We are the Young Changemakers; we love theatre, and we’re passionate about bringing young people back to it.
OUR MISSION is to spend the year devising plans and projects that we think will engage young people.
SO FAR we have created an online social media presence, sharing who we are, our future plans and asking young people their thoughts about theatre. We have hosted our first Up-Close event (with 18-25 year olds) centred around Douglas Rintoul’s production of ‘Macbeth’.
We’ve also 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.
NEXT we’ve curated I AM HERE – a series of important conversations and provocations about identity within our communities and how we are represented by theatre makers!
Twitter: @YCQueens
Instagram: @youngcmakers
Facebook: Queens Theatre Young Changemakers
At the moment we are made up of nine individuals, all from different backgrounds, all living and studying/working in Outer East London and Essex. If you’d like to get involved, contact Youngchangemakers@queens-theatre.co.uk
Alicia Bridge is an Essex creative currently studying Performance Art (BA) at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She has an interest in multimedia and immersive theatre as well as film and photography. She is currently working on Revolting Bodies, a body positivity project with other young artists.
Ashleeka is currently working at the Financial Times as a Business Development Intern. Her role involves her helping to organise and plan events that will help the financial times gain revenue as well as attract a younger audience. However, Ashleeka’s passion truly lies within the world of theatre and helping to bring in young BAME individuals into the arts
George is an actor and teacher living in Essex. In 2018 he graduated with an MA in Acting for Screen and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama helped fund his company shootsmartphone. George is passionate about theatre being accessible for young people and is excited to be a part of the Young Changemakers scheme.
Heather is an actor from Lincolnshire livinig and working in Essex and is very excited to be a part of the Young Changemakers programme at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. Heather has taughter acting to children throughout the UK/Europe, and is passionate about getting young people interested in theatre and/or helping them find their confidence through drama and play. She hopes to be able to gain more knowledge about how the theatre is run and discover how to make it more accessible for young people.
Marius is an actor from Southend who is passionate about young people experiencing theatre. He has experience in teaching Shakespeare to young children in primary schools in the borough of Havering, helping them understand Shakespeare’s language and getting them on their feet and performing. He can’t wait to learn what happens day-to-day in Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and looks forward to helping increase young people’s attendance at the theatre.
Ollie is a director & writer from Colchester, who has made theatre across London & Essex. He is co-founder & artistic director of Found In Translation Theatre, and works as a Young Company Practitioner for the Mercury Theatre. As a new Young Changemaker, Ollie is excited to help Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch engage and inspire young people from across the whole of Essex.
Robert trained at the University of Northampton School of the Arts. As well as acting he teaches and aspires to write and devise new theatre. Robert is also an Associate Artist at Nothing to Perform, a London-based theatre company.
He is looking forward to working alongside fellow Changemakers to create opportunities to engage young people in theatre.
Rennae is a 21 year old filmmaker, writer and East London’s local storyteller. Her creative writing is a confrontation of many obscure experiences including her faith, culture and community. She has recently been awarded the Stanley Evernden award to commission a play she’s co-writting and is very excited about showcasing her first play at theatres and future festivals.
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