The first of YTAS’ brand new training events included workshops and networking for youth theatre practitioners around the Dumfries area.

Our Regional Hubs are designed to upskill artists, share practice, support emerging practitioners, spark ideas for future partnerships, and create stronger working relationships within regions. And it was good news for practitioners in the Dumfries area, because we started off these brand new, multi-day training events in their neck of the woods!

Practitioners attending our Dumfries Hub could choose to join for all workshop and networking events across three days, for all workshops and networking on only one or two of the days, or just for the networking parts (which are free).

What’s On: Friday

We kicked off our first ever Regional Hub weekend on the Friday evening, and what better way than with a spot of Speed Networking to get to know other local practitioners? This networking session was exactly what it sounds like – a chance to connect, and to share projects ideas and contacts. We started with a discussion about the challenges (and the benefits) of working in rural communities, and created a map of opportunities for practitioners to take away.

What’s On: Saturday

On Saturday, we dived into the world of dramaturgy with National Theatre of Scotland Dramaturg Rosie Kellagher, and a workshop designed to help practitioners and educators think about generating material and narrative for performances. Rosie introduced us to her dramaturgical practice, and shared some simple tips and tricks for turning an idea into a concept and then into a show.

While we’re thinking about turning concepts into a show, we should also consider how we’ll stage it, right? For our Saturday afternoon workshop, we joined Katherina Radeva to think about productions from a visual perspective. We worked with simple design tools to help elevate our work and help us give our young artists the opportunity to create worlds with impact… all while working from a youth theatre budget!

What’s On: Sunday

On Sunday, we woke ourselves up 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. We all brought our favourite warm-up game, and came away with a list of new activities learned from others, a refresh on the games we’d forgotten, and some twists on the classics.

For Sunday afternoon, we lined up a practical workshop focusing on developing tools, rehearsing exercises, and swapping ideas to help leaders make creative spaces more accessible for neurodivergent young people. Ink Asher Hemp invited artists to explore their own practice, share experiences, and update their toolkits. Drawing from their own experience as an artist and facilitator, Ink ensured that all participants left the session with greater confidence in their ability to support young people with diverse needs in their home youth theatre, classrooms, and clubs.

Who was it for?

Regional Hubs are 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+).

Ticketing info

Practitioners attending our Dumfries Hub could 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 ticket options were as follows…

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

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 were delighted to be able to offer bursary places to attend the Dumfries Regional Hub. 

Bursaries were available to any YTAS Member, who required financial support in order to attend, and covered any fees and/or expenses associated with the training.

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 on our membership page.

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