Lyth is venue for Scottish Youth Theatre's new touring project
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Scottish Youth Theatre is coming to Caithness this weekend with a new touring project which is offering free workshops to young people and a chance to see a range of innovative performances.
Encounters will be presented at Lyth Arts Centre on Saturday, March 11, and will also be going to schools and colleges in Kirkwall, Aberdeen and Elgin.
Young participants will have an opportunity to watch new solo performances by emerging theatre-makers Bethan Murray, Iman Akhtar, Jo Hunter and Lily Carmen Smith. The workshops will be led by Pete Lannon from award-winning company SUPERFAN.
Scottish Youth Theatre’s creative director Rikki Payne said: “It’s not just about Scottish Youth Theatre offering performances and workshops to young people in the north of Scotland. It’s about us listening and understanding what young people’s creative needs are and how we can help meet them.
"If you live in Orkney, the cultural centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh can seem very remote. So, as a national company, we strive to bring these opportunities directly to them.”
Bethan Murray received her first commission to make solo work as part of Scottish Youth Theatre’s 2022 project Trajectories.
She said: “This project, and working with Scottish Youth Theatre, has been an immeasurable help for me as an artist and on a personal level. Working with the company has allowed me to trial new thoughts and ideas in a safe and caring environment, helping me expand my practice and keep my creative work progressing.
"Going on tour will be such a great opportunity to see new places and be inspired by them to keep creating.”
Scottish Youth Theatre says it has worked hard to address the barriers young artists experience when beginning their careers in the industry – especially for those in rural communities.
Chief executive Jacky Hardacre said: “As a result of the pandemic, we know that in-person artistic opportunities have been too limited for too long. As a national company our goal is to collaborate, converse and learn from young artists and those interested in making theatre from every part of Scotland.
"Encounters gives us the opportunity to continue that dialogue with young people in the room and see how we can best support them at the start of their careers, and we’re looking forward to hearing what they’ve got to say.”
