Upcoming/Current Workshops
Hamilton UK Tour: Work Experience Scheme
The UK Tour of the musical Hamilton are piloting a new work experience scheme for people (age 18+) interested in a career in backstage theatre, who are from groups that are currently under-represented in the industry.
The scheme will be taking place at the Hippodrome Theatre in Birmingham for 3 dates on either:
Group 1 - Thursday 8th to Saturday 10th August
or
Group 2 - Thursday 22nd to Saturday 24th August
The scheme will take place on the Thursday and Friday evenings with a full day on the Saturday.
It will give successful applicants:
A chance to shadow in between one and three different backstage departments during set up and the running of a show
The opportunity to ask questions to leading backstage professionals and find out more about how things work behind the scenes on a large musical
An introduction to working backstage on a touring production
Applications can be submitted via the following short google form: https://forms.gle/8CyK3HFide3Goubf6
Applicants will be asked to self-declare that they meet the criteria for the scheme. We are particularly interested in applicants who are:
From the global majority
d/Deaf or hard of hearing applicants
Disabled applicants
Applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds
The deadline for applications is Wednesday 31st July for group 1 applications and Wednesday 14th August for group 2 applications. Places will be offered as applications are submitted, so early application is recommended.
For any questions please email – hamiltontourdcm@camack.co.uk
Archive Workshops
Round Your House w/ Roundhouse
Curious about backstage and what it involves? Interested in Video and how it works with theatre? Then join the online workshop lead by Akhila Krishnan a Projection Designer and a member of the Backstage Niche network and Sylvia Darkwa-Ohemeng a freelance Stage Manager and Founder/Company Director of Backstage Niche.
National Youth Theatre
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Backstage Niche
Taster Session and Workshops
Know someone aged 16-25 and interested in exploring a future in Backstage Theatre?
These sessions are primarily targeted at young people from ethnically diverse backgrounds currently underrepresented in the creative industries
Backstage Taster Day
Sunday 7th March, 1.30pm-3.30pm
Join freelance creatives from the Backstage Niche network for a taster session introducing the disciplines: Stage Management, Costume, Set Design, Lighting, and Sound.
Backstage Workshop Day
Saturday 20th March 1pm-4pm
Discover each backstage discipline in detail with these free 60 minute workshops with the Backstage Niche freelancers.
DreamArts & Backstage Niche Lunchtime Q&A’s
Join some of your freelancers on a lunchtime Zoom as they provide a mini workshop and have a little chatter with the DreamArts participants who are currently working on their Arts Awards.
Sign up by email!
Project Producer: David Shopland
david@dreamarts.org.uk
Young Vic Theatre: Taking Part Stage Management & Costume Design Workshop
This online workshop lead from an earlier panel talk/taster session from the Backstage Niche freelancers discussing their offstage roles in theatre.
This session was a workshop which focused on two backstage disciplines, stage management and costume design.
The participants from the Southwark and Lambeth area had the opportunity to learn how to design costumes for characters and learn how to cue a show.
DreamArts Carers Express:
Stage Management workshop
We had our first in-person workshop in 2020 (pre lockdown) with the DreamArts young carers.
We gave them an insight into the various departments of a stage management team and they had the experience of becoming those roles in various rehearsal room scenarios in the workshop.
They were also shown how a blood bag was made and how to mark your script like a deputy stage manager.
In a room full of mostly young budding actors, most of them took to the backstage roles very easily!
Central Outreach
Summer Online Programme
We collaborated with Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, to provide practical online workshops about technical and backstage theatre to their young outreach cohorts in May. It was not only to highlight these “invisible” roles but to also portray the diversity within them.
We had such brilliant feedback from the young participants, they were all very engaged and our freelancers were really impressed with their creativity!
Roundhouse x Backstage Niche Technical Theatre Workshops
We partnered up with Roundhouse to run two days of workshops for participants aged 15-17.
Ella Saunders, Nicola Chang and Luke Goodlitt, ran workshops on Stage Management, Sound Design and Lighting Design.
They had a theme of Stranger Things and the participants designed their own mini show at the end of the workshops from a piece of text.
The participants learned how all creative roles worked together to make their own piece of theatre!
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
Technical Theatre Courses (2021/2022)
We partnered up with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre twice, to run 4 workshops in 2021 from September-November and 10 workshops from January-March 2022 for 14-18 year olds.
The young participants learned about various backstage roles from, Stage Management, Sound, Lighting to Movement Directing and Model Box making.
Participants made their own costumes and mood boards and sound scapes.
Stratford East Theatre x Backstage Niche
2021-2022
2022-2023
Young Technicians Course
We are excited to announce our Young Technicians Course is returning for a second year.
Sylvia Darkwa-Ohemeng and Constance Oak are the course leaders delivering this year.
The FREE introductory training course offers local 16–21-year-olds the opportunity to develop practical skills in stage management, lighting and sound with industry professionals.
Participants who completed the course in 2020-2021 which Constance Oak lead, went on to undertake work experience on our Young Company mainstage production of Painkiller, working in lighting, stage management and design.
During the 10 week course the young technicians will be learning about Stage Management, Lighting and Sound, then use those skills learnt to create their own piece inspired by the current Panto at Stratford East, Cinderella.
The course aims to address the imbalance and underrepresentation of backstage professionals from Black, Asian, Global Majority and working-class backgrounds, as well as those who identify as female, non-binary, Deaf or disabled, and those from areas of low arts engagement.
We believe it’s crucial to create opportunities for young people to engage with artists that culturally and socially represent them.
THIS COURSE HAS NOW ENDED!
Watch this space for YEAR 3!
Guildhall Young Artsits x Backstage Niche Production Arts Workshops
Guildhall Young Artists Kings Cross have asked Backstage Niche to takeover workshops for 5 weeks for their Production Arts Students.
Akhila Krishnan: Projections Design and Video Mapping
Xana: Sound Design and Composing
Mica Taylor: Stage Management
‘Guildhall Young Artists King's Cross is a brand new centre that offers classes for 5–18yr olds in drama, music and production arts, during Saturday term time.
Our Production Arts course for 14-18yr olds explores a range of skills including Lighting, Sound, Projection, Video-mapping and stage management.’
NYT X BN
Auditions Access Fund
Partnership 2021
Backstage Niche are working with the National Youth Theatre as their first backstage Auditions Access Fund partner, with free digital workshops and free interviews for their Backstage Courses.
This includes 10 fully-funded places, including accommodation on their summer courses for their young people from backgrounds underrepresented in the creative industries.
This is in addition to their dedicated NYT Summer Course Bursary Fund.
Young Technicians Course 23/24 in partnership with
Stratford East & RADA
Our Young Technicians Course is returning for a third year this autumn with Stratford East.
The course will be facilitated by our brilliant Niche-r Constance Oak, and run in partnership with RADA.
The FREE 12-week introductory training course offers 16–21 year olds the opportunity to develop practical skills in stage management, lighting and sound with industry professionals. No experience necessary.
We believe it’s crucial to create opportunities for young people to engage with artists who culturally and socially represent them.
WHO? *
Young people aged 16-21
WHEN?
A 12-week course on Thursday evenings, 6.30pm - 8.30pm from Nov 2023 - Feb 2024
WHERE?
Stratford Youth Zone (formerly Stratford Circus), Theatre Square, London E15 1BX
WHAT?
A FREE introductory training course offering the opportunity to develop practical skills in stage management, lighting and sound with industry professionals.
*Newham, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham, Havering
To Apply
https://www.stratfordeast.com/get-involved/young-people/young-technicians/
Deadline:
Midday on Mon 02 Oct 2023