What to Expect

What do sessions involve?

We work with young people of all experience levels and interests to make theatre that focuses on the whole cast, creating work that features no 'leading cast members'. We provide an environment of playful creativity allowing young people to experiment with different techniques, genres and art forms guided by our team of professional artists, within the historic walls of Bristol Old Vic.

Sessions can be quite noisy and will feature lots of games, group work, and collaborative practice.

What do you focus on each term?

Each term, sessions will be in response to a theme, often linking to a show at Bristol Old Vic, e.g. exploring the theme of magical realism to link with the show Lanny. The facilitators will decide how they respond to that theme, in collaboration with the participants.

How many young people and facilitators are there per class?

Our Junior sessions have capacity for up to 20-30 young people, and our Senior sessions have capacity for up to 30 young people. There is one workshop leader and one workshop assistant per class (there are two assistants in our Early Years class).

Do you do singing, dancing, or script work in sessions?

Some sessions may focus on voice, movement, script work etc. However, Young Company’s main focus is on drama and devising, and sessions do not specifically include singing and dancing. Sessions explore the term’s theme and often focus on devised performances, so there is limited script work outside of our Young Company shows (see Shows & Sharings).