Youth Theatre Lab

Youth Theatre Lab was a free weekly drama session for children and young people in Bradford. It was a space to make, play and create theatre that had something to say about the world. Running on Friday nights, it also had an element of the social – music, atmosphere, like a mini Friday night out. Group members didn’t need to have done drama before – this was a chance for young creative people to build together from their skills and passions.

Since starting working together in 2022, Youth Theatre Lab created three original pieces of theatre, including a piece exploring street harassment which was performed at Leeds Playhouse as part of Open Season; One Way System, performed as part of Off the Curriculum; and Brainstorm.

In 2024, the group co-created 29% Festival, a young people’s festival exploring what it’s like to grow up in a city where 29% of the population are under the age of 20, celebrating the brilliant young talent that the city has to offer.

As part of Bradford 2025 City of Culture, Youth Theatre Lab’s project, Portrait of Mai, took place. They created mix of performance, movement, and poetry, in response to Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai – a key artwork in art history, showing the first Polynesian person to visit Britain.

We celebrated the conclusion of Youth Theatre Lab with a creative exchange trip to Erfurt, Germany, where groups could share culture and make collaborative, outdoor performances.

For more information about similar projects, please contact: [email protected]