Our second cohort has been chosen!

Aged 14-23, our new group of 22 Young Advocates from the West Midlands has been formed to help shape the Hippodrome’s work with and for young people.

Alongside working closely with the Hippodrome to programme and produce events for young people, the Young Advocates will receive training, mentoring and access to a range of different opportunities within the arts industry.

Meet our new team of Young Advocates and find out why they applied for our exciting programme:

Inspired by his dad’s love for film, Alexander (15), joined his school’s drama club and performed at the Hippodrome last year – his positive experience on stage led him to apply to our programme.

Ava (aged 14) dreams of becoming a dance teacher; she studies BTEC performing arts at school and practices ballet, jazz, tap and acro at her dance academy. She became a Young Advocate to meet people with similar passions.

Callum (aged 17) has previously performed at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and the Arena Theatre; he wants to use this opportunity to open more doors within the theatre industry, both onstage and offstage.

Since performing with Code Crew, a Leicester-based dance troupe, Carden (aged 22) moved to Birmingham and became a Learning and Participation Intern at Vamos Theatre. He joined our programme to become a part of the city’s creative scene.

Charisma (aged 17) is an aspiring performer and full-time student. Being a young person and a woman of South Asian heritage, Charisma aims to become a Young Advocate that helps underprivileged young people and people of colour enter the industry.

Excited to learn more about the theatre industry and supporting community projects, Chijioke (aged 17), has joined our Young Advocates programme alongside her commitments to ACE Dance Group and Young Rep with Birmingham Rep.

Daniel (aged 17) has previously been involved in amateur theatre productions; through our programme he hopes to promote the arts, while gaining valuable experience within the theatre industry.

Harvey (aged 16) was a part of our first Young Advocates cohort and has returned to work on more Hippodrome projects and events – he loves the theatre industry as it brings people together from all walks of life.

From taking part in school musical productions and studying a BA Honours degree in performing arts at De Montfort University, to performing on stage in Germany, Jessica (aged 23) has always loved performing and pushing her creative boundaries.

Born and raised in Perry Bar, Birmingham, Keanu (aged 18) has a keen interest in music. He applied to the Young Advocates programme to break barriers within himself and improve his knowledge and abilities within the industry.

Lucy (aged 19) attended college to pursue her interest in film and TV; she also enjoys watching musicals and theatre productions. She became a Young Advocate to learn more about the technical side of theatres.

Mary (aged 15) joined our programme after moving to Birmingham to meet like-minded creatives and find out what goes into making a production. She enjoys dancing, acting, reading, drawing and skiing.

For the last seven years, Murat (aged 15), has attended a theatre and drama school; he would love to pursue a career as an actor. He became a Young Advocate to gain confidence and experience within the arts industry.

Noor (aged 17) has re-joined our Young Advocates programme as she wants to continue to make the arts more diverse, accessible and inclusive for young people in Birmingham. Highlights from our first programme include curating a music stage with Girl Grind for Birmingham Weekender and taking part in TedX Youth Brum.

Priya (aged 16) takes part in our Musicals Youth Theatre group. She applied to our programme to broaden her horizons and help young people as much as she can.

Rachel (aged 21) currently studies photography at Stratford-Upon-Avon College – she hopes to become an event photographer and capture performing arts events and theatre performances.

Excited by movement and music, Raphi (aged 16) loves acting, improvising, writing songs and playing guitar. He is looking forward to contributing to our programme and getting involved with our productions.

Fascinated by storytelling, Ro (aged 19) moved to Birmingham two years ago to study Drama and is now part of the University of Birmingham’s Brass Band and Wind Band. They are keen to see how everyone works behind the scenes at the Hippodrome.

Ruvarashe (aged 16) is an A-Level student with a passion for activism, playwrighting, theatre and reading. She became a Young Advocate to give back to the theatre community through supporting productions and events.

Tallulah (aged 16) has taken part in an array of opportunities through our Hippodrome Education Network; these have deepened her love for the arts. She applied for the Young Advocates programme as she is keen to share her passion with other people.

As a member of National Youth Theatre and 3BUG Drama society at University of Birmingham, Vita (aged 19), applied to the Young Advocates programme to meet more young creatives and explore performing, directing and producing further.

Born in China, Yurong (aged 23) loves theatre, music and all types of dance. She enjoys creating performances, art and cultural events for all ages, and learning about the latest technologies that are used for productions.

Mathilde Petford, Head of Community and Talent Development at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “The application process was incredibly tough – with 70 applications and over 40 first interviews, we had to whittle the talent down to 22 incredible young people.

“Our new Young Advocates not only represent young people from across the region, but are incredibly talented and dedicated, with interests in all areas of the theatre industry. They are ready to get stuck in by helping shape the Hippodrome’s work with young people, receiving personalised training and delivering on some of our biggest annual projects.

“Keep your eyes on this group, they’re going to do big and wonderful things!”

Find out more about our Young Advocates programme here.