Oh 2023, what a magical and jam-packed year you’ve been!

It’s been a whirlwind - we’ve toured shows, created film projects, started new collaborations, grown our team, and worked with more young people than ever before!

As we wind down into the start of 2024, we wanted to take a few moments to celebrate and share our favourite memories and highlights of the year:

In April we were delighted to tour once more with Ensemble Young Company and we had so much fun bringing FLUX to YMCA Northumberland, Burnley Youth Theatre, and Theatre Porto. The experience has brought the group closer after the disruption of the COVID pandemic and it’s been fantastic to see the cast, some of whom have worked with us for many years, captivating audiences once again. 

“I’ve been a part of Ensemble Young Company for two years - it’s been exciting to take Flux to the next level. I’ve enjoyed working with a great crowd of young people and guest artists; it has helped me to believe in my own abilities, to be more confident and progress as a performer.” - Amaaya, Flux 2023 Tour Cast Member

And since September Ensemble Young Company have been working on a collaborative project, led by Company Three, with Beyond Face and Prime Theatre, to co-create performances looking at the shared theme of ‘Grow Up’. So far it has been a fantastic opportunity to share theatre-making practices and connect with passionate young people and staff from youth theatres around the country.

Image from the Bigger Picture filming day Photo Credit: Von Fox

In the summer our youth theatre groups took part in The Bigger Picture Project where they worked with film makers Fly Girl Films to make film shorts that invited audiences to see the world through Mortal Fools Youth Theatre’s eyes and feel what it’s like to grow up today. Each film features a joyful sense of humour, heartfelt optimism and a broad range of stories unfolding. Although young people today face unique challenges, it’s been lovely to see that viewers of all ages have found something in these films they could empathize with. You can watch all five films here.

“Out of our minds is a must- see for those interested in making a difference!” – Eric Fletcher, YMCA Youth and Communities Manager

As part of The Bigger Picture project, it was also wonderful to be able to host screenings, creative workshops and even get our Ashington and Tyne Valley community involved in the filming. It was great to chat to folks about how they feel about where they live – the past, present, and future!

Over the year we’ve found new ways of working with young people and have ran many exciting pilot projects. We have created projects in youth work settings, partnering with YMCA Northumberland for our Creative Monday’s project and running a series of sessions with Amble Youth Project.  We’ve also ran sessions with home-schooled children and young people at Gosforth Civic Theatre and have been working with Prince’s Trust to deliver a skills development program for young people ages 16-25 who are interested in careers in the Creative sector. And to top it all off we’ve hosted creative pop ups at events for Ashington Town Council and others – enabling us to connect with hundreds and hundreds of young people out and about in our communities.

Being able to experiment working in different ways, different levels of engagement and various settings, has been a great opportunity to further understand our audiences and community; their needs, what’s going on in their lives, how they may benefit from participating in creative Mortal Fools activities and what they’d like to see from us in 2024 and beyond. We have actively developed our practice to ensure we are creating welcoming and equitable spaces for participants with intersectional needs, who are now the majority of our beneficiaries.

Shadow Puppetry workshop with Sofia Barton

​We have also expanded our work in schools, with more schools using MELVA this year than ever before. MELVA is a creative storytelling intervention that supports children aged 7-11 to manage their mental well-being and talk about their feelings. In 2023 we have been able to provide MELVA for free to an increasing number of North of Tyne schools, with funding support provided by the North of Tyne Combined Authority, alongside generous donations by Muckle LLC and Ryder Architecture. Currently over 70 schools are using the programme in Northumberland, Newcastle, and North Tyneside!

We’ve welcomed new members to the Mortal Fools team recruiting new Youth Theatre Facilitators and Trustees and creating a new Producer role to provide more support for our Connect and Melva programmes. 

“Since joining the organisation earlier this year I have felt like a really valued member of the team and have loved seeing the impact our work has on young people. I am looking forward to continuing and expanding my work with Mortal Fools in the new year!” - Jessica Whittle, Assistant Practitioner
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We are particularly excited to have created more opportunities for young people to develop their professional skills, supporting them to become caring and passionate future leaders of the arts and culture sector. Two of our Ensemble Young Company members Amaaya and Eloise are now paid members of staff taking on Assistant Practitioner roles, whilst Connor has joined the team as a Volunteer. These young people have been able to gain skills in co-creating and facilitating youth theatre sessions by working alongside our experienced facilitators and staff. We are also thrilled that Mortal Fools Youth Theatre alumni Mark and Maisie have now joined our Board of Trustees, providing their essential insights as former Young Leaders and Ensemble Young Company members.  

Jessica Whittle at The Bigger Picture filming day, Photo Credit: Von Fox

We ended the year on a high with Fools Fest 2023: Through the Wardrobe, co-created, and performed by our Mortal Fools youth theatre members, exploring the theme of Narnia. We wanted to go big with this year’s annual Youth Theatre showcase, challenging our groups to take inspiration from fantasy stories and think ambitiously about how to embody unusual characters and craft alternative worlds for the audience to discover. 

“My favourite part about working with Mortal Fools this year has been seeing our Tyne Valley Stage Three group use their imaginations and build short scenes using the prompts we’ve given them. It’s been an experience I’ll never forget. Thank You so much Mortal Fools, you're the best family I could ask for.” - Connor, Volunteer and Ensemble Young Company Member
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We transformed Highfield Middle School and YMCA Northumberland into magical winter wonderlands with professional set design, lighting, and sound design to perfectly set the scene.  We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our audiences, and it was brilliant to hear family members speak about how much their child’s confidence had grown through being part of the youth theatre.
“Throughout Fools Fest our young people continued to be amazed by seeing their ideas and imaginations coming to life around them. Transforming normal community spaces into immersive, magical worlds offered our young people and audiences an experience that they will never forget.” - Scott Wilson, Young Peoples Practitioner 

Fools Fest rehearsal, Photo Credit: Von Fox

We really couldn’t do all this without the ongoing support of our wonderful Mortal Fools community. There are lots of ways to support us, including by sharing our digital work, attending shows, and championing our projects with friends and family. If you feel able to donate click here to visit our Support us page.   

We will be back before you know it and we can’t wait to build off this year's successes, creating amazing memories with our young people and bringing you bigger and better performances and projects!

Share what you’re most looking forward to in 2024 in the comments!

For now, we’re looking forward to sticking on the festive tunes and enjoying some mince pies and mulled wine. Have a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mortal Fools staff relaxing after Fools Fest Ashington