The youth theatre Directors’ Development Programme was an eight-month mentoring and development programme for eight selected directors. The programme ran from August 2022 to March 2023.  

We were pleased to offer this opportunity with the support of our partners, the Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, and funders the Gannochy Trust, Foyle Foundation and William Syson Foundation. 

Who was it for?

Youth theatre Directors who were ready to challenge and develop a specific area of practice in their work with young people. The programme was specifically designed for practitioners who already had a range of youth theatre directing experience. This might include individuals who have taken a step back from directing themselves to run companies or allow opportunities for their junior colleagues.

What was included?

Six days of training, events, tickets, travel, and accommodation were provided throughout the programme by Youth Theatre Arts Scotland.  

Each Director received a bursary of £1800 to allow them to attend the training and to work on their individual projects. This bursary should have been used to pay for the time of the director and should not have been spent on the project or performances that result from the programme.   

A £200 resource budget was also provided towards work-in-progress costs.