Young Directors scheme expands

Pictured at the announcement: l-r, rear - Neil Harris of Wigan Council, Neil Bettles of Thickskin, Catriona Shoebridge of Fair Play, Angela Wachner of Bush Theatre; middle - Holly Aston of RTYDS, Taio Lawson of Bush Theatre, John McGrath of Factory International and Manli Siu of RTYDS; front - Sue Emmas, CEO of RTYDS, and Laura Mallows of Thickskin. Pic: Darren Robinson

The Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme is expanding its acclaimed national network of working-class talent development partnerships with new theatre links.

The organisation - already an associate at Manchester's Royal Echange and London's Young Vic - has announced its new status as resident company with ThickSkin at The Engine Room in Wigan, as well as becoming an associate company at Manchester’s Factory International and London’s Bush Theatre.

The partnerships mark a significant step for organisation's work to establish new routes into the industry for working class theatre talent. Each placement will deliver interesting opportunities, including a Wigan Directors' School with ThickSkin, and a new International Research Trip for working class directors with Factory International.

RTYDS will also use The Engine Room as the base for Fair Play, its programme for working class theatre directors, which is funded by Arts Council England and operates across England. Fair Play addresses the social, cultural, financial and other inequalities that prevent working class creative people from starting and building a career and eventually moving into creative leadership roles.

The arrival of RTYDS in WIgan marks an important new chapter for the venue and strengthens its role as a home for talent development in the wider region.

In Manchester and London, the organisation's new relationships with Factory International and the Bush Theatre will create a new network connecting Wigan, Manchester and London, allowing the RTYDS to draw on the expertise of major cultural organisations and offer different programmes with each.

With ThickSkin the organisation will lead a Wigan Directors School, providing early career, working class artists the chance to develop skills and connections. With the Bush they will launch a new, free-access library of theatre texts, highlighting plays by working class writers. The scheme’s new International Research Trip for working class directors will benefit from Factory International’s extensive global connections.

Sue Emmas, artistic director for Fair Play, said: "We have always been committed to creating long-term change in the leading and shaping of British theatre. Becoming resident at The Engine Room and an associate company of Factory and the Bush marks an important next step for us. We’re excited by what this network will make possible for artists across the country and beyond."

More info here