Over Easter 2015, The North Wall held their first residency specifically for young writers and directors aged 18-25. The TheatreCraft project brought these two vital roles centre stage, offering the participants a team of professional actors and highly experienced mentors to work with in a safe and supportive space.
Six young playwrights and three emerging directors aged 18-25 worked together for two weeks to explore how to improve their craft. Mentored by directors John Hoggarth, (Iron Shoes, former Director of the National Youth Theatre) and Erin Gilley, and professional writers Barney Norris, (Critics Circle award winner for Visitors) and Al Smith (BFI/Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prizewinner for Halflife), the group had the invaluable opportunity to try out ideas with a 9-strong acting ensemble, including four highly experienced professional actors and five talented graduate performers from our summer outreach programme.
Extracts from the following plays were performed on Saturday 4 April:
Zennor : Lamorna Ash
The Episode : Tom Brennan
Ruaumoko’s Footsteps : Gaia Sorcha Fenn
Faithless Healer : Sam George
Cecilia : Zoe Hunter Gordon
Porcelain : Margaret Perry