Are you learning disabled and/or autistic? Are you ready to take the next steps in your performing arts career?
Join us on Saturday 8 February 2025, 12pm-4pm for our Academy Open Day.
Meet our friendly team, join interactive workshops, listen into Q&A sessions, have a go at arts and crafts, and sit back and enjoy a range of live performances.
It will be a jam-packed day where you can experience a day-in-the-life of one of our Academy students and find out what Mind the Gap can offer you!
Mind the Gap runs a wide range of performing arts courses that run Monday – Friday, at all different learning levels, led by highly experienced tutors who bring out the best in each and every student. So, if you are just wanting to have some fun and meet new people, or if you are ready for a new challenge and meet a new goal, Mind the Gap has something for you!
Tickets are free of charge.
Join our Open Rehearsals in Bristol, Bournemouth, Birmingham, Cardiff or London!
Is playing with a Regional NOYO Ensemble for you? If you’re interested in joining from September 2025, a great way to find out is to join one of our Open Rehearsals in person or online in January, February and March 2025.
This is your chance to watch a rehearsal, meet some of the Music Leaders and musicians in your region, and ask any questions you might have.
Open Rehearsals are relaxed and will take place where we rehearse, in accessible venues.
Applications for Regional NOYO Ensembles will be open from 14 February – 31 March 2025 for 11-25 year-old musicians.
We also welcome applications from young disabled people with musical potential who might not yet play an instrument but control eyegaze technology or head trackers in a way that could transfer to playing the Clarion accessible instrument.
Details of NOYO Open Rehearsals in Bristol, Birmingham, Bournemouth, London and Cardiff can be found below:
Bristol NOYO Ensemble, Beacon Music Centre, BS10 5SJ
Birmingham NOYO Ensemble, Birmingham Symphony Hall, B1 2EA
Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble, The Spire, Poole, BH15 1DF
London NOYO Ensemble, Milton Court, EC2Y 9BH
Cardiff NOYO Ensemble, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, CF10 3ER
Every year, we run courses around the UK for young people ages 14 to 25 who want to become members of the National Youth Theatre.
Entry to these courses is via audition only, and auditions are held between October 2024 and March 2025. There are three different routes you can take to audition, depending on where you’re based and how much availability you have:
You can only audition via one route each year, so have a read through each one before applying to decide which option works best for you.
START is the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre's free 6 week programme for young people aged 16 to 25, who live in West London, who are not currently in education, employment, or training.
START provides a space for you to creatively explore the world of performance, working over six weeks to create a new piece of theatre that responds to the themes of a Lyric Main House production, led by theatre professionals. Through engaging with drama activities, skill sharing, and watching live performances, our START cohort will build on their self-confidence, collaboration skills, emotional resilience, and self-esteem. Through this, the cohort will cultivate a group ethic of inclusivity, accessibility, encouragement, respect and affirmation. This project is underpinned by a Bronze Arts Award accreditation.
‘START let me explore my interests without anyone judging me, I just tried everything! It was so validating to just be myself, how I want to be. START was like making a family- now I feel like I can do anything.’ – Participant, 2024
What is START?
Creative Futures is offering 4 early-career artists a £500 commission to make a new work as well as a 3-month residency at The Station in Bristol’s city centre
Alongside this, the commissioned artists will receive a structure of support, mentoring and workshops to develop their creative practice, producing skills, professional network, and artistic community.
The Creative Futures Commission runs from March to June 2025, ending with a public exhibition/performance of the commissioned artist’s works at The Courts in Bristol’s city centre.
Early-career artists aged 16 to 25 from all creative disciplines are encouraged to apply.
There are 4 paid commission opportunities available. 2 of the 4 available positions on the Creative Futures programme are for artists who work with music & sound, and 2 positions on the Creative Futures programme are open to artists from all creative disciplines.
Creative Futures commission artists will receive:
Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability.
The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for:
Creative Youth Network (CYN) is committed to providing young people with new and exciting opportunities to broaden their skills and prepare them for life as an adult.
Creative Youth Network is a growing charity working with young people across the West of England. By building long lasting relationships, offering courses, support, drop ins and a range of arts and performance programmes we aim to help vulnerable young people reach their full potential.
Creative Youth Network also owns and manages a number of properties where we run our youth services, such as youth clubs and events. Trustees are volunteers with a passion for young people. The trustee role is unpaid, but the money you spend on travelling to meetings can be claimed and reimbursed. A full induction will be provided, and trustees are expected to attend around 7 meetings a year along with a half day strategic planning session.
Disney’s The Lion King, London, is looking for an enthusiastic Music Intern to join the team for its upcoming cast change.
We are looking for a music intern to come on board for one to three days a week for six weeks, to be truly immersed in what is involved in working on such a large scale show. You will work closely with the Musical Director, observing and learning about leading rehearsals, conducting both cast and orchestra, and being the heartbeat of the live show.
Disney is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce, and strongly encourage applicants of every race, ethnicity, belief, gender, sexual identity, disability, age and culture to apply.
City Lit’s Malorie Blackman Scholarships for Unheard Voices provide three annual awards to fund one year’s study within the Creative Writing department at City Lit.
The awards seek to support and encourage the creative and professional development of ‘unheard voices’.
The final award winners are selected by acclaimed writer, City Lit fellow and Patron of the School of Culture and Communication, Malorie Blackman OBE.
The award, worth up to £1,000 for each successful applicant, is to be spent on creative writing courses at City Lit within the year from August 31st 2025 to August 31st 2026, and can be used against a single course or group of courses appropriate to the award recipient’s creative and learning aims. Award recipients will have the opportunity to speak to a member of the Writing team who will advise and help organise a study plan to best support the development of their writing.
