The Play’s the Thing: Theatre in the Northwest
If there's one thing you should know about the Northwest it's this: it has a cracking theatre scene that is both affordable and inclusive – whether you're just looking to fill an empty Thursday evening, or are an aspiring Maxine Peake
Naturally, university drama societies are a great place to start if you're looking to get involved in theatre. The University of Liverpool is home to the award-winning LUDS (Liverpool University Drama Society), whose dedication to delivering excellent student theatre has ensured sell-out performances on both home turf and at Edinburgh Fringe, while Manchester Metropolitan’s School of Theatre runs the successful Capitol Theatre, a designated space for undergraduate performance.
But there is more! For those seeking credible, recognised experience within the arts, our biggest regional theatres offer a variety of programmes targeted specifically at aspiring young creatives. Although often ill advertised and little known, the programmes are of extreme merit, providing invaluable contacts and real work opportunity.
Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre is home to a variety of exciting projects. Each year the theatre recruits 12 people aged 16-21 to partake in their Young Leaders Programme, a training and development scheme for aspiring creative producers, event managers and trainee practitioners. Mentored by Royal Exchange staff, the leaders are invited to curate, produce and access work at the theatre over a year-long period. The Royal Exchange also offers a recently launched programme titled Young Company. Divided into four areas – communicators, design technicians, performers and writers – the Young Company members (aged 14-21) work alongside industry professionals and contribute their ideas to the running of the theatre.
Meanwhile, Contact Theatre offers a Young Actors Company (CYAC, open to ages 15-25), as well as I:Con, an apprenticeship that develops skills in arts marketing from PR, design and social media to blogging, media relations and creating video promos.
Lantern Theatre Liverpool runs an Ambassadors scheme, inviting participants to work closely with both the artistic director and marketing manager to augment existing knowledge and develop practice. Handing over the theatre to their Ambassadors on a regular basis, the Lantern also encourage their protégées to produce and perform independently.
Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse is home to YEP (Young Everyman and Playhouse, with an upper age limit of 25), six all-encompassing strands of theatrical experience. With mentoring available for aspiring producers, actors, communicators, technicians, writers and directors, there is ample opportunity for all.
If you're more of a spectator than a partaker, the majority of theatres offer a discounted concessions ticket – though there is more money to be saved for savvy students in the know (and you're one of those by now, right?). The Royal Exchange release £6 tickets to their Friday performances for anybody under the age of 26, and as a member of YEP you can see any production at any time for just £5 – cheaper than a cinema ticket. Ridiculous.
What are you waiting for?