The National Youth Theatre's Stepping Up course is now open to applications!
Stepping Up is a free 3-month acting and leadership programme for young people who are looking to enhance their skills, learn in a supportive environment, and build meaningful connections within a creative community.
As Stepping Up is an accredited course, run by National Youth Theatre in partnership with UCG (United Colleges Group), participants are able to achieve an OCN London Level 2 Extended Certificate in Performing Arts, as well as become a National Youth Theatre member.
Key Information:
- The course runs every Monday & Tuesday between 19th October 2026- 26th January 2027.
- Each week participants have one 10:30-4:30 session and one 10:30-8pm session. Tea, lunch and dinner breaks are included throughout the day.
- There are 2 strands (Actors & Leaders).
- Classes take place in the National Youth Theatre's base on the Holloway Road, N7, London.
Acting Pathway
(2 days/evenings a week on a Monday, & Tuesday or Tuesday and Wednesday if Bank Holiday week).
For young people who are new to performing and/or want to increase their confidence and performing skills. You will participate in units that include acting skills, improvisation, and physical theatre and you will perform in a final show at the end of the course.
Leadership Pathway
(2 days/evenings a week on a Monday, & Tuesday or Tuesday and Wednesday if Bank Holiday week.)
For young people who have an interest in performing and becoming facilitators in the future. The Leadership strand combines practical acting training alongside learning directing and facilitation skills, including increasing your knowledge of planning and delivering drama workshop and rehearsals. Units include Improvisation, Physical Theatre, Devising and Rehearsal Planning.
Applications are now open for the HAC Young Creatives Programme 2026-27! An exciting opportunity for young adults aged 19-26 to gain free creative industry skills.
What's on Offer:
The HAC Young Creatives Programme aims to develop the skills and talents of young people looking to begin careers in the theatre industry. The course is designed to develop your individual creative practice, and work together as an ensemble to create a professional production.
Term 1:
Term 2:
The course will take place on Thursday evenings (term time) between September 2026 - April 2027, with an intensive showcase rehearsal week from 22nd - 25th March 2027.
Content has been designed to develop your creative skills and your practical knowledge so you’re ready to go out into the industry and take the limelight. What’s more, you’ll meet like-minded creative enthusiasts and become part of a supportive and inspiring artistic community.
To apply, please fill out the application form at the base of this page. If you'd prefer to send your answers to us in video format, please send to participation@harrowarts.com with the subject line 'Young Creatives Application'.
Project 39 is a celebration of the work of William Shakespeare. The Base set themselves the task of filming a speech from all 39 of Shakespeare’s plays.
The aim is to recognise the centrality of Shakespeare in our culture. They offer stripped-back, passionate and vital performances of the text to put audiences in touch with the power of Shakespeare’s language.
We believe that playwrights have a vital role to play in the conversation around the climate. Theatre is a space for animating audiences, forming communities, and experimenting with form; a space for processing the past, articulating the present, and imagining the future. In order to surface the breadth and diversity of new stories about this planetary moment, the Climate Playwriting Prize is an open invitation to playwrights to respond creatively to this subject matter. Regional and touring theatre is playing a vital role in engaging audiences, and we are partnering with organisations all around the country to deliver workshops to writers, unlocking how they might want to tell their climate story.
This moment is marked by rising temperatures, escalating impacts of change on communities and ecosystems, but also by the potential for us to transform society for a flourishing, equitable future for all life. The need for new stories that help audiences grapple with the realities and possibilities of this crisis has never been clearer
In order to surface the breadth and diversity of new stories about this planetary moment, the Climate Playwriting Prize is an open invitation to playwrights to respond creatively to this subject matter. We are partnering with organisations all around the country to deliver workshops to writers, unlocking how they might want to tell their climate story.
Connections Through Culture (CTC) grants are designed to enable meaningful partnerships, cross-cultural exchange and long-term collaboration between the UK and participating countries.
Grants of between £5,000 and £15,000 are available to support creative practitioners, cultural professionals, artists, organisations, festivals, biennials, hubs and collectives to develop and deliver projects across a range of themes and art forms.
Eligible activity may include:
Are you passionate about theatre, creativity and working with children, young people and communities? This is an exciting opportunity to begin your career in arts participation while working towards a Level 3 Cultural Learning and Participation Officer Apprenticeship.
As part of Theatre Royal Plymouth's Creative Communities team, you'll gain practical experience supporting and delivering a wide range of creative projects in schools, community settings and across our own programmes. You'll work alongside experienced theatre practitioners and learn through hands-on experience, mentoring, observation, professional training and reflective practice.
