’s On pages for more information.
We believe theatre is for everyone, which is why we are taking opportunities to explore creativity and develop theatre-making skills into our local community.
We are currently running several projects with local community groups, schools, and other arts organisations to provide a platform for previously unheard voices, boost confidence, and provide access to the theatre.
If you think your community group would like to get involved or work with us, get in touch: creativelearning@wolseytheatre.co.uk or 01473 295 930
Image: Our Voices – Vocile Noastre Festival 2019.
The Open Season provides access to our venues, facilities and resources for the amateur and community sector in the local area. It’s their chance to display their achievements in a professional environment, celebrate their identity and showcase their talents.
For further information on our spaces click here.
For further information and to apply to perform your show in 2020 (dates June, July & August), please contact: creativelearning@wolseytheatre.co.uk or call 01473 295960.
Want to stay in touch with the New Wolsey Theatre? Of course you do!
Tickets +44 (0) 1473 295900
Email tickets@wolseytheatre.co.uk
The New Wolsey Theatre
Civic Drive
Ipswich, Suffolk
IP1 2AS
© 2020 New Wolsey Theatre
