CALL OUT: The Big Yorkshire Youth Theatre Festival 2020

CALL OUT for creatives, performers and workshop leaders for The Big Yorkshire Youth Theatre Festival 2020 (paid opportunity).

York Theatre Royal and Riding Lights Theatre Company are hosting The Big Yorkshire Youth Theatre Festival on Saturday 18 July 2020. The festival programme is chosen by young people from Youth Theatre and they are looking for practitioners and artists to be involved.

Please email Megan Bailey (megan.bailey@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk) with your pitches, with a brief description of your workshop or performance, including your fee, space or technical requirements by 7 February 2020. We will then consult with the people in charge (the young ones!) and balance the most exciting pitches with the budget, to create the programme.

Please let us know in your application if you have any access requirements. Please also consider in your application access and inclusion in all workshops, activities and performances you may be pitching.

The youth theatre members are looking for artists and practitioners who can deliver the following:

Junior Festival (7 – 11’s)

Workshops for up to 20 young people aged 7 – 11 years old from 9am – 12.30pm including a break. This can be anything from a skills based session, working towards a sharing for parents, a storytelling workshop etc. They are particularly interested to hear from artists who incorporate crafts.

Senior Festival (12 -19’s)

Production in a day

New this year! We are looking for a company or group of creatives to lead a production in a day with a group. The age restrictions and size of the group is negotiable to suit you. You may want to devise with the group or work from an existing text. They are particularly keen to offer young people an opportunity to learn more about production roles so please consider this in your application. Your creation will be performed at the end of the day to family, friends and youth theatre festival attendees.

Approximate timings are 9am – 6pm including breaks.

Workshops

They are looking to widen the programme this year with a variety of exciting workshops. The workshops should be 2 hours for up to 25 people aged 12 -19 years old. In previous years popular workshops have included comedy, playwriting and improvisation. Do you have a specialism that you would love to share with a group of enthusiastic young people?

Performances

The young people want to include as many performances as they can this year. Do you have a work in progress or a show ready to go?

Performances can be any genre or style as long as they are suitable for 12 – 19 year olds. They are looking for full length plays or works in progress, shorts and sketches to be part of the festival.

Please note we will have limited production staff available on the day so minimal technical requirements would be best suited. Please let us know your technical requirements when you send your pitch.

Practitioners Workshops and Talks

We are also looking to offer workshops and talks for youth theatre practitioners, freelance artists and facilitators during the festival. If you have a topic for a talk or discussion, or skills sharing ideas please let us know!

If you have any questions in the meantime please do drop Megan an email, or give her a ring on 01904 715447.