Not for nothing did the Lyric Theatre, Belfast – once described in the Irish Times as ‘a cultural bridge in a divided city’ – receive the UK Theatre Award's excellence in arts education commendation in 2022. With no full-time actor training available in Northern Ireland, the Lyric's Drama Studio, led by Philip Crawford for the past three decades, has provided much-needed opportunities for young people to decide if they wish to pursue a career in the performing arts.
‘It's something we pride ourselves on,’ says Erin Hoey, who took over from Crawford earlier this year as the Lyric's head of creative learning, although he has stayed on in a freelance capacity as director of the Drama Studio. ‘We hope the young people who come to the Drama Studio will get an idea what it's like to train, then, at the end of the course, if they decide that's what they want to do, we'll support them with audition prep. Equally, if they decide this isn't for them, that's a win too because they won't have spent thousands of pounds on a course at one of the big drama schools to reach the same conclusion.’
A unique offering
Around 60 18- to 26-year-old wannabes apply every year for 14 places on the Drama Studio course, which runs from September to December. The lucky ones will receive training in voice, movement, acting for stage and screen, stage combat, audition techniques and career management. Links between the Lyric and drama schools across the UK enable students to benefit from the experience of visiting practitioners as well as giving them insights into the application and auditioning process. Over the past decade, some 80 Lyric alumni have been successful in gaining places in the UK's leading drama schools, among them Olivier award-winner Anthony Boyle and rising star Zara Devlin.
As from this year, up to five bursaries of £4,000 will be made available annually by the Fishmongers' Company – one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London – to graduates of the Drama Studio who have gone on to full-time actor training. Smaller bursaries are also provided to Drama Studio participants in need of financial support to cover travel expenses, equipment and application fees while applying for drama school. Students who successfully complete the Drama Studio course are eligible for the end-of-course production at the Lyric.
© COURTESY OF LYRIC THEATRE BELFAST
The Wastebusters cast at the Lyric Theatre
Workshops and outreach schemes
In addition to the Drama Studio, the Lyric also runs weekly Theatre School classes for 6- to 18-year-olds, involving more than 150 participants over a ten-week period. They work with a team of professional facilitators, exploring many different performance skills and helping to develop confidence. It is also helpful for those studying AS or A Level Drama.
In terms of its outreach work, the Lyric works closely with a wide network of primary and secondary schools in Northern Ireland through its Schools Affiliation Scheme and Theatre In Education. ‘Our work isn't just in Belfast, we like to get out to other communities and schools wherever we can,’ explains Hoey.
Support and funding
Funding for these outreach activities comes from a number of different sources, such as the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, which backed the recent primary school tour of Wastebusters, an eco-musical, because they wanted an imaginative and effective way of getting across environmental issues. It is the fourth consecutive year the department has backed a Lyric tour.
Similarly, Northern Ireland's Department of Justice got behind Blackout, a high-energy production directed at secondary students about making communities safer and tackling anti-social behaviour head on. An accompanying social media campaign promoted the benefits of talking about personal challenges, offering advice and support.
A new show about young people's mental health issues is currently in development, which Hoey hopes to tour to secondary schools in the new year.
A growing relationship with teachers
The aim of the Schools Affiliation Scheme, launched in 2018, is to strengthen relationships between schools across Northern Ireland by developing communication links with teachers. Part of Hoey's remit is to support drama departments in schools by sharing advice, expertise and resources.
‘The Lyric ignites a magic power within our students and drives them towards success,’ says Laura Johnston, head of drama at Rathmore grammar school, Belfast. ‘The creative learning team is like an extension to our drama department. They are simply a lifeline we could not survive without. From workshops with industry professionals, tickets to attend live theatre performances, to post-show Q and As and resources to support live theatre analysis for examination classes – the list is endless.’
Clearly the demands of the Lyric's creative learning programme are many and varied, and constantly evolving. Doesn't Hoey find the workload overwhelming at times? She says, ‘If you love what you do, it doesn't stress you out. I love coming in to work every morning, every project is so different and the variety is second to none.’