Ignition and Stage Write - Get Involved

Do you have a burning desire to use your passion for music, theatre and art to earn money? Do you want to learn skills that could lead to a career in some of the creative industry’s most exciting areas?

Hackney Empire, Hold It Down and Lifeline have come together to run a programme designed to help young people aged 16-24 who are interested in a career in the cultural and creative industries to get the skills that are needed.

We will work with you to find out what your skills are at the moment, and identify your training needs so that we can get you onto a training programme that could get you into full time employment that you enjoy. This is the moment to unleash your creative potential and discover an exciting world of music, theatre and media.

For more information about how you can get involved contact

The Hackney Empire invites you to take part in

Stage Write

Inspired by the recent performances of Noughts and Crosses from the RSC and now the upcoming production of Beau Jest, Stage Write takes identity and the formation of relationships as its starting point.  It is an intensive artistic project for young people aged 16-25, giving emerging writers the opportunity to work with professional artists and showcase their talent and skills in a performance in the studio theatre. Participants will train in the fundamental building blocks of playwriting. Working with professionals, they will have the opportunity to experiment with different approaches and ways of writing for stage. By the end of the intensive, writers will have completed a short script.  Following professional feedback and advice, participants will redraft their plays after the final workshop. Strong plays from committed writers during the workshop will then go on to Part 2 of the workshop. 

During Part 2 we will work with young actors and directors to bring the strongest of these pieces of writing to life.  The young actors and directors will work with professionals to develop their theatre skills, using the interpretation of the new writing as a case study.  They will perform their work in the studio theatre on May 30th/31st.

Get Involved

The deadline has now passed for Writers to get involved in this programme.

Directors and Actors:                        Registration: April 28

Taster: May 16

Training: May 26-31

For more information or to apply, please contact Evan at:

020 8510 4500

Participation is FREE!