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"I just wanted to remind myself of what it feels like to connect with something."

TINY DANCERS is a funny and heartfelt look at how it feels to be together and apart, made and rehearsed during lockdown with young talent from National Youth Theatre's Playing Up Company. 

Written by Isley Lynn (War of the Worlds, Skin a Cat) and the company and directed by Milli Bhatia (seven methods of killing kylie jenner, My White Best Friend (and other letters left unsaid)) TINY DANCERS is a fast-paced video drama featuring time-travel, couples therapy and absolute bops.

Team

Writer - Isley Lynn
Director - Milli Bhatia 
Sound Designer / Composer / Filmmaker - Matt Farthing 
Movement Director - Brian Duffy
Company Stage Manager - Grace Lewis
Associate Director / Playing Up Course Assistant - Libby Devereux
Associate Director - Edward Hill
Interpreter - Matt Kyle 
Film Consultant - Carolina Giammetta 
Playing Up Manager and Production Coordinator - Simone Waller 
Playing Up Manager - Emily Doherty 
Associate Director - Anna Niland 

Playing Up Cast 

Alaska Couprie, Alexandra Charles, Alfayd Raji, Alisha Dyer-Spence, Amelia Rodger, Aneeza Ahmed, Beth Levy, Bethlehem Wolday-Myers, Cainan Farrah, Jack Hyland, Jonathan Price, Kai Johnson, Kai Jerdioui, Kc Gardiner, Lauren Allen, Leah Besson, Mars Sams, Oliver Brewer, Omar McDonald, Patrick Ashe, Viktor Sceniavskij, Yasmin Twomey, Yoseph Ariyan.

Playing Up

Playing Up is an OCN Level 3 accredited 10 month drama training programme, offering young people aged 19 - 24 who are not in Education Employment or Training  the opportunity to gain an Access to Higher Education Diploma in Theatre Arts, which is equivalent to 2 ‘A’ Levels. It is free at the point of access and champions diverse young talent that needs a fresh start or second chance. It is a vital alternative route back into the education system or straight into the creative industries and offers travel bursaries and offers pastoral, academic and career progression support to young people on the course.

In response to Covid-19 half way through this year's course Playing Up switched to being delivered online and we are grateful to our young company, staff team and creatives for the creativity, commitment and patience in adapting to this new platform. 

We'd also like to thank Oliver Samuel for assisting rehearsals, our Acting for Screen tutor Nikesh Patel, Geoffrey Stuart, Sophie Wilkinson-Morris, Jonathan Kinnersley, Ann Akin and Hamish MacDougall

National Youth Theatre would like to thank the following people and organisations for their support of Playing Up in the 2019/20 academic year: City and Islington College, European Union European Social Fund, L&Q Foundation, The Henry Smith Charity, Ironmongers’ Foundation, Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, Jacqueline Worswick, Boris Karloff Charitable Trust, Jack Petchey Foundation and Unity Theatre Trust.

We are delighted that the Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation is supporting the David Wingate Fellowship that will provide bursaries to support students on our Playing Up course in 2019/20.

We would also like to thank our principal supporters: Arts Council England and The David Pearlman Charitable Foundation.

Photos by Ludovic des Cognets