THE Soldiers' Arts Academy will run an introductory workshop for serving and ex-service personnel ahead of establishing an arts hub at York Theatre Royal.
The four-hour workshop tomorrow (May 23) will look at all aspects of the arts and will be run by veterans who have moved into the arts in writing, acting, film and other areas.
All serving and veterans are welcome at the workshop. Eleven have signed up already and up to four places still remain available; those wishing to attend should contact the SAA’s Amanda Faber at amandapullinfaber@gmail.com.
The Soldiers’ Arts Academy is backed by the Royal Foundation and Walking With The Wounded to support the workshop, to be run by former Army scholar turned actor, writer and director Jonathan Lewis. Travel costs are covered and those wanting to attend from outside the area are asked to contact Amanda.
The SAA presented Lewis’s play Soldier On with a cast that included ex-soldiers at the York Theatre Royal Studio in April last year. This has prompted the SAA to seek to establish an arts hub in York, fronted by Vincent Lyles and Chloe Scarlett Haines, with the Theatre Royal agreeing to offer a location for the new venture.
The Soldier On cast for the York Theatre Royal performances in April 2018
Amanda, who produced the play, says: "Everyone in the Soldier On company had the most wonderful time working with the team in York, who have been hugely supportive about launching an arts hub for local veterans in York."
The SAA already runs an arts hub in London that involves weekly masterclasses with professionals in theatre, poetry, music and dance and artists too. "The workshops are free and we have up to 42 a year," says Amanda.
"They are open to everyone: serving and ex-service personnel and their spouses and family members. From these hubs, we develop professional productions in theatre and dance. They provide crucial credits that enable veterans to get on to Spotlight [the casting directory] and then to get agents.
"People who have no interest in going into the arts also come to us to improve their confidence and self-esteem."
Some SAA cast members are in the Shakespeare’s Globe production of Merry Wives Of Windsor in London. The SAA also partnered with the Globe for a sell-out production in the Sam Wanamaker Theatre to commemorate the end of the First World War.
More information about the SAA can be found at soldierartsacademy.com.
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