How the UK’s largest community theatre is inspiring our future performers

Titchfield Festival Theatre (TFT) is delighted to announce its new partnership with the Gosport and Fareham Multi Academy Trust (GFM), with the launch of a two-year post-16 BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts this September.

The BTEC national qualification is equivalent to 3 A levels and will provide a wide range of opportunities for students to work alongside the theatre cast and crew. It gives openings for young people to perform on stage as well to develop technical skills, helping to broaden their understanding of theatre.

Kevin Fraser, Artistic Director of Titchfield Festival Theatre said, “Titchfield Festival Theatre are delighted to be able to partner with GFM on this BTEC initiative.

“Young People are the mainstay of theatre: it is important to ensure that the performing arts sector have a pool of trained and inspired individuals who wish to go on and seek a career in this dynamic business sector.”   

This collaboration is only one example of TFT’s commitment to giving opportunities for young people to fulfil their potential.

In addition to the partnership with the Gosport and Fareham Multi Academy Trust, TFT has been working with Havant & South Downs College since 2020 as part of their BTEC Performing Arts programme. Final year students are opening TFT’s 2021 Shakespeare Season with a contemporary and reimagined production of A Midsummer’s Nights Dream at Titchfield’s Great Barn on 18th – 21st May.

At the heart of all these activities is the Titchfield Festival Youth Programme managed by Conner Handstock and Sassy Harvey. Conner is a professionally trained actor and qualified drama teacher, having trained at Bath Spa and Chichester Universities. Sassy is a trained drama facilitator possessing a degree in Drama, Applied Theatre and Education from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

As part of the course, students will have the opportunity to take part in the Titchfield Shakespeare Festival, devise and produce Children’s Theatre to be toured to local schools as well as honing their theatre and stagecraft skills within a theatre environment. Sassy said,

“We are so excited about the future of the new partnership with the Gosport and Fareham Multi Academy Trust, which builds on our growing youth theatre programme. Our goal is to inspire the future theatre makers and performers of tomorrow.”

Head of performing arts at the GFM David Malcolmson said: “We are very happy to work with a highly respected organisation such as the Titchfield Festival Theatre.

“They have a well-deserved reputation for engaging, inspiring, entertaining and challenging audiences, with theatrical productions that range from the classics to new works.

“This course is unique and vocational in the truest sense because it will allow our students to work alongside talented people working within the industry. We can’t wait to get started.”

A Promotional video has been produced of the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Performing Arts.