County Wexford Youth Theatre
Artistic Policy
CWYT provides an outlet for artistic expression among the young people of County Wexford through the medium of theatre production and performance. CWYT develops and presents existing, new and experimental work by young people across disciplines. CWYT is inclusive and apolitical and actively promotes equal access to the arts for all.
Aims
- To enable members to articulate their needs clearly in a safe group
- To enable members and leaders to develop interpersonal skills, such as confidence, social interaction, responsibility sharing, planning, decision making, and problem sharing
- To introduce young people to new and innovative elements of the arts
- To provide training and education in creative skills for leaders and members
Objectives
- To develop and nurture young people's artistic/creative interests, abilities and talents
- Establish an ethos and atmosphere of trust, support, respect and democracy
- To promote the social interaction of members especially those marginalised by geographical, financial and educational backgrounds
- Enable the young people to negotiate their own development (personal and artistic) within a safe environment
- To introduce young adults to training for the theatre and film industries, helping them to source agents, find further training at third level, and perform audition pieces with confidence
- To provide an alternative for young people to existing, exclusive private fee-paying Drama Schools.
- To cater for non-performers through instruction in skills which are complementary to those developed in drama workshops i.e. stage management, technical theatre, administration etc.
- The incorporation of other artistic disciplines such as; dance and movement, music theatre, film making, writing etc. through workshops by visiting youth theatre practitioners
- To provide a public focus for the work by producing public performances of established, new and devised works
- To participate in local, regional and national festivals through venue based and site-specific public performances
- To participate in national and international youth theatre exchanges
- To play an active role in the work of the National Association of Youth Drama
The Work
In addition to the Artistic Director, there are two assistant drama facilitators present at all sessions, and a liaison officer for CWYT. Members hail from all over the County. Specialist tutors are regularly brought in to deliver workshops on specific aspects of performance; e.g. Commedia, Voice Training, Percussion, etc. The Youth Theatre receives annual funding from the Wexford County Council and the Arts Council.
The main activity of the Youth Theatre revolves around workshops in performance, writing and stage craft. Most workshops are facilitated by the Artistic Director.
In production, the Youth Theatre over the past few years has been very eclectic. Tackling plays by European writers like French writer Michael Vinaver and the German playwright Peter Handke and the classics, Shakespeare etc. The members are also quite prolific in writing their own work and contributing text in devised work. CWYT is a resident company in Wexford Opera House.
Productions:
"16" - Wexford Opera House (Nov '10)
The Children - Wexford Opera House (Nov '10)
Hamlet - Wexford Opera House (Nov '10)
Dog Days Are Over - Arklow, Granary Theatre Cork, Wexford Opera House (Sep '10)
Rent – Jonathan Larson, Wexford Opera House (Feb ‘10), Cork Opera House (Mar ’10)
Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh, Wexford Opera House (Nov ’09)
Jenny’s Friend Ana – Lisa Sills, Wexford Arts Centre (Sept ’09)
The Poison – Andrew Kavanagh, Wexford Arts Centre (Sept ’09)
Shut Up & Listen To Me – Devised, Wexford Opera House (May ’09), Marine
Hotel, Dublin (Oct ’09)
Once A Catholic – Mary O’Malley, Wexford Opera House (Mar ’09)
Young Playwrights Award Rehearsed Readings – Various, Wexford Arts Centre (Jan ’09)
This Is A Chair - Caryl Churchill, Wexford Arts Centre (May ‘08)
Attempts On Her Life – by Martin Crimp, Wexford Arts Centre (May ‘07)
Romeo & Juliet - after William Shakespeare, Wexford Arts Centre (April ‘07)
Offending The Audience - Peter Handke, Wexford Arts Centre (Oct ‘06)
11th September, 2001 - Michael Vinaver, Wexford Arts Centre (Sept ‘06)
Frank Pig Says Hello - Patrick McCabe, Wexford Arts Centre (April & Sept
‘06)
E=MC Hammer - Nicole Foley, Wexford Arts Centre (April ‘06)
The Scottish Play - after William Shakespeare, Wexford Arts Centre (April ‘06)
Babes In The Hood - Devised, Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford (June ‘05) Granary Theatre, Cork (July ‘05)
Running Into Walls - Devised,
Michael’s Theatre, New Ross (July ‘04)
