Young actors in South Shields earn new drama qualification

Young people from The Customs House Youth Theatre have obtained a Plays into Performance accreditation, awarded by Trinity College, London. 

Children in the junior section, aged 10-14 years-old, achieved Grade 2 with a Merit, while the seniors, made up of young people aged between 15 and 21 years, were awarded a Grade 3, also at Merit level.

Both groups were visited by an examiner from Trinity College, who watched their two most recent shows and graded them accordingly.

The accreditation was funded through the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation.

Fiona Martin, Deputy Director – Learning and Participation at The Customs House, said: “All youth theatre members have obtained an accreditation in performing at Grade 2 or 3, which is something that would not have been possible without this funding.

“It is a real milestone that they have an industry standard accreditation that we believe will open doors into further education, as well as giving them a real tangible sense of achievement.”

Feedback from the examiner at Trinity College, about the work that the young people had created, was very encouraging. They said: “There were some very strong individual performances, with very good awareness from principles characters in particular.”

The Customs House Youth Theatre is open to young people aged between 10 and 21 years-old. They meet every Friday evening during term time and produce two performances a year.