TheatreCraft Welcomes The Royal Opera House as New Partner

The Royal Opera House is joining TheatreCraft, the "beyond the stage careers fair" as a new industry partner, and will be providing a new home for the annual event meaning that more people than ever before will be able to attend this year’s event on Friday 30 November 2012.

The Royal Opera House joins a list of committed partners from across the creative and cultural industries who form a partnership steering group to run the event: Masterclass at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Mousetrap Theatre Projects, Creative & Cultural Skills and the Society of London Theatre.

TheatreCraft, which is now in its 7th year, is the essential free event for anyone aged 17 to 25 looking for a non-performance career in theatre. From stage management to wig-making, lighting to marketing or playwriting to designing, TheatreCraft is the only place to be for a fun and unique glimpse into the ‘behind the scenes’ world of theatre.

More than 800 people attended TheatreCraft 2011 at previous partner venue – the London Coliseum, enjoying more than 55 free workshops and activities. Organisers hope that thanks to the increased capacity of the Royal Opera House, TheatreCraft 2012 will welcome over 1,000 attendees.

Tony Hall, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, said: “I’m delighted that we’re able to welcome TheatreCraft to the Royal Opera House in November to showcase the wide variety of backstage opportunities there are for careers and training within the theatre industry. Talented and skilled backstage employees are critical in every theatre up and down the country, and at the many festival events now taking place each year. It’s only with their expertise and hard work behind the scenes that actors, singers, dancers and musicians are able to perform great shows which we can all enjoy. I’m hoping that this year’s TheatreCraft careers fair will excite more young people than ever before to see what possibilities there are within the creative industries.”

Holly Whytock, TheatreCraft Project Manager, said "The TheatreCraft partners are thrilled to welcome the Royal Opera House on board and we look forward to benefitting from their expertise. TheatreCraft partners would like to thank ENO for housing the event from 2008 – 2011. TheatreCraft benefitted hugely from being allowed to grow at the London Coliseum and is now ready for a larger venue. What better place than the iconic and inspirational setting of the Royal Opera House as a new home, where we hope to welcome more 17 – 25 year olds and inspire the next generation of theatre industry staff.”

TheatreCraft 2012 is pleased to announce that its new principal sponsor is PLASA, the lead international membership body for individuals and companies that supply technologies and services to the event, entertainment and installation industries. Major sponsors of TheatreCraft 2012 are White Light, suppliers of lighting to the entertainment industry and Autograph, Europe’s leading theatre sound design and rental, sales and installation company.

For more information about TheatreCraft visit the newly re-launched website
http://www.theatrecraft.org

About the Partners

TheatreCraft Partners 2012

Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass Trust

Masterclass is a small charity that has a big impact on young people’s lives with a unique offering of free masterclasses with leading theatre professionals, careers advice sessions, apprenticeships and performance experiences. We are committed to using theatre and the beautiful Theatre Royal Haymarket to inspire and empower young people – the talent of the future. To date over 60,000 14 – 30 year olds have benefited from our programme.

TheatreCraft was established by Masterclass in 2003 as a way of highlighting training and career opportunities for young people interested in working behind the scenes in the theatre and performance industries.

www.masterclass.org.uk

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is the home of three world-class performing companies – The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House – and the contemporary opera and dance programme provided by ROH2.

The Royal Opera House is passionate about inspiring people to choose careers in the arts sector, particularly in the backstage areas that they may not have previously considered. We promote a variety of routes into working in the arts, through employment opportunities, apprenticeships and work experience placements.

Our Education programme also explores new ways for people to connect with ballet, opera and music through a range of dynamic projects, enabling people to discover and develop their talents, creative skills and passions, whatever their background or level of experience.

Mousetrap Theatre Projects

Mousetrap Theatre Projects is a theatre education charity committed to enabling young people with limited resources, access or support to engage with the best of London theatre. Since 1997, we’ve enabled close to 1000,000 young people to see outstanding theatre, mostly in the West End, with best seats at £5 – £10. Most theatre visits are supported by one of our 18 education programmes delivered by a range of professional theatre practitioners – from musical theatre composition to the ‘business of theatre’ to sound and lighting design to critical reviewing. At the heart of our work is the desire to open doors to young people who might otherwise consider London’s rich cultural heritage closed to them.

Society of London Theatre

Founded in 1908 by Sir Charles Wyndham, the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is the association that represents the producers, theatre owners and managers of the major commercial and grant-aided theatres in central London.

Today the Society combines its long-standing roles in such areas as industrial relations and legal advice for members with a campaigning role for the industry, together with a wide range of audience-development programmes to promote theatre-going.

The Media and Marketing Department at SOLT is responsible for promoting all aspects of London Theatre and encouraging audience development. The Society is keen to inspire future generations to engage and follow careers within the theatre industry.

www.solt.co.uk / www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk

Creative & Cultural Skills

Creative & Cultural Skills is the sector skills council for the UK’s creative and cultural industries, including craft, cultural heritage, design, literature, music, performing arts and visual arts. Founded in 2004, we were granted a new licence from Government to operate in January 2010. Our goal is to enable the creative and cultural industries to reach their economic potential through relevant skills and training. We deliver through the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural, a network of 20 Founder Colleges and over 200 employers working in partnership. For further information, please visit www.ccskills.org.uk

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