Heading up the groundbreaking project is artist-educator Niquelle LaTouche who has been appointed Head of School. The Artistic Director is Jonzi D, founder and Artistic Director of Breakin’ Convention and a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist.

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All children have the right to experience our country’s world-leading theatre sector. The benefits are far reaching – it enhances children’s educational attainment and wellbeing, addresses skills shortages in the theatre sector and boosts the economy.  But access is unequal. Children from low-income families are missing out the most because they are less likely to have access to cultural experiences outside of school. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has also led to teachers and parents reporting a reduction in school trips of up to 68% compared to last year, which includes theatre visits. Ahead of the next general election in 2024, the Theatre for Every Child campaign asks all political parties to commit to fund a theatre visit for every child before they leave school. A pledge supported by 84 percent of parents. The campaign was launched at an event on stage at London Palladium with campaign supporters, including the following, who said:

Co-CEO of SOLT & UK Theatre, Claire Walker:

“We believe every child has the right to experience and enjoy our country’s world-leading theatre. Despite amazing work that theatres do up and down the country, access is not equal. This is not right. Which is why we are calling on all political parties to support our call for every child to attend the theatre before they leave school.” 

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Kiln Theatre today announces the appointment of Amit Sharma as Artistic Director and CEO – he takes up the role on 1 December 2023. Sharma is currently Associate Director at Kiln Theatre, and also works as a freelance director.

Amit Sharma said today, “Over the last 18 months, I’ve got to know first-hand how truly iconic the Kiln Theatre is. To become the next Artistic Director and CEO is such a huge honour and to follow Indhu, who has always been a huge inspiration to me, is beyond my wildest dreams. I want to thank Sita and the Board for offering me this opportunity, and I’m incredibly excited at the prospect of working with them and forging the future that lies ahead. The Kiln is a theatre right at the heart of its community – a beacon for the people of Brent, bringing audiences to the borough from across London, the UK and internationally. There’s a magic that happens on that stage, and I look forward to working with the brilliant team there to bring that to audiences as we embrace this new phase together. I am absolutely buzzing for this next chapter.”

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The 2023 UK Theatre Awards winners were revealed today (Sunday 8 October) in a ceremony at London’s Guildhall, hosted by Musical Theatre star Zoe Birkett. Lyric Theatre Belfast enjoyed double celebrations with The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, a collaborative production between Lyric Theatre Belfast and Prime Cut winning Best Play revival and Garry Hynes winning Best Director for the Druid Theatre production Druid O’Casey, a trilogy of stories written by Irish dramatist Sean O’Casey. In total, Irish theatres and production companies had four nods in the winners list.

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The Faber New Play Award, which offers publication to coincide with the premiere, and a prize of £5,000, was granted to the best play written by an unpublished playwright under the WGGB New Play Commission Scheme. The scheme was a response to the decline in new theatre commissions during the Covid-19 pandemic, and offered eighteen commissions for playwrights across England in 2022. Under the scheme, And The Earth Opened Up Under Her has been commissioned by Pilot Theatre, York.

The judges for the Faber New Play Award were playwrights Dipo Baruwa-Etti and Beth Steel; dramaturg and translator Chris Campbell; and, at Faber, Lily Levinson and Dinah Wood.

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Papatango today announces that Laura Waldren has won the 15^thannual Papatango New Writing Prize for her first full-length play Some Demon, from 1,468 entries. Also announced today were the other shortlisted writers: Piers Blackfor My Dad Hunts Bears; Georgia Green for Private Adult Things; Yolanda Mercy for Handsworth Boys; and Hannah Shury -Smithfor Go Back Home!.

The winning play Some Demon explores life inside an eating disorder unit. It will have its world première at theArcola Theatre in summer 2024 – with full information to be announced at a later date– and will be published by Nick Hern Books. The four shortlisted writers will each receive £500 and their plays will be filmed as staged readings, digitally broadcast for a global network on The Playwright’s Laboratory.

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A major new training programme for early-career theatre-makers, THE KNOT brings together a cohort of 25 participants to explore and interrogate the essential skills needed to create work on their own terms at a time when the business of theatre has never felt tougher.

Programmed in partnership between London’s multi-award-winning New Diorama Theatre, world-leading higher education institute Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Black-led production and development company Uproot, the week-long bootcamp-style programme takes place over 11-15 December 2023 and consists of workshops, seminars and panels around business skills and career development. Primarily hosted at Guildhall School in City of London, THE KNOT will also include off-site trips and a party at Theatre Deli’s Leadenhall Street venue – with networking drinks curated by Pan-Asian cabaret collective The Bitten Peach.

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Elan Davies (c) Alex Brenner

The winners of The Stage Debut Awards, in association with ATG, have been announced at the annual awards ceremony in a star-studded bash at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, hosted by legendary drag artist, performer and songstress Divina De Campo.

This year, the spotlight fell on a total of 45 nominees across 8 categories, ranging from performers to composers and designers through to writers, lyricists and directors, whose work debuted on stages across the country. For the first time, this year’s winners also took home a share of a £10,000 prize fund.

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Sadler’s Wells is preparing for its East Bank venue launch next year, by inviting applications for its new innovative international choreographic school. Artists are invited to register their interest in Rose Choreographic School, which will be based at Sadler’s Wells’ new venue Sadler’s Wells East and launched on Tuesday 26 September. It is led by dramaturg and writer Martin Hargreaves with input from artistic faculty members and leading dance figures William Forsythe, Trajal Harrell and Alesandra Seutin.

Rose Choreographic School is an experimental research programme for artists to develop their practice through investigating questions of the choreographic, over a two-year period. They will have access to studio spaces, mentoring and a research budget and will engage in workshops, lectures and discursive events.

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The Stage Debut Awards today unveils a star-studded line-up of guest presenters and performers taking part in the 7^th annual awards ceremony, held in association with Ambassador Theatre Group, recognising the best breakthrough theatre talent in the UK.

Some of the biggest names in the performing arts industry will join this year’s host legendary drag artist, performer and singer Divina De Campo on Sunday 1st October at 8 Northumberland Avenue to honour the achievements of this year’s cream of the breakthrough crop.  Forty-five nominees across 8 categories, from performers to composers and designers through to writers, lyricists and directors, all of whom have made their professional debuts in the past 12 months, will be celebrated.

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