Refugee Boy
Peppa Pig's Picnic
Loserville
The Giant and The Bear
Young Theatre MakersSO YOU WANT TO BE A …WRITER?...DIRECTOR?...ACTOR? 2012
Since 2003 the Playhouse has run its free new writers' course aimed at writers of any age with little or no experience of formal training or production. This year we are expanding the course: Along side a cohort of writers (10 people) we are recruiting a cohort of 5 directors and up to 10 performers as well as a cohort of other theatre makers (producers, designers, dramaturges, movement directors etc). Each group will have 5 sessions led by industry professionals. The course runs weekly on a Monday or Tuesday evening (7-9pm) from Monday 16 April and at the end participants will be put into mini companies and create a 10 minute piece showcased as part of the New Writing Season.
Applications for writers will be by letter, for actors, letter and audition, and for directors and other theatre makers, letter and interview. In order to apply, submit a ONE A4 page letter telling us about yourself, what kind of theatre you want to create and why you want to join this course.
Participants must be 16 or above but apart from that there is no age restriction. Please make sure you are available for all the dates below.
March 24 (Saturday) Interviews and auditions 1-5pm
April 16 7-9pm
April 23
April 30
May 8 (Tuesday)
May 14
Rehearsals Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 May.
Showcase Friday 1 June as part of New Writing Season
Deadline for applications is 5pm 16 March 2012. Applicants selected for interview will be notified by Tuesday 20 March.
PLEASE PUT ALL CONTACT DETAILS ON YOUR APPLICATION INCLUDING ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND EMAIL WHERE POSSIBLE.
Address for SYWTBA… applications
Alex Chisholm
Associate Director (Literary)
West YorkshirePlayhouse
Playhouse Square
Quarry Hill
Leeds LS2 7UP
PLEASE MARK YOUR ENVELOPES WITH WRITER or DIRECTOR or ACTOR or OTHER. Only postal applications will be accepted. No emails please.
Tips for applying:
1. This isn't a job application. Phrases like 'I am a goal-orientated individual deeply committed to a writing career' don't tell us anything except that you can write formal letters. We want to hear what you sound like.
2. There is no 'right' format. We've taken people who have written short handwritten notes and full 1 page A4 close written type. It is how you write not what you use to write with that counts.
3. This is not the X factor. A sob story does not automatically mean inclusion. You may have had the most boring life ever but if you can write about yourself in an interesting way - you're in.
4. Don't write it in the form of a script. Every year someone tries. It never works.
5. This is not for people who are looking for an opportunity to develop a script they have already written - the script reading service is for that.
6. The course has a regional bias so the further away fromYorkshireyou live the less likely it is that we will take you. We are not going to take someone fromLondonfor five week evening course.
7. The course is aimed at people with little or no experience but that doesn't mean you are automatically disqualified if you have studied theatre at any stage. We reserve the right to occasionally bend our own rules.
8. One of our aims is to try to get a diverse group of people together across age, background, gender and style. This is because we think the course works best with lots of different kinds of people rather than a group of all 21 year old college leavers. A lot of our applications do come from younger people just out of college. However, if that means we have to take fewer in that category, the upside is there are usually more opportunities out there for young people.