Festivals
The National Festival of Youth Theatres is a highlight of the Youth Theatre Ireland calendar.
It is the largest gathering of Irish youth theatres in the year and it is a chance for youth theatres members and leaders to:
- develop new skills
- meet and work with other youth theatre members from all over the country
- and have the craic!
National Festival of Youth Theatres Goes Virtual in 2020!
From Thursday, 2 July, to Sunday, 5 July 2020, Youth Theatre Ireland offered the very first virtual National Youth Theatre Festival.Over 80 young people from as well as facilitators, leaders, and staff from all over Ireland took part in the four-day festival.
This short film brings us through that journey of innovation, creativity, and community collaboration.
For those who attended NYFT, we created a list of resouces and supports that helped everyone have #thebestweekever
The Fun Stuff
- About the Workshops
- Workshop Tutorials- All the things you need to have or make in advance of your workshops
- NFYT Open Mic Youth-O-Vision & (Not So) Silent Disco
- How to Create your Own (Not So) Silent Disco
- Let's Get Quizzical - Guide for Leaders
Logistics
- Youth Theatre Ireland's Guidelines for Projects involving Youth Theatre Groups
- Youth Theatre Ireland's Working Online with Young People Policy
Created by Young Irish Film Makers
About the Festival
The festival takes place over 5 days in early July and involves a residential programme of theatre skills workshops delivered by expert facilitators and a packed calendar of social activities.
Participation is open to Youth Theatre Ireland affiliated youth theatres. 13 youth theatres participate each year. Each participating group can bring up to 8 youth theatre members (aged 12 or over) and must bring two adult leaders aged over 21.
A social activity takes place each evening. A leader’s programme is organised that includes workshops, skills share and clinics on various aspects of youth theatre. It is a valuable opportunity for youth theatre leaders to meet each other, network and develop future collaborations.
How does my youth theatre get involved?
A call for youth theatres who are interested in participating goes out in April. Priority is given to youth theatres who have not participated in previous festivals. Other factors considered when choosing youth theatres for the festival are geographical spread and age range of participants.
What can you expect as a participant?
If you want to find out more about the participant experience, watch the presentation below, created for participants coming to the 2016 Festival.
Banner Photo: Colin Thornton