Big Arts Week
The aim of Big Arts Week is to "bring the nation's best art and
artists into classrooms across the country. We're asking artists from
every creative discipline to visit their local schools to work with
the pupils on a creative project. We want to see young people fired
up about the arts." The site explains how both artists and schools
can join in.
Bigfoot Theatre Company
Based in London, this is a company providing drama workshops for children,
as well as film workshops, community arts and business services. They
also have offices in Brighton, Southampton and Bristol. There is a
huge amount of information here - very impressive.
The Big Little
Theatre School
(Bournemouth area) Offering courses for children and young people
from 4 to 18. Full details of courses (including fees) and an online
application form.
Bourne Youth
Theatre
(Lincolnshire) Its history, its staff, current and past productions,
selected extracts (.pdf format) of some of its shows, and how to get
there. Membership is open to people from 11 to 21, and there is no
audition required.
Box Clever Theatre
Company
A theatre company which plays to young people in schools, colleges
and theatre nationally. There is a lot of information about its projects
and tours, as well as details of how to contact them and make enquiries
about booking them or even making a project proposal.
Brit Youth Theatre
A performing arts school for children in Birmingham, Tamworth, Lichfield
and Solihull. The site gives details of auditions, classes, productions,
fees and the tutors.
Burnley Youth Theatre
Millennium Festival Project
Full details of a major event involving 400 people, based on a local
legend. Back Button time again!
Bury
St Edmunds Youth Theatre
A general introduction to the company. It is in desperate need of
funds and its "How can you help" page invites donations.
Centre
Stage
(Congleton, Cheshire) A group with around 30 members aged from 12
to 25. A one page site.
The Children's Theatre
Pages
Still in development, this site covers touring children's theatre,
TiE and school theatre, and youth theatre and performing arts training.
It's updated every month, highlighting a company and expressing a
(controversial) viewpoint. A must-visit site for those working with
children in theatre.
A Child
is Born - the Musical
A 45 minute musical nativity play for schools and youth theatre. One
page with brief outline and contact details.
Chicken
Shed Theatre Company
A very successful community and youth orientated company. There's
a lot of info about the company, it history and philosophy, as well
as the usual sections on productions and news.
Chorley
Youth Theatre
Details of past productions, outings, the committee, its history,
plus postcards, chat, and a YT webring. I found the front page and
the navigation a tad disorganised and the background is very obtrusive.
Cleveland Theatre
Company
Based in Darlington (Co. Durham). A professional theatre company for
children and young people. One page, giving details of their shows.
Cleveland Theatre
School
A large site covering all aspects of CTS's work, including many production
photographs. Details of classes, performances, staff, their theatre,
the group's history. Based in Billingham, Teesside.
Congleton
Amateur Youth Theatre
Has around 50 members aged 5 to 15. One page with basic info.
Coventry
Youth Operetta Group
Open to people of 9 to 19 years. Two pages: one giving details about
the group, their latest news, details of their next show and of previous
(back to 1994) shows, box office details, and how to contact them.
There's a second page devoted to Bye Bye Birdie, one of the previous
productions, but this contains just a very brief synopsis of the play
and a cast list. It has a grey textured background which tends to
break up small text a bit.
Creative
Lighting Design (UK)
This isn't a mistake: the link shouldn't be in the Tech Library! This
company offers stage lighting training for teachers and students using
a room-sized model theatre. Full details including a booking form.
Still partially under construction, some pages need sideways scrolling.
David Ducasse Performers
David Ducasse is a former member of the pop band Scooch (and a former
pupil of mine - and a member of my theatre company!) who has set up
a stage school in Boldon (Tyne and Wear). The site gives full details
of what the school offers, how to join, costs and so on.
Diamond Theatre
School
(Newport Pagnell) Details of their shows, classes, and agency.
The Dream Dealer
A musical for young people which played to great success at the 2006
Edinburgh Fringe. The site gives a synopsis, the cast of characters,
a brief history of the show, details of the Edinburgh run, photographs
and details of the writers.
