Meet our Young Company for 2023/2024

Al Nelson (they/them)

Why did you sign up for the Young Company?

I was intrigued by the opportunity and figured it would be fun since I’ve been doing projects with the Royal exchange for almost two years now. Just seemed like a fun way to explore what I’m passionate about in a different perspective to how they present it as college.

What do you hope to get out of it?

Of course I hope to grow in the areas the makers course covers but also just growing as a person would satisfy me. Yes you can have physical and work development but those skills go to waste if your personal development is lacking.

What are you most excited about?

I’m just looking forward to the next year with a new group of people who have shared interests and varied personalities. Also the opportunity to gain more experience about what I hope to be my future career with a theatre I am already fond of.

Bhavita Atisha (she/her)

Why did you sign up for the Young Company?

I signed up for the Young Company to learn more about acting in theatre techniques, to speak to more like-minded people like me and have fun! I also want to make more connections with new people that are my age as I am going to be seeing them a lot over the next few years since we are in the same industry, it would be great to see a friendly face in this competitive industry.

What do you hope to get out of it?

I hope to gain experience in acting for theatre, understand how to work in a team, how to break down a script and see what it takes to put a whole play together. I also hope to take as much knowledge as I can from our team lead, Tian.

What are you most excited about?

I cannot wait to start working on a play and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Nothing gets me more excited than having a script in hand and I can start exploring different ways to tell that story. It is also great that everyone with me is committed to the Young Company and is in this willingly, so I can trust my scene partners and know we will create a beautiful piece that resonates with the audience.

Zakib Sardar (he/him)

Why did you sign up for the Young Company?

During my time at careers in theatre week I had learnt so much about the royal exchange and I had wanted to be somehow apart of it even after the week finished and Tom had always kept encouraging me to join the writers as he liked my poetry and knew I had a passion for both writing and acting…I then applied for the writer’s young company and I got in !! Overall, though I really enjoyed the environment of the exchange, everyone is so kind and welcoming it’s like a little family and it’s just so comforting knowing you have all these people with you for support and whatever you need.

What do you hope to get out of it?

I hope to hone into my creative skills when it comes to theatre as I have never dipped myself into the theatrical side of writing and I hope after this whole experience I get to discover a new side to myself when it comes to writing which I never would’ve thought I had.

What are you most excited about?

I am excited to work collaboratively with other writers who enjoy the world of creativity and creating new work. I am also very interested in seeing what the young company has to offer when it comes to the writing sides, as a lot of people who think of theatre genuinely always think about the actors first and for once it’s like I am able to focus solely on the idea of creating a piece of theatre and a story from the writing perspective instead of acting…however if there are any opportunities to be involved within acting in the writers then I definitely won’t pass that up!

Elanor Furman-Gower (she/her)

Why did you sign up for the Young Company?

I signed up to the Young Company because I heard amazing things from a friend of mine who was in the company last year, they spoke about how wonderful the people you meet are and how many opportunities to grow as a performer and a creative there are.

What do you hope to get out of it?

I hope to meet lots of Manchester based creatives and performers! I also hope to develop my acting and writing skills.

What are you most excited about?

I’m most excited about having a session every Tuesday where I get to act and be with like-minded people.