Guildhall School of Music and Drama has announced it will take its Backstage Roadshows to schools, multi-academy trusts and colleges across the the UK from the next month.
The scheme had a successful pilot in July, providing state school children with workshops in skills including prop making and stake management.
Designed for up to eight students per session, and suitable for students in years 8 to 11, the school argues that this will tackle a ‘crippling’ sector-wide skills shortage.
Outreach manager at Guildhall School, Jon Hare, said: ‘Our sector faces a crippling production skills shortage that has been exacerbated by declining arts provision in UK state schools, diminishing vital talent pipelines into the backstage workforce.’
‘It is imperative that we give all young people the opportunity to discover the joy of backstage and unlock their own creativity, no matter their background or locality, and the Backstage Roadshow has been devised precisely to respond to this need.’