Shakespeare Awards offer the opportunity to work one-to-one with a RADA tutor to present a speech, sonnet or scene from Shakespeare and get personal feedback to develop your skills and inspire your acting.

Young actors in training with Shakespeare and his company would sometimes be entrusted with the all-important role of Messenger. During a fun and creative session, delivered online, you will perform two speeches you have chosen from the list we provide.

To gain the Messenger Award, an achievement of 25 marks out of 50 marks is required.

During the assessment:

- You will connect with a RADA tutor in a one-to-one online session.
- You will first perform a speech from section one.
- You will then perform one of the speeches from section two.
- After delivering the speeches, you will be given some live suggestions of things to try out to explore the text.
- You then deliver your speech from section two again.

After the assessment:
- You will receive your results and any feedback by post within one month.

Normally on the first Saturday of each month. Please email awards@rada.ac.uk for details regarding availability.
Assessment time: 15 minutes
Designed for single candidates 12+, ideal for those between 12 - 14
You may choose any of the speeches, regardless of gender
You must act from memory to gain your Award (without reading a script)
The next level to gain after completing the Messenger is the Bronze Award

Are you passionate about theatre and communities? Then volunteering with W&T might be right for you. Volunteering is a great way to develop your skills, meet new people and work as part of an enthusiastic and talented team.

All our volunteer roles are attached to projects, and may range in length from a couple of weeks, to a number of months.  W&T volunteers have supported heritage projects in local communities, performances in older people’s settings, the creation of new theatre with vulnerable young people at Birmingham Hippodrome, and comedy courses for adults with mental ill health. 

All our volunteer opportunities are advertised on the W&T website (linked below).

ProPortal is a brand-new and completely free online platform developed by Unity Theatre, Liverpool. The website has been created to diversify the UK touring circuit by bringing together artists and programmers who would normally struggle to connect.

At its simplest the ProPortal is a private, online library of performances available for tour and artists available for commission. Through ProPortal, programmers and producers at venues and festivals will be able to watch high-quality recordings of company work through this new YouTube-style platform.

Designed to make decision-making easier and more personalised, the portal allows productions to be filtered by genre, location, availability and staging, as well as features such as accessible performance options, community engagement packages and suitability for schools

The website is private and secure, meaning artists don’t need to worry about work being accessed by anybody they wouldn’t want to see it. Submission for artists is brief, saving endless cold-emailing or extensive travel costs.

Yorkshire Dance offers studio time in our building in Leeds to dance artists who are researching & developing new work. We provide residencies to artists who live and work in Yorkshire or have a strong commitment and connection to the Yorkshire region or the North. You can apply for 1 or 2 weeks of studio residency time.

Yorkshire Dance is specifically interested in supporting residency applications, which reflect our artistic statement (that you can read here) and also:
- reflect developments in current contemporary performance practice and seek to develop the field of choreography and dance
- proposals which emphasise innovative, interdisciplinary collaborations
- proposals which demonstrate a strong and realistic desire to consider connection with the public, audiences or participants and/or those which demonstrate other partnership support

Applications submitted by the end of each calendar month will be discussed at the beginning of the following month. You will be contacted once a decision has been made on your application.

PLEASE NOTE: We are currently receiving a high amount of interest by artists in booking our studios for residencies. Unfortunately we are currently booked up until Jan 2022, therefore please only submit application for space with dates from February 2022. There might be the one off day/ week becoming available before Feb 2022 due to cancellations, please make a note in your residency application if you would like to be informed of any space becoming available at shorter notice. Thank you.

Residencies for projects that receive no other funding (e.g. through Arts Council England) can be offered one week of residency space free of charge, especially if this is part of an R & D project.

Residencies for projects that receive no other funding (e.g. through Arts Council England) can be offered one week of residency space free of charge, especially if this is part of an R & D project.

If you apply for the residency in conjunction with raising funding for your projects (for example through Arts Council Project grants), we will ask for a subsidised contribution towards the space of £400/ week. If you seek studio space for a 2 week residency, Yorkshire Dance can offer one week free of charge and the second week at the subsidised contribution of £400. The two weeks must be taken consecutively in this scenario.

Two weeks can be offered in another format over a longer period of time (6 months) however, the cost follows the rule of £400 subsidised contribution per week in this case.

Confirmed residencies must take place at the dates originally agreed, if for some reason your dates change you must reapply for the residency.

Once your offer is accepted and agreed on, any cancellation thereafter will require you to re-apply for a new residency. This will be assessed on equal merit and dependent on availability of space.

If you have any questions about the residency application process, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Kirsty Redhead: kirstyredhead@yorkshiredance.com.

We encourage you to B-Scene and take part in creative activities.

The Blue Elephant runs a Writers Group.

Everyone interested in playwriting is welcome to join, whether you aspire to have work you're creating put on professionally or not. We also love to have people come who are interested in acting/critiquing as that's a massive part of the group too.

There's no charge to take part. Our Writers Group is currently on a break for the summer and will have its next meeting on Tuesday 28th September, meeting every fortnight after that. To join please email Niamh at niamh@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk. Sessions are a mixture of writing activities and readings from each other's work.

Beyond Online, is Graeae's digital library where you'll find all our in house resources to support artists, students, directors, practitioners and curious minds.

The Octagon is committed to supporting young people in their personal development and on their first steps into the world of work. Our work experience programme is designed to offer a high quality insight into a range of careers in theatre.

Work experience students will be based at the Octagon for one week. During your week with us, you will:

- Work predominantly with the Creative Engagement Team

- Shadow staff in a variety of departments such as Marketing, Box Office and Production

- Attend at least one of our participation groups

- Watch a performance (subject to dates and availability)

- Complete a work experience booklet and gain a Bronze Award

We give priority to young people who are:

- Age 14-16 (years 10 and 11 at school)

- Living or studying in Bolton

- Interested in a career in theatre

We are always seeking to help facilitate volunteer and placement opportunities. If you would like to work with us in this way, please e-mail lucy@20storieshigh.org.uk or call 0151 708 9728.

We are a not-for-profit arts organisation based in the UK for professionals connected to the Middle East, North Africa or the surrounding area (MENA+).

Our purpose is to bring people together, celebrate what connects us, spotlight our achievements, help our membership thrive, and lobbying for appropriate representation within the British live and recorded arts industry.

Sign up to make a profile, join the online directory and start networking.

To take part in classes and to be eligible to audition for the Lyric Ensemble and professional training opportunities, you must become a Young Lyric Member.

Young Lyric Membership is our FREE opportunity scheme for young people in West London. Members will be able to take part in a range of classes and will receive regular updates on auditions and professional training opportunities throughout the year.

You can sign up for membership as an individual (over 18) or as a parent/carer of a young person (under 16) who meets the criteria above.

Once you have signed up, you will be able book classes and access Young Lyric benefits. You can sign up below online or over the phone on 020 8741 6850 and in person at the Box Office.

What do I get?

- £5 tickets to Main House shows*
- Access to low cost or free courses and masterclasses
- Access to FREE bursary spaces for classes
- Access to hire music practice spaces
- Performance opportunities
- Plus many more opportunities throughout the year
*One ticket per production. Not available in conjunction with any other offer or discount. Not available on all performances and special events. Must be booked under the Young Lyric Members’ name. Subject to availability. Please check with Box Office for details.

How long does membership last?

Membership last for a year from the point of registration, we will then remind you to renew each year.