Young Directors: Next Stage
Young Directors: Next Stage is a 10-week course ideal for anyone aged 14-19 with a basic knowledge of directing for live performance who would like to continue their learning.
What is Young Directors: Next Stage?
Young Directors: Next Stage is a 10-week course ideal for anyone aged 14-19 with a basic knowledge of directing for live performance who would like to continue their learning.
The course will run each Monday evening from 5-7pm at Northern Stage.
Sessions will be led by professional theatre creatives and will take the form of interactive workshops, practical activities, performance theory sessions and masterclasses.
We will attend shows together at Northern Stage and talk about them and where relevant engage with the production’s Creative Team.
We will explore different approaches to directing, from working with text to devised and site-specific performance to explore the type of work we’d like to create.
The course is designed to build on communication skills, and we will explore ways of working with actors and collaborators, running a successful rehearsal room and preparing for performance.
Young Directors: Next Stage – Spring 2025 Round up
We’ve loved working with our incredible group of budding creatives over the last ten weeks. Here’s what they got up to:
✔️ Worked with professional theatre makers to build upon their knowledge of directing and explored the creative process of taking a script from page to stage
✔️ Worked with professional actors and learned about running a rehearsal room
✔️ Worked with designers to create moodboards in response to a script, and explored the director/designer relationship
✔️ Directed each other in technical rehearsals for their chosen scenes
Huge well done and thanks to our participants for the hard work, commitment, and enthusiasm they brought to each and every session – we can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Young Directors is kindly supported by the Noël Coward Foundation.
When is it?
Young Directors: Next Stage has now finished for this academic year and will resume in the Autumn (exact dates tbc). If you’re interested in taking part, you can sign up to our mailing list and we will get in touch once we have more information about the next cohort.
What you’ll do
- Build upon and practice the essentials of directing live performance
- Meet theatre practitioners working in the North-East and learn about their approaches to making work for the stage.
- Attend live performances with an opportunity to discuss what you’ve seen.
- Meet and collaborate with other Young Directors
- Go through the process of prepping a play for production – exploring making vision boards, rehearsing with performers, delivering a technical rehearsal
- Explore your own artistic voice, try new things and gain and practice transferable skills.
How to apply
Young Directors: Next Stage has now finished for this academic year and will resume in the Autumn (exact dates tbc). If you’re interested in taking part, you can sign up to our mailing list and we will get in touch once we have more information about the next cohort.
Fee information
The cost of the course varies depending on your circumstances. We have created a payment scale (see below) to help you identify which fee is appropriate for you. Fees cover the cost of the 10 sessions as well as tickets to selected performances at Northern Stage as part of the programme.
Fees are required to be paid in advance of starting the course and more information about how to do this will follow if you are successfully selected to take part
I have the means to pay for the full value of the course.
Standard fee: £150
Fees include the cost of show tickets
I do not have the means to pay for the full value of the course.
Discounted fee: £95
Fees include the cost of show tickets
I do not have the means to pay the standard or discounted fees.
All sessions: FREE
We have a limited number of free bursary places to those experiencing a financial hardship. We recognise that reasons for financial hardship are different for everyone.
If you are successful in receiving a bursary place, we can also support with the cost of travelling to and from sessions and this will be agreed with the individual before the first session.