York Museums Trust and York Theatre Royal Announce New Playwright Commission

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York Museums Trust and York Theatre Royal Announce New Playwright Commission

20 September 2016

York Museums Trust and the York Theatre Royal are working together on a collaborative project to create a bespoke play for the Theatre Royal’s Youth Theatre to perform at the York Castle Museum.

The play will be inspired by the Museum’s First World War gallery and the research the curatorial team has done into the city’s First World War stories. It will be performed on Kirkgate, York Castle Museum’s recreated Victorian street, by a cast of around 25 young actors aged between 14-16 years.

This project is part of York Castle Museum’s ‘Changing Spaces’ project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

 

The Commission

We are seeking a playwright to create the script for this performance, working with the museum to access research materials and with York Theatre Royal to ensure that it meets the needs of young performers.

We aim to commission the very best plays for young people which provide the best possible performing experience for each young person involved in the project. We therefore are looking to work with a writer who:

  • is keen to write for young actors
  • strive for excellence in all their work
  • have high expectations of young people’s engagement with the art form, what they can achieve, appreciate and understand
  • is interested in using museum and archive collections as the basis for their research.

For further information please click here.

 

Making an Application

Please submit your written application to julian.ollive@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk by 5pm on Friday 30th September 2016.

Your application should include the following:

  • Examples of previous, relevant work
  • Details of your experience of writing for young people
  • A summary of how you would approach the project, including how you would propose to work with York Museums Trust to research and develop your ideas
  • Contact details for two referees who can comment on your experience and approach.

 

Find out more about York Castle Museum’s exhibition 1914: When the World Changed Forever here.