Unique Hungry Wolf company delivering passionate youth theatre

The company was conceived, with funding from The Starr Trust, by the creative team behind the well-established The Theatre Workshop in response to the huge demand from their teenage and young-adult students to provide a platform for passionate youth theatre that doesn’t pander to stereotypical ‘youth theatre’ standards.

By working exclusively with new writers and tackling only the hardest-hitting and realistic subjects experienced by young people today, Hungry Wolf is unique.

Central to the company’s ethos is the creation of challenging, thought-provoking and often political youth theatre that is relevant, modern and not patronising to either the young people performing or the audience.

Hungry Wolf gives young actors the opportunity to work with up and coming writers and directors on imaginative, cutting edge theatre. They collaborate with a writer to create a unique piece of work. The resulting collaboration is theatre written for young people by young people, empowering them.

It provides a platform for young people to have their creative voices heard and to make work involving all areas of theatre, from writing, directing, production and technical theatre. It creates opportunities for young people to perform at Fringe festivals across the UK.

Hungry Wolf brings together young people from a diverse background, united by a common focus in the creative arts. Unlike other local and national youth theatres our focus is on the work being devised by the young participants who join the company. It is a safe space where the thoughts and ideas of young people shape the work that they ultimately produce and perform in. It is a chance to be involved in all the elements of theatre not just performance, these opportunities to work in technical theatre are so rare for young people.

During the Summer Workshop 2023, 30 young actors between the ages of 13 and 21 came together to collaborate on a re-interpretation of a classic. With the guidance of Artistic Director Melody Roche, Director Gary Sefton and writers Katherine Manners and Ella Dorman-Gajic, the young company wrote and performed an immersive adaptation of Antigone.

The Starr Trust funding enabled five young people to access this creative process which also opened the door for one young student to be further funded to attend The Theatre Workshop post-16 course for one term.

This will go some way to support his ambition of going to drama school.

Students

Finlay Brookes
Chloe Wright
Elise Read
Ava Pavlo-Ruffell
Ima Lucas

“The workshop has been a fantastic opportunity that I wouldn’t have been able to do without the help and support of the trust. I met some wonderful people, and have also received incredibly generous support to continue with a term at the theatre workshop with the help from the director and others.” – Finlay Brookes, 17

“My experience attending the Hungry Wolf summer school was so much fun and I’m so glad I went. Without the funding, it wasn’t even a possibility for me to attend.” – Chloe Wright, 19

Thank you Starr Trust! Your funding made it possible for me to partake in a transformative journey through the world of theatre. Attending the Hungry Wolf workshop provided me with invaluable learning opportunities and highlighted many different aspects of creating a piece of drama. Under the guidance of experienced mentors, I explored stagecraft, acting, scriptwriting and improvisation. This exposure not only enhanced my creativity, but also fostered essential life skills, such as teamwork, communication, and self-confidence as we all had to listen to each other in order to create our own play at the end of the week.

Thanks to your support, I was able to learn from professionals in the field, who shared their knowledge and expertise generously with individual acting guidance, writing tips and how to dissect a story. Your contribution has allowed me to continue doing what I love and I am now starting to write my own pieces.

The final performance we put on for our friends and families brought joy and inspiration to everyone present. I was introduced to the world of promenades and multi-rolling. The sense of achievement we felt was immeasurable, and it was all made possible because of your support.

I want to sincerely thank The Starr Trust for making this incredible experience a reality. Your belief in the potential of young artists like me has changed lives and opened doors that we never thought possible. I am determined to continue pursuing my passion with the skills and confidence gained during this week.

Thanks again,

Ava Gypsy Pavlo-Ruffell

thetheatreworkshop.com/hungry-wolf-youth-theatre

https://www.starrtrust.org/