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.
As a part of the Donmar’s CATALYST professional development training programme, the role is an opportunity for outstanding, early-career artists to receive bespoke training, both practical and observational, by assisting the Designer to realise the set and costume design for a Donmar production. The goal is to gain insight into a high-level production process while developing and strengthening your skills and artistic voice.
About the Production
This production will sit in the reality of the 1980s and 1990s with an emphasis on queer fashion. It is not necessary to have significant experience in making as most items will be sourced. It is important that candidates have an eagle-eye focus on details and emotional intelligence as you will be working closely with actors as they develop their characters.
Key Responsibilities:
This is a paid opportunity. Fixed Term Freelance Contract, 25-30 days between 31st August and 20th October at £135 per day (+1.5 day rate during tech)
AVAILABILITY
Key Dates:
Masterclass (part of the Get Into Theatre family) is seeking applications for a Wigs, Hair & Makeup Intern on a touring show. This is an exciting development opportunity for someone with styling and braiding experience, who wishes to develop their skills and build a career in theatre Wigs, Hair & Makeup (WHAM).
Not sure what job this internship could lead to? Check out a full list of backstage careers here.
Key Information:
📅 Internship: 17 September 2026 – 15 November 2026. Please Note: All applicants must be able to commit to the full contract, and to travelling as part of a UK tour.
🚀 Apply by: 9am, Monday 3 August
🎤 Interviews: Mid-August
💰 Salary: Paid at London Living Wage, plus touring allowance
📍Based: This internship is on a UK tour going to seven venues
✍️ Contract Type: Fixed term
💼 Working pattern: 6 days a week, including weekends. Average 40 hours per week.
Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
Styling and braiding of textured hair
Application of hair pieces
General preparation work
Support to the Head and Deputy Head of WHAM
Who Should Apply:
We're looking for candidates who:
✔ Have some experience or training with textured hair, braiding & hair pieces
✔ Are enthusiastic and keen to learn
✔ Are aged 18+
✔ Have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the placement
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'.
Turtle Key Arts
ETC
With more than 50 years of innovation in lighting and rigging technology, ETC has a strong foundation in theatre, where precision, reliability, and storytelling have always been essential. That heritage continues to shape our approach today, from consoles and a wide range of lighting control and fixture solutions to power control and rigging systems designed for demanding productions.
As the industry has evolved, so have we – with ETC technology increasingly powering live events including concerts, festivals, touring productions, and immersive experiences, where speed, scale, and flexibility are key. Our latest innovations bring modern efficiency to trusted tools, helping designers and operators deliver consistent, creative results across any environment.
ETC’s product portfolio includes industry-leading lighting control and fixtures used across theatre and live events. This includes the Eos lighting control platform family of consoles, widely used in theatre, broadcast, and live production environments, alongside the Hog lighting control system platform, a long-established choice for touring and concert production. Our iconic Source Four remains a benchmark in stage lighting, alongside a growing range of automated fixtures from High End Systems designed for dynamic, high-impact live environments and installations.
ETC supports users with a wide range of training and education resources for all experience levels. This includes free entry-level console training for both Eos and Hog lighting control systems in the UK, alongside courses such as Lighting Essentials and network training, covering both foundational principles and more advanced system and infrastructure topics. ETC also provides extensive online learning resources, tutorials, and documentation for self-paced development.
We develop professional tools and make them accessible to everyone. Our products are found in venues and events of all sizes, including theatres, concerts, festivals, churches, restaurants, hotels, schools, television studios, casinos, theme parks, and opera houses.
Headquartered in Wisconsin, USA, ETC operates through 15 corporate offices worldwide, including a key office in London supporting customers across the UK and beyond. ETC is known for its technical expertise and customer support, available 24/7/365. With a global network of over 300 authorised service centres and hundreds of certified technicians, support is always close at hand.
To learn more about ETC, visit etcconnect.com.
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.
Hackney Empire are looking for young musicians aged 17 to 30 to take part in their Trainee Musical Director programme designed to demystify the role of the Musical Director (MD).
What you’ll gain:
They are looking for people who are:
Observing Jack and the Beanstalk:
Their 2026 pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk runs from Sun 22 Nov – Thu 31 Dec and during this time, you will watch at least one preview performance to observe the Musical Director. A date will be mutually agreed in advance.
Deadline: 9am, Monday 3 August
We have a limited number of £7 tickets available for The Final Exam: Gao Kao at the Bridewell Theatre, London.
Tickets are available from 23 - 24 August at various times.
What if the most important exam of your life became a battle you had to physically fight?
On the day of the Gaokao — China’s high-stakes university entrance examination — a student enters the exam hall expecting to prove her future. Instead, she finds herself fighting against her own examiners, each representing a different subject and a different definition of success.
Through physical theatre, stage combat, multimedia projection and storytelling, The Final Exam: Gao Kao explores the pressure to achieve, the expectations placed on young people, and the struggle to discover your own voice in a world full of “correct answers”.
Inspired by the experiences of students navigating intense educational systems, this powerful new production asks: When everything you have been taught tells you what to become, how do you decide who you really are?
A bold and emotional theatrical journey about ambition, identity and the courage to question.
Age Guidance: 12+
Running Time: 75 mins, 60 mins
Content/Production Warnings: This show contains depictions of suicide, stage combat with simulated physical violence, intense academic pressure.
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.
