We are delighted to be working in partnership with Prince's Trust on this personal development programme for young people aged 16-30years old: Get Started with Performance & Creativity.

📣It’s free and applications are open now! 📣

This weeklong programme is perfect for folks that would like to 👇

• Unleash their creativity,
• Explore creative leadership,
• Achieve an Arts Award qualification,
• Increase professional confidence and personal impact,
• Devise creative content with a professional theatre company,
• Learn about working in the creative industries by working with artists, theatre makers, production, practitioners & an animator!
  
  

Across the week, folks will have a go at different art forms with professional artists top of their game in their field, alongside developing professional skills that are not only essential for the creative industries, but also any workplace. Each artist and creative practitioner contributing to the programme, will share their career stories and hints and tips that will help on your own journey.
 
This week – is not just for folks interested in the creative sector, it’s for anyone aged 16-30years old, who is curious about how creativity and related skills and thinking processes, are game changing employability strengths.

Key info:
🌟 Sign up and find out more by emailing: [email protected]
🌟 Taster session: 10th October – come along and meet Mortal Fools & have a taster of the programme!
🌟 Get Started with Performance & Creativity dates: 16th – 20th October.
🌟 Application deadline: 9th October.
🌟 Location: Princes Trust, Newcastle city centre. 
 
Get ready to unleash your creativity with Mortal Fools and Princes Trust and sign up now!
We are so excited! ​

Kiz Crosbie, Mortal Fools CEO & Artistic Director said: “Collaborations with compassionate and civic-minded business partners like Muckle LLP and Ryder Architecture enables us to remove significant barriers for schools to access this important programme, placing effective mental health resources directly into the hands of the children who need it most. The more businesses like this we work with, the more children we can reach. We would love more businesses to invest in Melva, so we can reach even more young people!”

The support of businesses like Muckle LLP and Ryder Architecture enables schools, many of whom have been impacted by increasing demands and shrinking budgets, to access the MELVA programme and learn new ways to support their children. 

Muckle LLP community team selected five North East schools to gift MELVA to as part of their evolving commitment to ESG, while Ryder Architecture are gifting eight licences to schools across the North as part of their 70th anniversary celebrations.

Hugh Welch, senior partner from Muckle LLP commented: “We are delighted to have been able to partner with Mortal Fools. We believe that business can and should be a force for good - giving back and sharing our success is central to our values and culture. We know that all actions, big and small, can move the needle in a positive direction. That’s why it’s important for us to be able to support our local community with resources like MELVA, that align with our values of supporting young people, overcoming disadvantage, and improving social mobility.”

Richard Wise, Partner from Ryder Architecture added: “I have two hats to wear when it comes to Mortal Fools. As a partner at Ryder Architecture, I cannot praise them enough for what they do. Many of our people have benefitted from the personal and professional develop training programmes they deliver. As Chair of Trustees, I am incredibly proud of the positive impact Mortal Fools has on the lives of the young people they serve. 

Melva has never been more relevant, it tackles issues of anxiety, confidence and mental health in an imaginative and engaging way, and we are delighted to have been able to support the programme as part of our 70th anniversary year.”

For more information on the MELVA programme visit www.melva.org.uk
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To download the MELVA brochure showcasing how businesses can support children and young peoples’ mental health by investing into the programme click here!

We are delighted to be hosting our friends and project partners – the award-winning Company Three for a practice development workshop across two days on 1st & 2nd November. This high quality and impactful training called ‘Making Theatre with Young People’ is for folks working with young people to create and co-create creative and performance-based content. 

Company Three are united on a mission to give teenagers the power to tell their own stories and create their own change. They do this as a theatre company of professional theatre makers and led by the ideas of 75 young people aged 11-19.

Their approach to co-creation and using youth theatre a vehicle for social change, personal growth and as a place of community, has long been a source of inspiration to us at Mortal Fools and influenced our practice. 

Some members of our team have attended this training before and found it impactful, game changing and a must for theatre makers and folks making performance work with young people. We thoroughly recommend this course, and we are very excited to be bringing it to the North East. 

Making Theatre with Young People - Company Three

About:
Led by Company Three's Artistic Director, Ned Glasier, this 2-day course will give you an overview of how they make plays with young people. Company Three will share how they create a space in which young people feel safe to express themselves and a step-by-step guide to turning their ideas and material into a finished play. 

Course times:
Two days – 1st & 2nd November, 10am – 5pm

Cost: 
It is £175 per person to attend this two-day course. 
The course has been subsidised by Mortal Fools and would normally be £250 per person to attend or thousands if commission the training directly for an organisation. 

Location: 
At YMCA Northumberland, North View, Ashington NE63 9XQ
Venue has changing facilities, disabled toilet, vending machine, and on-site car park. If on site car parking is full – there is free car parking close by.
To familiarise yourself with the venue, facilities, and locations – head to YMCA Northumberland website: https://ymcanorthumberland.org.uk/

Who is the Making Theatre with Young People course for? 
Theatre-makers, artists, choreographers, musicians, teachers, youth workers, writers, producers, and anyone who is interested in meaningful artistic collaboration with young people. 

How much experience do I need? 
The course works best when there are people with a wide mix of experience in the room - from beginners to those who have been doing it for years. 

Access:
It is Company Three and Mortal Fools’ responsibility to make this course and venue accessible so that everyone can participate in it. Please contact us via: [email protected] with your access needs prior to booking and if appropriate we will follow up with more information/opportunity to chat to the team. 
There will be a note taker at the event recording contributions across the two days – notes will be shared after the session.
Attendees will receive a pre-course email with information about the days and what to expect. 

About Company Three: 
You can find out more about Company Three via their website: www.companythree.co.uk

How to book or express interest:
To book and/or to request more information email Team Mortal Fools via: [email protected]
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We have limited places available on this course and it will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Once you’re booked on – Mortal Fools will raise an invoice for payment for £175 which will be payable ahead of attending, and only payment of invoice officially confirms your place.