A National Festival of Youth Theatres

The National Association for Youth Drama (NAYD) is gearing up to present its annual National Festival of Youth Theatres from July 3rd to 8th. For the second year running, the Festival, which offers a unique experience to more than 130 young people and leaders, will take place in the historic and beautiful city of Kilkenny.

During the Festival, the young participants from 13 differents Youth Theatres across Ireland will develop new performance skills, expertly guided by a team of specialist theatre professionals. The NAYD Festival is also a unique opportunity for the young artists, aged from 12 to 21 years old, to meet and work with other youth theatre members from all over the country in a spirit of exchange and community.

The only festival of its kind in Ireland, the National Festival of Youth Theatres celebrates the creativity and energy generated all year round in local youth theatres from Donegal to Waterford.

NAYD, the development organization for Youth Theatre in Ireland has been supporting and promoting youth drama since 1980. Now with 60 affiliated youth theatres, the organization has seen thousands of young lives enhanced and transformed by the experience of youth theatre over 32 years. While household names that started out in youth theatre include Aidan Gillen, Tommy Tiernan and Enda Walsh, many thousands more have carried the social and creative skills gained from their youth theatre experience through all walks of life.

LOOKING AHEAD - Who says summer is for holidays!?

From August 23rd to 26th, NAYD is running a very special Advanced Theatre Skills Training weekend in Dublin. Open to senior youth theatre members, this residential training will include a programme of workshop sessions led by the Irish Theatre artist and Pan Pan co-artistic director Gavin Quinn.

This weekend will also be the occasion for NAYD to conclude the National Youth Theatre review, a consultation on the future of NAYD’s annual production that showcases the best of youth theatre and provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for young performers. On August 25th, NAYD will invite those interested in the subject to participate in an open discussion to be held at The Lir Academy – Ireland’s National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin. All present will be asked to reflect on the achievements of the NYT to date and imagine the shape of things to come.

To find out more about NAYD, or any of these events, visit www.nayd.ie

Story by EI Team | 09:00 | Wednesday 27th June 2012 | Theatre

588

Comments

• No comments have been posted for this article yet. Be the first!

Log in to leave a comment

Login or register to leave a comment

Enter your email:

Enter Password: Lost Your Password?