Venue focus: Chichester Festival Theatre

Chichester Festival Theatre is one of the UK's flagship venues, known for its annual summer festival season, and for showcasing productions that frequently transfer to London's West End. Another aspect for which it is renowned is its connection with its local community, through its Learning, Education and Participation (LEAP) department, which works with people of all ages.

Within LEAP sits an inspiring programme of activities, workshops, and projects for young people of all abilities, cultures and social backgrounds. The Chichester Festival Youth Theatre (CFYT) forms the largest strand of its work with 850 young people taking part each week in acting, dance, technical and musical theatre workshops. These run at CFT itself, and at other locations across West Sussex, within a satellite hub structure ‘in areas where we identified vulnerability or need for young people’ – says Dale Rooks, MBE, director of LEAP at CFT. It is an audition-free group with bursary places for young people who need financial support available.