We are the Young Changemakers; we love theatre, and we’re passionate about bringing young people back to it. At the moment we are made up of eight individuals, all from different backgrounds, all living and studying/working in Outer East London and Essex.
To champion young artists and to give a voice to the next generation of theatre makers.
We have hosted our first Up-Close event (with 18-25 year olds) centred around Douglas Rintoul’s production of ‘Macbeth’.
We’ve built a library full of play-texts and want to encourage use of the theatre as a safe drop in space to be creative, read plays for free and connect with other like-minded individuals.
As we transitioned to a virtual way of connecting, we curated I AM HERE – a series of important conversations and provocations about identity within our communities and how we are represented by theatre makers! Don’t worry if you missed this you can watch the discussion here.
We have also created a Changemakers Network, to connect and champion creative young people and to allow artists to stay up to date with our events. If you would like to be part of our Changemakers Network, sign up here.
We will be releasing regular Podcasts, sharing advice from our Young Changemakers.
We are currently planning an in-person free to access Hackathon showcase and networking event.
Twitter: @YCQueens
Instagram: @youngcmakers
If you’d like to get involved sign up for our Changemaker Network here.
I joined Young Changemakers in December and did not know what to expect. I was nervous but excited to see what awaited me through the Queen’s doors. The first meeting was nerve-wracking as I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone and meeting new people. I sat down and was warmly introduced to my fellow Young Changemakers. As we began talking about ourselves and why we wanted to join the project, I started to feel more at ease and loosen up. After half an hour or so it’d felt like I’d known these people for ages. We continued to talk and share our opinions of why the youth of today are not going to the theatre and then what are we going to do about it. With the help from our mentors, we came to the decision to create an UpClose event for 18-25 year olds. This event would consist of a workshop, pizza and show, all for £8. After a few more meetings we agreed to hold a Q&A session with the director of the show and a stage combat workshop. Leading up to the event, we began marketing it on social media to get the word out. On the day of the event 7 people attended and it went very well from start to finish. The young people were engaged and committed and I felt a sense of achievement. The Young Changemakers has made me more aware that things need to be done to engage young people into coming to the theatre. It is so nice to work and collaborate with likeminded people that want to make a change for the future. Young Changemakers has given me a sense of belonging after losing my creative input during university.
Ashleeka