We are so excited to be part of the Cities Exchange, collaborating with four youth theatres to create four brand new plays. In this Blog post, Company Three introduces the project and how each group is approaching this creative collaboration.
The youth theatre sector is vital for creating radical, transformative opportunities for self-expression for young people across the country. We think it’s essential that these young people and the artists who work with them can share art, ideas, experiences and ways of working - so we can all be better together.
At Company Three, we share practice and create opportunities for collaboration through our Exchange Programme – including our free online hub of youth theatre resources, regular Running a Youth Theatre online sessions, and our play Blueprints.
We are delighted to announce the next Exchange Play: Cities Exchange.
Over the next 12 months, we’ll be working in collaboration with four youth theatres to create four brand new plays from the same starting point. We will each use “cities” as our prompt: What are young people’s stories, experiences and perspectives about growing up in their city? We want to encapsulate the cities we live in through the eyes of our teenagers.
There will be moments for collaboration and sharing throughout, from online conversations to travelling to watch each other’s final productions. In November, we’ll go on an Artist Retreat – a couple of days for our artists to spend together discussing their work and practice – and in February, we’ll take all four groups on a unique residential – a chance for them to get to know young people from other cities and other experiences and to share joy together.
The Cities Exchange is a partnership between youth theatres working in Liverpool, Plymouth, Exeter, Islington North London and Croydon. Read more on the participating companies below.
20 Stories High
“We’ve been wanting to re-connect our youth theatre with other companies nationally for some time now and are so excited for the opportunity to do so on the Company Three Exchange. We’re looking forward to exploring the theme of cities with our group - exploring Liverpool’s heritage, history and community that we exist in – the opportunities, challenges and the stories. We’re also excited to hear and connect with other groups and investigate shared experiences!”
Established in 2006, Liverpool’s award winning 20 Stories High are recognized as one the leading theatre companies in the UK making work with and for young people and adults. They believe that “everybody’s got a story to tell… and their own way of telling it.”
Their ambition is simple - to create bold, excellent theatre, music, and art experiences with culturally diverse, working-class communities, emerging artists, and world-class professionals.
Telling stories that bring joy, empower, and enable social change that inhabit a wide variety of spaces, from theatres, community centres, and schools to digital spaces, living rooms, and bus stops.
Beyond Face
“We are excited to collaborate again with young people across the country. From the Grow Up project, location came up as one of the differences between the groups, so Cities gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into this. We feel excited to share about the South West of England particularly Devon, discovering the similarities as much as the differences.”
Beyond Face provides opportunities for artists of the Global Majority to live, work and thrive in the South West theatre sector. Founded in 2015 by Alix Harris, alongside creating their own productions, Beyond Face works with local global majority artists and young people to help them to build their own creative work and sense of community. Throughout their Regional Voices programme, Beyond Face connects with local people who currently have little to no engagement or experience with the theatre industry, investigating how people who don't work in the arts sector can engage with arts as a creative outlet.
Company Three
“London is part of who I am… there’s so much to explore about growing up here. I think it would be really interesting to share my experiences while also hearing about what its like for children in different cities.” – Cast member
Company Three is a leading force for change for teenagers in our local community and around the world.We are a theatre company led by the ideas of our 75 members aged 11-19. We recruit our members through deep-rooted relationships locally and share our practice globally to impact teenagers everywhere.
Working in Islington, North London, we make transformative theatre through long-term collaboration between young people and professional theatre-makers. Our plays have been performed at the National Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, the Royal Exchange Theatre, to name a few places.
We share our practice locally, nationally and internationally. Our blueprints have been used by more than 500 groups in more than 30 countries to co-create work with young people.
“The thing about Croydon is... it's not just one thing. We're not just one person in it.Depending on where we are, our city shows us something about who we are. We've got versions of ourselves we bring to each place - on the bus, to church, to school, the hairdressers, the chicken shop, our sofas, our rooms.Our identity is made of the ways we show up in this community, and of those that came before us - a map that helps make us who we are. We want to know - how do those maps overlap?”
Zoo Co is a multi-award winning theatre company based in Croydon. We make innovative, bold, electric live theatre for audiences across the UK and around the world. We believe theatre is better when everyone is invited. We champion creative access, working with deaf and disabled artists as leaders on every project. We set out to make theatre which responds to what is alive in us and our communities. We use ensemble-led and democratic approaches to co-create our shows.
Zoo Co’s Young Company, led by the Artistic Director, works within these principles and co-creates ambitious studio shows alongside professional artists each year.
The Cities Exchange has been included in The Stage - read the article here.
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