A Welsh pilot programme, amounting to £300,000, is set to develop new theatre for children by encouraging artists and companies to create theatrical experiences for families and young people for the first time. Whilst the UK capital is well-equipped in offering experiences of this kind to young families, this is now being encouraged across the rest of the country too.
Artists and companies working across the performing arts are being encouraged to create theatre for young people through a new three-year pilot programme. Cardiff-based Theatr Iolo will receive £310,500 from the Arts Council of Wales and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation in order to run the project, named Platfform.
The project aims to explore new ways of creating these theatrical experiences for families and young people, and consequently widening access to theatre across Wales and the rest of UK. This is particularly poignant for children and families experiencing barriers to accessing the arts.
The first year of the pilot project will see up to three artists or companies developing their work in order to grasp the market of young people’s theatre for the first time, focused on particularly in venues across south east Wales. The three venues hosting artists during the first year will be Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre, where Theatr Iolo is resident, Parc & Dare in Treorchy, and The Welfare in Ystradgynlais.
The residencies at the three venues will culminate in new and innovative programmes of work, created especially with and for young people. The financial support of the new project will ensure that the venues and organisations are able to fulfil their aims. Support will also be provided in the form of a pool of mentors and a bespoke package of training. Applications for the development are welcomed from artists and companies for residencies of up to seven months.