The second of YTAS’ brand new training events will include workshops and networking for youth theatre practitioners around Inverness.

Our Regional Hubs have been designed to upskill artists, share practice, support emerging artists, spark ideas for future partnerships, and create stronger working relationships within regions. So, practitioners in and around Inverness, be sure to mark your calendars and join us at Eden Court Theatre from Friday 12 – Saturday 13 January 2024 for workshops, networking activity and lots of lively discussion!

Practitioners attending our Inverness Hub may choose to join for all workshop and networking events across both days, for all workshops and networking on only one of the days, or just for the networking parts (which are free). The choice is yours! Take a look at our full agenda and ticketing section below for more information.

What’s On: Friday

Eden Court‘s practitioners will kick off their first Regional Hub weekend on the Friday morning by getting us warmed up to the different ways we can include physicality in our work. This workshop will focus on how to start the creative process from movement, linking it to stories, emotions and character.

For our Friday afternoon workshop, we’ll be joining Katherina Radeva to think about your productions from a visual perspective. You will work with simple design tools to help elevate your work and to give your young artists the opportunity to create worlds with impact… all while working from a youth theatre budget!

And we’ll round off our first day for early career practitioners (under 25) with a YTAS favourite… everyone loves a Games Exchange! We all know that the games we use to start our workshops are integral to our practice, but it’s so easy to get stuck delivering the same ones over and over again. Bring your favourite warm-up game, and come away with a list of new activities learned from others, a refresh on the games you’ve forgotten, or maybe even some twists on the classics.

While they’re doing that, we’re also hosting a Drama Teachers Connect event, a space for drama educators share ideas and discuss challenges in school settings from around the region. Led by Eden Court, this is a chance for drama teachers to build relationships with local artists while also connecting with colleagues outside of school. Come for a chat and stay for the drinks and nibbles on YTAS!

What’s On: Saturday

Saturday morning begins with a workshop looking at how we can create theatre projects that are more climate-conscious. In this workshop we will investigate creative ways to talk about the climate crisis with young people that is inspiring and engaging while also ensuring that everything we create is as sustainable as possible.

For Saturday afternoon, we’ve lined up a practical workshop focussing on developing tools, rehearsing exercises, and swapping ideas to help leaders make creative spaces more accessible for neurodiverse young people. Ink Asher Hemp will invite artists to explore their own practice, share experiences, and update their toolkits. Drawing from their own experience as an artist and facilitator, Ink will ensure that all participants leave this session with confidence in their ability to support young people with diverse needs in their home youth theatre, classrooms, and clubs.

Agenda

Day One: Friday 12 January

• 10.30am: Arrivals/Welcome
• 11.00am: Let’s Get Moving: Building Physicality into Your Work (Workshop led by Eden Court)
• 1.00pm: Lunch Break
• 2.00pm: Designing Worlds… On a Budget! (Workshop led by Katherina Radeva)
• 4pm: Early Career Practitioners – Games Exchange (Networking)

OR

• 4pm: Drama Teachers Connect (Networking)

Day Two: Saturday 13 January

• 11am: Arrivals
• 11.15am: Climate Conscious Theatre Projects (Workshop)
• 1.00pm: Lunch Break
• 2.00pm: Supporting Neurodiversity in your Youth Theatre (Workshop led by Ink Asher Hemp)

Who is it for?

The event is for everyone who uses drama and theatre in their work with young people. This could include youth theatre leaders, drama teachers, youth workers, community learning professionals, theatre practitioners, students, and emerging young leaders (aged 16+).

1-2-1 Business Development Surgeries

Looking for business support with a project or your organisation? Why not take this opportunity to catch up with YTAS’ Membership Support Coordinator, Anthony, to talk about the important work outside of your creative practice.

Anthony will be able to take you through YTAS’s MOT checklist for organisations and introduce you to our support portal which covers topics such as safeguarding, governance, policies, business development and fundraising.

Anthony will be available throughout the events on Friday and Saturday. You’ll be given the opportunity to book in advance or sign-up on the day.

Ticketing info

Practitioners attending our Inverness Hub may choose to join for all workshop and networking events across three days, for all workshops and networking on one of the days, or just for the networking parts. The choice is yours!

The ticket options are as follows…

• YTAS Members: £10 per day or £15 for the full event
• Non-Members: £30 per day or £50 for the full event

When you go through to book, you’ll have the option to chose which day you’d like, or to book for the full weekend. You can also indicate if you’d like to book a surgery session with our Membership Support Coordinator at this stage.

Networking events are free, but please still book a space if you only want to come to these. This is so we can plan activities in advance.

We’ve tried to keep costs as low as possible to enable more practitioners to attend, so we won’t be providing catering during the event, other than refreshments.

Bursaries

Thanks to funding from Creative Scotland, the Gannochy Trust, the Macrobert Trust, the Foyle Foundation, the People’s Postcode Trust, the Stafford Trust, the Hugh Fraser Foundation and the JTH Charitable Trust, we are delighted to be able to offer bursary places to attend our Regional Hubs. 

Bursaries are available to any YTAS Member, who requires financial support in order to attend a Regional Hub event, and will cover any fees and/or expenses associated with the training. You are welcome to submit an application for multiple sessions at a time.

Read more and apply here.

YTAS Membership

Our membership is made up of independent youth theatres, arts organisations with their own youth theatre provision, volunteer-run charities, freelance practitioners of youth theatre arts, and many more. If you’re interested in joining a national network of like-minded people, be sure to read more at our membership page.

This is a safe space and all identities are welcome

YTAS have a zero-tolerance policy against any bullying. This includes but is not limited to: transphobia, homo or biphobia, racism, ableism, sexism, or class discrimination.