Young Company Graduates Take the Lead!

THRESHOLD, a bold new play created with and for the 2024 Young Company, brings together intersecting stories by three Young Company Writers Graduates: Rosa Gatley, Sharvi Rana and Jake Talbot, mentored by playwright Becky Prestwich. The Writers have taken part in the Young Company Writers programme across the past 5 years, so the Royal Exchange team were incredibly excited to be able to offer this paid commission to them, ensuring there were opportunities to platform their work and ensure young people’s voices are centre stage.

Rosa, one of the THRESHOLD writers reflected:

Being selected to write THRESHOLD is nothing short of a dream come true. In the past few years I feel as if I have massively developed my playwriting craft, and this is largely down to the Young Company and all the opportunities it has given me. It really feels like a full circle moment getting to write for and work alongside the current Young Company after my graduation from the cohort two years ago! It has been a fantastic experience collaborating with Jake and Sharvi – playwriting can be such a lonely activity sometimes, and I’ve really enjoyed learning how to work together and create a piece that really showcases us as writers. I’ve also learned so much from Becky, Tian and Billie.

Sharvi, another THRESHOLD Writer commented:

Being a part of the Young Writers gave me a jumpstart into the world of playwriting. It was an incredibly inspiring and educating experience that taught me the complexities of writing. It gave me the motivation to pursue it as a career. Our weekly sessions with Naomi Sumner created a safe space where stories of the BIPOC community could be championed.

 

My experience of writing THRESHOLD has been highly rewarding. The writer’s room sessions with Becky, Tian, and Billie greatly enhanced my creative process and encouraged me to write The Light. Their feedback on the script always motivated me to improve and made the experience very fulfilling. For THRESHOLD, I wanted to imagine what the future would look like for young people of colour, particularly women, and tell a story that underscores the pressure of the societal and personal expectations that they face. I was inspired to write The Light by the migrant crisis and the discrimination faced by immigrants in the UK. The current far-right protests that are targeting people of colour have made The Light more relevant than ever in our political landscape.

Jake, the final writer of THRESHOLD has said:

I started with the Royal Exchange all the way back in 2019 with The Royal Exchange’s Young Company, which was the perfect opportunity as a youngster to embrace myself with more theatre, more plays and to surround myself with likeminded creatives. Then in 2023, I was invited back to be apart of The Graduate Writer’s Programme, where the Royal Exchange and Paddy Hughes supported me in the beginnings of what has now become BROKEN BOYS a play that’s currently in rehearsals due to be performed at 53Two this August. Now, I’m extremely grateful to be back, as one of the writers of the 2024 Young Company show, THRESHOLD. It’s been an absolute joy to be back in the theatre, to be working with an amazing team of writers, supported by Becky Prestwich. To have the opportunity to be in the rehearsal room, which is every theatre makers favourite place, either that or the bar! And as always, it’s incredibly exciting to be working with young people, their passion, enthusiasm and talent makes me excited for the future of not just The Royal Exchange but of theatre in Greater Manchester. Now, without a theatre in my hometown of Oldham, The Royal Exchange has and hopefully always will feel like my home theatre.

As well as the three writers, our Movement Director Yandass Ndlovu, and Voice Coach Rosemary Berkon have both been through the Young Company programme at the Exchange, and we’re so proud to have them both working on the show.

The Assistant Facilitators for Young Company are always graduates, looking to get some facilitation experience and giving peer support to the current company, this year we’re excited to have Makers Graduates Linnae and Rowdah, as well as Performers Graduate J’melia assisting. This upcoming year, two of our lead facilitators are Young Company graduates, bringing both their wealth of experience but also a knowledge and understanding of what it’s been like starting out in Young Company. Sara Abanur, our Young Company Makers Lead 2024-25 said:

The young company was a great entry into the world of theatre arts for me. As someone new to theatre, it equipped me with many skills from setting up a theatre company to co-directing an intergenerational show at the royal exchange. The building has always felt like welcoming hub of creativity, ready to open its doors to the next generation of artists in the city. To now be able to pass on the baton and give back to the young company with everything I’ve learnt is a privilege.

Billie Collins, our Young Company Writers Lead 2024-25 commented:

I’m beyond excited to work alongside and learn from so many brilliant young people, and to collaborate with the fantastic Young Company team. I was in the Young Writers myself as a teenager – it’s where I wrote my first play, and I know just how much of a difference it can make. The space Young Company provides for exploration, expression and connection is more important than ever.

We know how challenging it can be to be a young creative in the industry to develop your skills further and access paid work, so we’re thrilled to have so many graduates working on the programme and production, as well as beyond, on our main stage, in our offices, on our board and greeting audience members as part of our Visitor Experience Team.

THRESHOLD is running 22-24 August in the Studio Theatre, book tickets below.

Young Company Performers Applications have now closed, but we are still looking for Young Company Makers (directing, designing, stage management) & Writers (ages 16-25) – you can apply by clicking the link below!