FORMER DRAMA STUDENT RETURNS TO LEAD AWARD-WINNING YOUTH THEATRE
03 October 2022 | Jill Lundberg | Posted in: Alumni, Performing Arts
We are delighted to hear that the newly-appointed Youth Theatre Officer at Richmond’s Georgian Theatre Royal is no stranger to its historic stage, having drawn inspiration for their own theatre career as one of our students!
Ed Batchelor takes over the helm at the award-winning Georgian Theatre Royal Youth Theatre to coincide with the beginning of the Autumn term and brings a wealth of acting, writing and technical experience to the role.
As a student at Richmond School, Ed took A-level Drama. He took part in numerous school productions and was a founding member of the Richmond School Sixth Form Drama Company. He was also a senior member of the Georgian Theatre Royal Youth Theatre and has a long-standing involvement with Richmond Amateur Dramatic Society.
After A-levels, Ed read Applied Theatre and Community Drama at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) and graduated with a First Class Honours. He then took various film and television roles including a small part in the soon-to-be-released film Dali Land, starring Ben Kingsley. He is currently a resident artist with the Newcastle-based company Tatwood Puppets and has had several pieces of creative writing published in literary magazines.
“I am delighted to be taking up this very exciting post and returning to my roots,” said Ed. “I really benefitted from my early drama experiences growing up in Richmond, which inspired me to go on and pursue a career in the performing arts.
“The Youth Theatre is an excellent place to nurture an early interest in drama and even if you don’t aspire to see your name in lights, it is a great hobby with the opportunity to acquire valuable life skills and make new friends. It is also a lot of fun!” he added.
As part of his degree at LIPA, Ed was involved with a number of community and educational initiatives, which included a touring Theatre in Education project. He also took part in numerous summer schools, including one community event that included over 100 participants working with giant puppets. He also volunteered at the Georgian Theatre to assist with one of its summer schools.
Ed said: “I am very excited to continue with the excellent programme of Youth Theatre classes at the Georgian Theatre and hope to be able to incorporate some of my own interests, which include puppetry, circus skills, and stage combat. In addition, I would like to encourage students to have a go at helping to devise and even write original pieces of work. The classes are about much more than acting and singing with something to suit most people’s strengths and interests.”
The Georgian Theatre Royal Youth Theatre runs acting and musical theatre classes, which are structured in three age bands: Juniors (6-11 years); Middles (11-14 years); and Seniors (14-18 years). They run on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and Saturdays during school term time.
Sessions take place in the Theatre’s modern studio and there are plenty of opportunities to take part in a wide variety of productions at all sorts of venues. The Youth Theatre prides itself on the number of its students who have gone on to pursue successful acting and stage careers and over the years it has picked up a host of prestigious awards including ‘The People’s Award’ and ‘The Adjudicator’s Cup’ at a regional round of the 2022 All England Theatre Festival for One-act Plays.
Anyone interested in joining the Youth Theatre should call 01748 823710 or email: youth@georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk. No previous experience is necessary but pre-enrolment is essential. Details and an application form can also be found on the Theatre’s website.