SCOTTISH Youth Theatre (SYT) patron, the actor Colin McCredie – best known for his roles in River City, Taggart and Shallow Grave – is urging schools and youth groups to participate in the company’s annual touring project National Roadshow, which is offering free drama workshops to young people.
Thousands of young people across Scotland aged 11-21 years are being given the opportunity to take part in these free SYT drama workshops which will visit schools, community groups and youth theatres in the City of Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire in October and November this year.
Colin, who started his own acting career at Scottish Youth Theatre, said: “Scottish Youth Theatre has been a constant in my life for nearly 30 years and now I take great pleasure seeing my kids share the same wonderful experiences. SYT’s National Roadshow is a great opportunity for young people in schools and community groups to participate in high quality drama workshops across a range of themes, including WW1 and Shakespeare as well as some of Scotland’s best loved writers such as Liz Lochhead and Edwin Morgan. These workshops are not just aimed at those who are interested in theatre. They are specially designed to help young people build their confidence and improve their communication skills in a fun and relaxed environment.”
This year, National Roadshow includes a specially designed session commemorating the 100th anniversary of WW1. By using text, props, images and recordings young people will explore dramatically what life was like for soldiers fighting on the front line and the impact this had on those at home. Participants will be encouraged through drama exercises and techniques to produce their own creative response to the stimulus. An uniquely exciting and different way to engage with the topic, providing opportunities for a deeper understanding in this, the centenary year.
Young people will have the opportunity to experience a wide range of other tailor-made drama workshops exploring a variety of themes, including devising theatre and working with text, from Shakespeare to contemporary Scottish writers such as Liz Lochhead and Edwin Morgan.
National Roadshow, a three year programme, was a great success in 2013. It reached a total of 2,518 young people in 62 schools, youth groups and youth theatres over the course of six weeks. The workshops have already visited Highlands and Islands, Dumfries and Galloway, North & South Lanarkshire, Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire. In 2015, the Roadshow will cover the rest of Scotland.
Being a national youth arts company, Scottish Youth Theatre places accessibility at the heart of its mission offering young people in Scotland the opportunity to explore and reach their creative potential through a quality theatre arts experience.
Mary McCluskey, artistic director/chief executive said: “Scottish Youth Theatre is excited to continue the delivery of the National Roadshow which is designed to meet the Curriculum for Excellence’s aims of creating confident individuals and effective contributors. As Scotland’s national youth theatre, we want to give as many young people as possible an opportunity to develop self confidence, improve their communications skills and unlock their creative potential through performance art regardless of their background, geographic location or economic circumstances. Our National Roadshow workshops enable young people to develop theses skills in a fun, stimulating and interactive environment.”
Interested schools and groups can apply for a free workshop by visiting: http://www.scottishyouththeatre.org/education/roadshow/
Roadshow has been made possible thanks to funding from The Robertson Trust and The Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust.
Scottish Youth Theatre is also involved in a project called Rail Respect, in partnership with Network Rail where drama workshops are used in schools to raise awareness in pupils about the dangers of playing on and around railways. Young people who are interested in developing their drama and performance skills further can also attend a range of weekly drama classes at Scottish Youth Theatre’s HQ at the Old Sheriff Court Glasgow and at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh.
Scottish Youth Theatre is Scotland’s national theatre ‘for and by’ young people. The company runs a varied annual programme of quality theatre arts experiences all around Scotland, all year round. Full info on all Scottish Youth Theatre events, performances and activities are available by visiting www.scottishyouththeatre.org or by calling 0141 552 3988.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Scottish Youth Theatre, Scotland’s national theatre ‘for & by’ young people, established in 1976, delivers theatre arts to young people all around Scotland all year round.
- Summer Festival is Scottish Youth Theatre’s flagship event bringing together young drama enthusiasts from across the country and offering the opportunity to learn new skills and be part of the company’s summer productions. More info: http://www.scottishyouththeatre.org/festival/summer_festival_2015/
- Scottish Youth Theatre patrons include Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, John Michie, Billy Boyd, Liz Lochhead, Blythe Duff, Colin McCredie and Elaine C Smith. Alumni include Gerard Butler (300), Douglas Henshall (Shetland, Primeval), Karen Gillan (Dr. Who) and KT Tunstall (Eye to the Telescope, Drastic Fantastic).
- Scottish Youth Theatre is a registered charity, Scottish Charity Number SC014283.
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Contact: Kyriakos Vogiatzis
Phone: 01415523988
Email: kyriakos@scottishyouththeatre.org
Website: http://www.scottishyouththeatre.org/
