New creative pathways for 16-25 yr olds

Four ways in... which one is yours?

Our Young Companies do what they do really well. They give young people the chance to explore theatre, build confidence and create work together. But as young people get older, we know they need clearer pathways to take their interests further.

That’s why we’re launching new creative pathways for 16–25-year-olds under our Young Company programme.

Four ways to get involved

The pathways are about giving you more choice, more agency and more opportunities to experience how professional theatre is made. Onstage, behind the scenes and in response to the work.

1. Young Company 4: Create + Perform
Cost: £60 per term
When: Every other Monday 6pm - 9pm
Start date: 5 October 2026

Our flagship theatre making company gives you the opportunity to make a show - not simply be in one.

This year they'll work with writer and theatre artist Buddug Roberts and professional artists to create a brand-new piece of theatre.

You’ll experiment with text, music, movement, performance and form, working together as an ensemble to take the work from its earliest ideas through to a finished production.

2. Young Company: Writing
Cost: £50 per term
When: Monthly (Wednesdays)
Start Date: 23 September 2026

Have an idea for a play? A character who won’t leave you alone? Or just want to find out whether writing is your thing?

This is a chance to develop your voice alongside some of Wales’ most exciting playwrights.

We’ll bring together a series of masterclasses with:

Mared Llywelyn
Leo Drayton
Hanna Jarman
Daf James
Elgan Rhys
Lowri Morgan

Each artist will open up a different part of the craft. From ideas and character to structure, dialogue, experimentation and turning something in your head into work for the stage.

The programme will lead towards developing your own work, with opportunities to hear it performed through live readings at Nyth and beyond.

The Writing pathway is hybrid, so you can join us at Nyth or online.

3. Young Company: Tech + Design
Cost: £50 per term
Term 1 dates: 22 Sep (evening) / 25 Sep (evening) / 26 Sep (afternoon) / Weekend of 23 October (time tbc)

In partnership with Pontio, get behind the scenes of professional theatre and live events.

There’s a whole world of work that happens before an audience takes its seat, and we want to give you the chance to experience it first-hand.

You’ll have opportunities to go behind the scenes of our professional production Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd, experiencing technical rehearsals, previews and the final stages before opening night.

We’ll also take you into Theatr Bryn Terfel at Pontio, where you’ll see how a theatre is transformed into a live music venue for their BANG! Festival.

What happens during a get-in? Who does what? How do sound, lighting, equipment, artists and venue teams come together to make a live event happen?

Because the sessions below are part of Frân Wen and Pontio's professional programme, a detailed timetable will be shared at the start of each term.

4. Young Company: Review
Cost: £30 per term
Term 1 dates: 14 Oct - 07 November 2026

Develop your voice as a theatre reviewer.

Young Company: Review gives you the chance to develop the skills and confidence to respond to live theatre.

Across three terms, you'll receive mentorship from Gareth Llŷr Evans, a professional reviewer for The Guardian, through masterclasses exploring how to look at theatre critically, form and express an opinion and develop your own voice as a reviewer.

And then you’ll go and see the work.

Every term includes:

1 masterclass
1 live production
1 review
1 publication

By the end of the year, you’ll have seen three productions, written three reviews and had your work published.

We’ll support you throughout the process, from your first notes after leaving the theatre, through developing your ideas and refining your response, to preparing the final piece for publication.

More than a programme

All our Young Company activities are based at Nyth in Bangor, our home and a working creative space where artists develop ideas, writers create new work and productions are made.

We want you to be part of that environment - meeting professional artists, seeing rehearsals, developing your own ideas and discovering where you might fit within the theatre industry.

You choose your pathway. You develop your work. You become part of the creative process.