Yamin Choudury Directs Final Artist Development Programme Show A LONG GOODBYE at The Hackney Empire

This August, outgoing Artistic Director Yamin Choudury will direct his final Artist Development Programme show, ‘A Long Goodbye', which will be performed on Saturday 17 August 2024 on the Hackney Empire's main stage.

Meet Nicky, they've just turned 18, and their life has changed forever. New job, new quadrant, new opportunities, but they've left Oli behind and suddenly things aren't so simple anymore.

Here, turning 18 has big consequences, the deciders have intervened and now make all your choices for you. Peek in on the lives of a small group of friends as they desperately try to find the time to live their dreams, let someone know how much they mean to them, or simply be together, before they have to say goodbye to everything they once knew.

The Artist Development Programme is produced by Hackney Empire: Creative Futures; in just 10 days, a company of 50 artists and creatives, aged 14 - 19 years old, are mentored by industry experts to create and present an electrifying piece of new, original musical theatre.

Attendees can Choose What You Pay, and tickets are available for £5, £10 and £20.  Tickets can be purchased at https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/adp-a-long-goodbye or by calling 020 8985 2424.

Yamin Choudury said “ADP never fails to take my breath away. The tenacity, audacity, and courage of these generations of young people, to put their trust in this astounding team, and to create a brand-new piece of musical theatre in just 10 days, serves as a vital reminder of just how critical what we do and who we are as an organisation will always be.

I've seen the programme from all sides, initially as a designer (I wasn't very good), then as a practitioner, then producer, and for the last 6 years as the director. And from any angle, ADP is a joyous, riotous and unapologetic celebration of young people's ideas, energies and voices.

The programme, and all of the young people who have made it what it is today, continue to inspire me just as much as when I met them for the first time. And after all these years they are what I will miss most – they are, and always will be, the heart of Hackney Empire.”

Since the Artist Development Programme was first launched in 2002, Hackney Empire Creative Futures has used arts and creativity to break down barriers to accessing creative careers, build confidence and provide creative, professional and personal development for young people regardless of their background, education, income or experience.

Alter Ego, East London's biggest talent showcase returned to Hackney Empire for its 12th year in February, welcoming London's most exciting emerging artists aged 14 - 18 to the main-stage.  Hosted by BBC's Introducing Jess Iszatt and with 10 finalists and special guest performances on the night by M24, Suli Breaks, Boy Blue, Mnelia and Ivorian Doll, spoken word artist Rain was crowned as the winner of Alter Ego 2024 as decided by a panel of guest judges and the audience on the night.   The full film documenting this year's showcase is now available to watch here.

Also directed by Choudury, Alter Ego's aim is to find London's most exciting emerging young artists – singers, dancers, poets and rappers, aged 14 – 18 years old. 11 Finalists received 1:1 mentoring from a team of industry professionals, including Ivor Novello award-winning composer Renell Shaw.

Presented by Hackney Empire and Discover Young Hackney, with 1,300 young people in the audience and 50 young people working behind the scenes in event planning, production management and marketing, and a massive social media presence, Alter Ego 2024 was a huge celebration of the aspirations and creative talents of young people from across the capital.

Creative Futures annually engages 4,000 young people aged 12 to 25-years-old. From its inception, Creative Futures set out to reframe culture by using art-forms that young people were already engaged in, including film, acting for stage and screen, popular music such as rap and R&B, spoken word and dance. The organisation's unique model of youth engagement has impacted on over 20,000 young lives in its 20-year history.

In total, Creative Futures provides an average of 20 hours of free youth programming each week across 45 weeks of the year. These include workshops and masterclasses alongside professionally produced training and performance programmes, and schools outreach all of which are provided free of charge to all participants.

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