Theatre Centre

Who we are

Theatre Centre is a national touring, new writing theatre company making bold and relevant shows with and for young people. We commission new work from trailblazing writers and artists, touring directly into schools and theatres across the UK. Alongside this we run our year-round Future Makers programme to bring young people, artists and teachers together.

We prioritise systemically underserved and excluded areas, removing economic and social barriers, and working where young people can benefit most. 

As a specialist in the theatre ecosystem, we're not just a new writing company, but a connector and enabler, linking young people, schools, teachers, artists, and communities. Weʼre proud to have a strong community of teachers, provide access to professional artists as collaborators and strongly advocate for the power of creative approaches in education. 

Founded in 1953 by Brian Way and Margaret Faulkes, we have always played a vital role in youth leadership, developing creative and life skills and nurturing creativity. Access, inclusion and social justice is a bedrock of our work. We use our specialist expertise to nurture new writing made with and for teen and younger audiences, providing niche artist development opportunities for the theatre sector.

Working with our Resident Writer cohorts through the Brian Way Writer’s Room, we commission work from the most exciting contemporary voices. Recent Resident Writers include Charlie Josephine, Ryan Calais Cameron, and Olivier award winning Mohamed Zain Dada and Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini. Other alumnae include our Patron Roy Williams OBE, Juliet Stevenson, Naomi Ackie, and Adrian Noble, formerly RSC Artistic Director.

We are an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, ITC Ethical Manager, a Living Wage Employer, a Disability Confident Employer, using the Anti-Racism Touring Rider, the Anti-Ableism Pledge and the Theatre Green Book, we partner with a wide range of organisations to make our work. 

Theatre-centre.co.uk

Our culture and values

Our vision is that young people are empowered through theatre to find and use their voices and ideas to make change in their lives and in the world around them, and that, through opportunities for creative activity, they explore and use their creativity to develop their potential as active citizens and leaders in the community and in society.

Our mission is to make space for young people where they can:
 

• Feel safe, seen and heard;
• Have agency and control and nurture their talent;
• Connect and collaborate;
• Shape and influence their communities.

To build the creative community with schools and teachers by:

• Taking world-class theatre straight into schools across the country;
• Providing access to professional artists as peers and collaborators;
• Nurturing relationships with teachers, building a strong, connected community;
• Advocating for the power of creative approaches in education.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

We see equality and representation as the foundation of a fair society and work to dismantle systemic injustice and exclusion in all we do. We celebrate the true creative diversity only the widest access can bring.

Our values drive all aspects of our work and are our guiding principles in our approaches to planning and delivery, whether artistic and operational. We apply a set of questions that encapsulate our values in all of our work and plans, so that our values live and breathe and through everything we do and we can hold ourselves accountable:
 

• How is this fair?
• How is this inclusive?
• How is this collaborative?
• How is this courageous
• How could this transform?
• How is this useful?
• How does this show care?
• How is this sustainable?

Our Ways of Being are:

• We’re Kind and Straight-up. We say what we mean - with care and honesty.
• We Show Up and Share. We’re in it together, even when its messy.
• We’re Open and Ready. We listen, we adapt, and we act.