Launching careers: Lyric Hammersmith Theatre's Springboard scheme

Finding your way into the industry at a young age can be a daunting prospect. Even with experience and opportunity, aspirational young students can struggle to break through, and those without any kind of formal training can be at a much greater disadvantage. However, the Lyric Hammersmith in London is giving the latter a real leap forward in the form of its fully funded engagement platform, Springboard.

‘Springboard is a free, part-time two-year training programme that aims to find, shape, inspire, champion and sustain the next generation of performers,’ says Young Lyric director Rob Lehmann. ‘It's designed specifically to support young people aged 18-25 years old who live in West London, have zero to little formal drama training and are currently underrepresented in theatre.’