Hackney Empire Reveals Creative Futures Updates for 2023

As Hackney Empire celebrates more than 120 years at the heart of the local community, Artistic Director Yamin Choudury and the whole team have revealed details of the theatre’s Creative Futures endeavours for 2023 and the appointment of Lorna McGinty as the theatre’s new Head of Learning & Participation. 

 

The 2023 Artist Development Programme (ADP) show will once again see a company of over 40 young artists and creatives, aged 14 – 19 years old, mentored by industry professionals, create and present a piece of new, original musical theatre in ten days, culminating with a performance on the theatre’s main stage. This year’s production, UNmuted: The revolution will not be musicaltelevised, will be set in a world where music has been made illegal and will follow a group of young people trying to find a safe space, a secret space, where music can exist again, and where they can make plans to fight the power.

 

The creative team for the production will be: Yamin Choudury as Director, Kane Husbands as Associate Director, Estrella Mabika as Young Writer in Residence, Ellie Fulcher as Dramaturg & Writing Mentor, Ty Lowe as Head of Music & Co-Musical Director, Diarra Walcott-Ivanhoe as Co-Musical Director, Olivia Shouler as Choreographer, Becca White as Designer and Rachel Horowitz as Creative Producer.

 

Since the first ADP - an intensive two-week summer programme where a company of up to 40 young people create a new piece of musical theatre performed on stage at Hackney Empire – was launched in 2002, Hackney Empire Creative Futures has used arts and creativity to break down barriers to accessing creative careers, build confidence and provide creative, professional and personal development for young people regardless of their background, education, income or experience.

 

Auditions for this year’s ADP company will take place from 7-9 July. More information can be found at: https://hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/adp-auditions-2023/

Last year, ADP participants had the chance to spend a day in the iconic Livingston Studios, recording some of the best songs from their summer production: A Direct Message. The 5 track EP, executively produced by Ivor Novello award winning Composer, Songwriter and Producer Renell Shaw, showcases the cast’s best ensemble tracks that tell the tale of the repercussions of a leaked DM and is now available to stream across all DSP’s/streaming services.

LINKS: Apple Music / Spotify

For the second year in a row, Hackney Empire’s Young Producers will take over the River Stage outside The National Theatre for a weekend of youth-fuelled talent, unbelievable energy and pure vibes. Curated by the next generation of young creatives aged 14-21, the Young Producers are serving the hottest London talent blowing up right now.

From 30 June – 2 July, the free programme, hosted by Scully (No Signal Radio), will feature a lineup including: local street dance crew Skadeuces; award-winning UK hip-hop dance company Boy Blue; DJ Mimi Rich and DJ Pebz; steel-band icons Metronomes Steel Orchestra; an interactive movement workshop by The PappyShow; singer, songwriter and producer Kali Claire; Girls of Grime, platforming incredible female MC’s, DJ’s and artists; the Young Producers Sing Along celebrating Pride weekend and Battersea Arts Centre’s Beatbox Academy, plus so much more.

“We’re so excited to be invited back by The National Theatre for a second year. It’s such a privilege to be given the River Stage again to make it our own and showcase the best of London’s emerging talent.” Hackney Empire Young Producer

Hackney Empire’s Young Producers programme, part of the Creative Development strand of Creative Futures, is a free training opportunity for 14–21-year-olds from across the borough to create and organise their own events. Through free weekly workshops, they develop the creative and practical skills to put on any event that they want to see, gaining knowledge in pitching & project proposals, events management, social media and marketing, artist liaison and programming. Find out more about joining them via Hackney Empire’s website: hackneyempire.co.uk.  

The theatre has also announced that Lorna McGinty has joined Hackney Empire as the new Head of Learning & Participation. Lorna joins Hackney Empire from the Young Vic, where, as Participation Producer she led on the theatre’s work with young people and early career artists.  Previously, she managed The National Theatre’s first national theatre making programme for primary schools.  She has also produced and managed participatory arts programmes and events with organisations such as the Barbican, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Creative Partnerships and Hoxton Hall.

McGinty said of her new role, “I’m really excited to be joining the team at Hackney Empire. Young people and our local community are absolutely central to the mission of the organisation, and that is demonstrated by 20 years of innovative and vibrant Learning and Participation work.  I’m proud to be continuing this work and look forward to creating more opportunities to platform and celebrate the creativity of Hackney’s young people”.

 

Creative Futures annually engages 4,000 young people aged 12 to 25-years-old. From its inception, Creative Futures set out to reframe ‘culture’ by using art-forms that young people were already engaged in, including film, popular including acting for stage and screen, popular music such as British Rap and R&B, spoken word and dance. The theatre’s unique model of youth engagement has impacted on over 20,000 young lives in its 20-year history.

 

In total, Creative Futures provides an average of 20 hours of free youth programming each week across 45 weeks of the year. These include workshops and masterclasses alongside professionally produced training and performance programmes, all of which are provided free of charge to all participants.

 

Website: www.hackneyempire.co.uk 

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