The European Theatre
Company
The ETC aims to provide high-quality, educational, foreign language
theatre in schools, colleges, theatres and art centres throughout
the United Kingdom, through a wide variety of great European theatre,
both adaptations of classic works and modern plays, in their original
language, and new writing in a bilingual mixture. The site gives some
basic info about the company, details of past and future productions
(one German, the rest French), and of their workshops, which are offered
in the target language or a mixture.
Factory Academy of Dramatic
Arts
A stage school for young people. What they do, their productions,
an application form but it doesn't actually say where it is! It requires
Quicktime. When I visited it resized my browser and reduced all other
program windows in size. Very odd!
First Act Youth Theatre
Based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It offers "a professional standard of
training" in all aspects of theatre, including marketing. There are
details of the company itself, its history, the Jubilee Theatre (in
which it works) and its equipment, and its past productions.
Flying
Pig Productions
A children's theatre company, specialising in the younger age-group.
details of the company, its personnel, news and reviews, the shows
themselves and what's new. A very colourful site, but unfortunately
each page is a pretty massive GIF file which is very slow to download.
Fox Plays UK
Fox Plays UK looks after the plays for schools/youth theatre by Australian
Cenarth Fox. They are quite different from the run-of-the-mill school/YT
shows and well worth a look.
Futures Theatre
Company
A London-based company producing mainly issue-based work for children
and youn people. Full details of all they have to offer, a history
of the company, an archive of their productions and their supporters.
There's also a message board which doesn't seem to be used.
Drama in Schools
An online reprint of the 1992 publication about Drama as a National
Curriculum subject - which, of course, it never became. Interesting
to read what might have been!
Giant Productions
A professional children's arts development organisation based in Glasgow,
with the aim of providing arts for all children regardless of their
ability or background. It covers visual as well as performance arts.
Golden Egg Productions
A children's theatre company based in London but touring all over
the south of England. Their target audence is 2 to 12, but the bias
seems to be towards the younger end of the age range. There are details
of the company itself, their summer show, their panto and special
events (for special occasions). There is also a contact page for booking
them. A nice bright design with very high quality photographs which
downloaded surprisingly quickly.
Gower Youth
Drama Group
A group for children based in ther Gower Peninsular, Wales. There
are details of four of its past productions and how to contact them.
Its future productions page lists only a show to be performed in 2001,
which is now in the list of their past productions!
Green Theatre Company
GTC is based in New Malden and caters for 14-25 year olds. This is
a very active company (formed in 1986) and its site reflects this.
Gwent Theatre in
Education
Details of the company, of the Gwent Young People's Theatre (GYPT),
of the theatre in which it plays, a mailing list and an "event guide".
Hopscotch
Theatre Company
A Theatre in Education company based in Govan (Scotland), concentrating
on Scottish history-related shows for primary schools.
Ifield
West Youth Drama Club
(Crawley, West Sussex) How to join, events and contact. There is also
a discussion board but I got lost trying to access it!
Imaginate
An arts organisation producing a range of initiatives to promote and
develop performing arts for children in Scotland. News, the Bank of
Scotland Children's International Theatre Festival, touring, showcase,
skills and training, development and resources.
Iroko
Theatre Company
A London-based company: traditional African storytelling, drumming,
dance and theatre. They work a lot in the TIE area. Details of who
they ae and the programmes (adult and children) they offer.
Kidz R Us Youth Theatre Company
(St Ives, Cornwall) One page giving details of three of their shows
Leeds Children's
Theatre
An amateur group "providing quality entertainment for young people
at an affordable price." One page dealing mainly with their next production.
Llanelli Youth
Theatre/Theatr Ieuenctid Llanelli
This YT has four sections, Juniors (5-9 and 10-13) and Seniors (14-17,
18-25). The site covers their past, present and future productions
and will eventually have details of auditions and rehearsals.
London Youth Arts
Network
An organisation promoting excellence in youth arts through cultural
exchange and lobbying for the youth arts in London. Details of projects
and membership, as well as news and the services it offers.
Lothian Youth Arts and Musicals
Company (LYAMC)
A youth musical theatre group based in Edinburgh. Details of the company,
its shows, the Church Hill Theatre in which it plays, a page requesting
sponsorship and a members only section.