No two days are the same, and throughout your apprenticeship you'll have the opportunity to develop your confidence, build new skills and make a real difference through the work you do.
Our Creative Communities team works with children, young people, schools and communities across Plymouth and beyond, creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to explore creativity, develop confidence and experience the arts in meaningful ways.
If you're looking to begin a career where no two days are the same and where you can make a real difference through creativity, this apprenticeship is a great place to start.
About the apprenticeship
As part of your employment, you'll complete the Level 3 Cultural Learning and Participation Officer Apprenticeship Standard, delivered by TRP's chosen provider.
Throughout your apprenticeship, you'll work towards achieving the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out within the apprenticeship standard. Your day-to-day role has been designed to give you the opportunity to develop these through practical experience, structured learning and support from experienced colleagues.
The apprenticeship combines workplace learning with dedicated training from the apprenticeship provider, helping you build the skills and confidence needed for a career in cultural learning and participation.
A genuine interest in theatre, drama and working with children, young people and communities.
Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to communicate confidently with a wide range of people, including young people, parents, carers and education professionals.
A willingness to learn and develop your skills in creative facilitation and professional development in your chosen art form
The ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
Good organisational and time management skills.
The ability to take responsibility for your work and meet deadlines.
Good administrative skills and the ability to manage a range of projects at the same time.
A professional, positive and reliable approach.
Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends.
Desirable
Experience of arts engagement, i.e. youth theatre, community arts or working in an education setting.
Experience of creating resources to support learning.
Practical knowledge of IT & Office
Masterclass (part of the Get Into Theatre family) is seeking applications for an Event Management Intern on TheatreCraft. This is an exciting development opportunity for someone who wishes to build a career in producing, stage management, or theatre administration.
About the Event:
TheatreCraft is the UK’s largest free careers event for anyone aged 16-30 seeking offstage roles in theatre. This flagship event takes place at the Royal Opera House and across the West End, featuring over 70 exhibitors and offering more than 70 workshops, tours, and demonstrations. Each year, TheatreCraft welcomes over 1000 young people through the doors.
Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
As this opportunity is delivered in partnership with Get Into Theatre, we want to be transparent that we are promoting our own programme, while also being confident in the quality, support and industry value it offers to the young people or early-career creatives taking part.
Creative Steps funds the professional, business and organisational development of artists who have experienced barriers to careers within the arts.
Creative Steps for Individuals is for supporting career development, and NOT for creating new work or project delivery. For example, creating artwork to sell online would not be applicable but working with a mentor to develop your painting skills would be.
We want artists to identify exactly what they need to progress and professionalise their artistic career, and to remain open to exploring different ways of doing this with our support.
We recognise that everybody’s needs are different and that professional development varies from individual to individual. However, these are some of the things that your application could include:
When completing the budget, you should include the following:
We expect all applicants to pay freelancers the standard industry rates as a minimum. If people are providing their time in-kind, we would need to know why and have this confirmed in a letter of support from them.
The Open Fund for Individuals is one of Creative Scotland’s key funding programmes, supporting the wide range of activity initiated by artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland. The overall annual budget for this fund is £5 million.
The fund is intended to support periods of research, development and/or delivery of creative activity, such as specific projects and productions for up to 24 months. It can support an individual’s time where this is related to specific creative outcomes.
We will ask you to tell us the start and end date for this activity and to describe the outcomes, benefits and impacts that you wish to achieve.
Freelance and self-employed artists and creative practitioners living in Scotland who are at least 18 years old are eligible to apply. You must have a UK bank account in your name.
If you are not a self-employed individual or a sole trader, you may be eligible for the National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations.
Please read the guidance for full information on eligibility.
You can apply for between £500 and £50,000.
As standard, if your application request is between £500 and £20,000 you will hear the outcome in 10 weeks. If your application request is between £20,001 and £50,000 you will hear the outcome in 14 weeks.
Please see above for details of our 25/26 Christmas closure and the effects it will have on our processing timelines.
The Support for Individual Artists Programme (SIAP) is a range of schemes which aim to support artists across all disciplines to create work and develop their practice
The Project Funding for Individuals scheme aims to support the wide range of activity that can be undertaken by artists of all disciplines in relation to their practice, and to enable innovation and experimentation. A “project” and its associated costs can be any activity that develops and supports your creative practice.
Project proposals could, for example, be any of the activities below - or a combination of them:
If you are looking for information on other Support for the Individual Artist Schemes, guidance notes for all schemes are available from artscouncil-ni.org/funding/funding-for-individuals You should read the guidance notes for each scheme to find the most suitable for you and your project idea.
