New College in Leicester will launch hubs to encourage students to take up the arts.
Curve theatre has announced plans to increase its engagement with local young people by launching new Curve Youth and Community Company (CYCC) hubs across Leicester schools.
The three satellite hubs will run in secondary schools in key areas of Leicester to enable young people of all backgrounds to engage with the arts.
Supported by Leicester-based music licensing company PPL PRS, the weekly after-school classes will be led by professional theatre-makers and offered free of charge.
Students will also have the opportunity to watch productions at Curve, perform on the theatre’s stages, tour behind-the-scenes, observe rehearsals for Made at Curve productions and participate in career sessions to explore jobs within the industry.
New College Leicester (NCL), a secondary school located in the New Parks area of the city, is already set to launch a CYCC hub in the upcoming term.
Speaking about the programme, Director of Learning - Expressive Arts and Design Technology, Kate Brown said: “New College Leicester’s partnership with Curve ensures our young people have access to world class performing arts experiences on their doorstep.
"Hosting a CYCC satellite at NCL guarantees our young people can enjoy the highly regarded training and high-profile performance opportunities for which Curve is known.”
CYCC hubs at two additional Leicester city schools will be announced in due course. It is hoped following a successful first year for the first three hubs, the programme will be expanded to offer opportunities to even more students in schools across the city.
Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “Now more than ever, young people need access to creative activities to enrich their lives, develop confidence and help learn more about the world around them.
"Making theatre requires team-work, commitment, hard work and is incredibly rewarding for those who take part.
“Over the years our Youth and Community Companies have gone from strength to strength and we are thrilled our practitioners will be sharing their expertise and passion for theatre with even more young people across the city through our local community hubs.
“We are indebted to our friends at PPL PRS who are enabling us to set up our first CYCC hubs and share our commitment to ensuring every young person should have access to the very best artistic experiences.”
Andrea Gray, Managing Director at PPL PRS commented: “We are delighted to be able to support this fantastic initiative by Curve, to enable the young people of Leicester to access the arts and theatre.
“There is an abundance of talent within the city, and the hubs being created in the local schools will give students the opportunity to showcase their skills and consider careers within the performing arts, or behind the scenes.
“We look forward to seeing the student’s progress as they work with Curve.”
Curve’s CYCC programme first began in 2012 and has since seen over 1,000 5 – 19 year olds develop their skills and participate in musical theatre, dance, drama and technical theatre classes delivered by professional practitioners.
To find out more about CYCC and Curve’s learning offering, visit their website.
Written by Siddiqa Reininghaus
Siddiqa is a Feature Writer for Niche Magazine and Cross Productions with experience of working as a journalist and copywriter. She enjoys going to the gym, cooking, and binge-watching Netflix series.
Imagine AI as a crafty magician, pulling answers out of thin air for students without them ever breaking a sweat. That’s the reality we’re facing in today’s classrooms. With ChatGPT and other AI tools, students are able to generate essays, solve math problems, and even write code in seconds. The result? A staggering 43% of students are using AI to cheat, and many of them don’t even care if it’s unethical. But as with every magic trick, there’s always a way to reveal the illusion. Educators are turning to new technologies like digital proctoring to make sure students aren’t getting away with academic sleight of hand. For more insights into just how widespread cheating is in schools today, check out…
Speaking about the programme, Director of Learning - Expressive Arts and Design Technology, Kate Brown said: “New College Leicester’s partnership with Curve ensures our young people have access to world class performing arts experiences on their doorstep.
"Hosting a CYCC satellite at NCL guarantees our young people can enjoy the highly regarded training and high-profile performance opportunities for which Curve is known.”
CYCC hubs at two additional Leicester city schools will be announced in due course. It is hoped following a successful first year for the first three hubs, the programme will be expanded to offer opportunities to even more students in schools across the city.
Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “Now more than…