Mercury Theatre Expands Their Youth Theatre Across Essex With Free Provision For 13-25 Year Olds

The Mercury Theatre in Colchester has announced a significant expansion of its youth theatre programme, thanks to generous funding from the National Lottery and a partnership with Essex Youth Service. This expansion will provide young people across Essex with the opportunity to participate in theatre workshops for free over the next two years.

September will see Mercury Young Company sessions, designed for young people aged 13-17, held in various Youth Service locations in Basildon, Tendring and Colchester, making them accessible to a wider range of participants.

Additionally, the Mercury Theatre will offer a specialist group for young adults aged 18-25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This group will be conducted in collaboration with Level Best and Adult Community Learning and will take place at the Mercury Theatre itself.

Participants in the Mercury Young Company sessions will benefit from fully funded, weekly practical workshops led by experienced Mercury teaching artists. These workshops will focus on developing essential theatre skills such as confidence, teamwork, voice modulation, movement, character creation, scene work, and improvisation. The aim is to provide a comprehensive and inclusive theatre education that fosters personal growth and artistic development.

The new sessions promise to make a significant impact on the lives of young people by providing them with a creative outlet and the chance to develop new skills in a supportive environment. The initiative is at the heart of the Mercury Theatre's commitment to community engagement and its dedication to making the arts accessible to all.

Steve Mannix, Executive Director of the Mercury Theatre, expressed his enthusiasm for the project saying, “Being able to offer free youth theatre sessions across areas of levelling up and vulnerable young people has been a really great opportunity for us and very important and needed work. The Mercury is the busiest fully producing theatre in Essex, and we work hard to reach all communities. Our work reaches across the whole of Essex and is vital to our engagement offer. Having the support of the National Lottery, as well as support from our delivery partners Essex Youth Services, Adult Community Learning, and Level Best, has been crucial. We would not have been able to offer this project to these young people if it wasn't for the funding available and support from these organisations.”

For more information about the Mercury Young Company sessions or to express interest in participating, please contact us at taking.part@mercurytheatre.co.uk.

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