Apply Now: Genesis Theatre Design Programme
The theatre. It’s an absolutely crucial part of the fabric of the UK. Some of the greatest playwrights, actors, and directors in history come from our shores. It’s a subsector of the creative industries, which in 2018 brought in a whopping £1.28bn. We are a nation of storytellers and consumers, we truly can’t get enough. But despite a deep love for it throughout all communities, access to it on a professional level isn’t so easy for all. For directors, only 10% come from a working class background, only 11% identify as something other than White British, and only 7% don’t have a degree level or higher education.
Genesis Theatre Design Programme wants to start to change that. This is a free training and mentoring course for Global Majority applicants who are from socially and economically challenging backgrounds who want to pursue a career in theatre as any of the following:
Performance Designer
Costume Designer
Stage Designer
Director / Designer
And here is the best part. There are no set qualifications needed to apply for this programme, all trainees will be chosen based on portfolio or any previous creative work. And it can be anything. Have you been making your own clothes as long as you can remember? Have you worked in events or interior design? Are you an artist with books and books filled with your work? Then you can apply!
To apply, you only have to be a person of colour, over the age of 18, who is able to live and study in the UK. There is no upper age limit, and it is a completely free training course. It will be run by Performance Designer and Artist Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey, Artistic Director of Brixton House Gbolahan Obisesan, and Olivier Award-winning Designer / Director ULTZ. It will run over 2 years, with 2 evening classes a week, and a full day class each weekend. It will be 6 terms total, and the final term will be on placement, meaning you get 3 full months training in a theatre, on a real production. Weekday sessions will mostly take place in their design studio and workshops at Mulberry UTC in the Heart of Bow, East London. Weekend sessions will be split between Brixton House Theatre, the National Theatre and The School of Historical Dress, all in South London.
Sound good? Ready to take a chance that could change your life? Applications are open now, and they close on January 31st 2023. So click here, and take a shot.