What we're about

The 40 or so (at any one time) members of our main company range in age from 13-25. We also have a group - the Unknown YoYos - for members aged 8-13.

Through productions, projects and workshops, we encourage teamwork, commitment and effort. Everyone is treated equally by the facilitators and is encouraged to co-operate with each other on the projects, thereby developing mutual respect and understanding.

The regular sessions work towards a production every six months or so, together with an increasing amount of exciting unique projects from time to time. During the course of the year, the young people's experiences will include singing, improvisation and movement sessions.

As they progress through the company, older members are encouraged to participate in some of the decision-making and to become actively involved in all aspects of stage work: including staging, scenery, costumes and props if they wish to do so.

For more information about how The Unknown Theatre Company started and how we got to where we are, see our History page.

to train young people in the skills of stage and performance, building confidence that will go with them through their lives as well as preparing those who want to further a career in the arts.

Honour Roll

To date we have achieved the following:

• 44 full-scale productions
• More than 420 children and young people have appeared in our shows
• 5 separate productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
• Represented the UK by performing at the World Festival of Amateur Theatre in Monaco
• A cultural exchange with a Japanese youth theatre company
• Forged links and visited the High School for the Performing Arts in New York. Twice.
• Performed in a French drama festival
• Performed as part of The International Festival of Musical Theatre. Twice.
• Qualified for, and performed at, the Wales Final Festival of One-Act Plays
• 3 commissioned new works - with a new one in development
• Running a Summer School
• A reputation as a producer of quality work
• Community and charity concerts
• A variety of professionally-run workshops

...and a host of awards! 

The main objectives of the company are:

• To offer young people the chance to train in all aspects of the performing arts i.e. drama, dance and singing
• To provide a platform for young people to perform in those arts
• To encourage team commitment and effort
• To provide equal opportunities for all members irrespective of race, culture, religion, special needs, gender and social status
• To offer unique opportunities, professional and otherwise, that young people would not normally be able to experience
• To make those opportunities affordable for all so that it is not the case of 'if you have the money, you have the talent.'

The Unknown Theatre Company and Child Protection

The Unknown Theatre Company takes very seriously the matter of Child Protection and operates a Child Protection Policy.

All Company leaders have received enhanced CRB checks and we strive to ensure that other adults who work with the Company are also checked.

All effort is made to ensure that the young people in the Company are safe at all times.

Current committee members are:

Annette Littlechild	Jane Donoghue	Lon David	Lucy Chiplin	Vic Atkins	Jenni Phillips	Geraldine Robers	Jenny Hibbert	Jenny Donoghue	Kelly Littlechild	Melissa Moore
Main committee								Youth Committee

Committee members are volunteers and amateur theatre enthusiasts. All give their time tirelessly for the benefit of the Company.  Several are also very active members of the Glamorgan Drama League, and are involved in the GDL's Glammies Awards process, including writing reports on shows for other companies, as part of our own development process. Also, Jane is a member of BAFTA and Lon is a member of the Executive Board of the Drama Association of Wales, and runs this website.

Updated
13 January2010

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