The Festival City Theatres Trust, the registered charity that runs the Festival, the Studio on Potterrow and King’s Theatres in Edinburgh, officially launches a talent development initiative for emerging young actors called The Attic Collective.
From a pool of nearly 400 applicants and following two rounds of auditions in September, a core company of 18 were chosen with an additional 12 actors who will have access to industry events and workshops.
They will be based at the King’s Theatre Edinburgh for the next twelve months where they will be working with Director Susan Worsfold and Cat Sheridan, Learning and Participation Coordinator for the Trust and Creative Producer for the Collective who says, “The Attic Collective offers something unique and exceptional for emerging young actors in Scotland. The feedback we’ve had is that there really is nothing else out there for actors looking to extend their professional training but unable to commit financially or otherwise to a three-year training course. The actors who have applied to join us are of an extremely high standard, and we can’t wait to see what they can do in the next twelve months.”
Director Susan Worsfold, who trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland adds, “Our ensemble members have proven their commitment to working in the theatre industry, either through education, creating or being in professional work. This next year will offer further access to the professional community and a support in their lifelong commitment to theatre in Scotland…”
Membership of The Attic Collective provides free training for a year for young actors who are at some stage of formal acting training and who are based in Scotland and the Collective will work closely with colleges across Scotland to develop mutually beneficial links and relationships. It will offer a unique, free talent development initiative offering professional training, industry access and performance opportunities and will produce a contemporary, a classical and a musical performance each year.
The successful actors chosen for in the core company are Ellen Aitken, Saskia Ashdown, Hannah Bradley, Adam Butler, Sally Cairns, Johnny Cameron, Megan Fraser, Lewis Gribben, Cait Irvine, Conor McLeod, Mark O’Neil, Kirsty Punton, Max Reid, Imogen Reiter, John Spilsbury, Elsa Strachan, Charlie West, Toby Williams and the first ever season productions entitled Classical Structure, Contemporary Voice will be:
Lysistrata by Aristophanes; Fri 27 & Sat 28 January, King’s Theatre Edinburgh
War in America (World Premiere) by Jo Clifford; May 2017.
The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht, September 2017.