Islington is rich in arts and culture, and we are lucky to have everything from grassroots organisations to high profile national ones. We asked Paul Roseby OBE, CEO and artistic director at the National Youth Theatre, a bit about his work and what he finds exciting about working in Islington

Tell us a bit about the National Youth Theatre and the work you do.

National Youth Theatre is a creative home for young storytellers on stage and behind the scenes. We support young people aged 11-30 to crack the code of finding their voice, gaining confidence and taking their next steps into the creative industries, or whatever their chosen career path. Some go on to be leading global entertainers like Daniel Craig, Helen Mirren, Zawe Ashton, Ed Sheeran and Adeel Akhtar. Some lead the way in other fields, from teaching and fashion to politics and business. Whichever path they choose, NYT is a supportive stepping stone, helping people stand out from the crowd, be team players and be themselves.

We do this through industry-led masterclasses, free longer courses like our REP Company and access to higher education courses Playing Up and Stepping Up, as well as shows like our summer new writing festival, StoryFest. Through our activities, the next generation of young talent collaborates with leading industry creatives, usually working towards performances that entertain live audiences from the local area and beyond, and big online audiences around the world.

We work hard to make sure our community is truly representative of British youth. We support other companies in our building on the Holloway Road, hosting their shows and workshops, including neurodiverse artists collective BLINK Dance Theatre and Compass Collective, which assists unaccompanied minor refugees and young people seeking asylum to build resilience and integrate into the UK through theatre.

We also have partnerships with non-mainstream schools, creating opportunities for young disabled people in Islington to join our creative community and watch our relaxed and sensory adapted performance, like our recent five-star Twelfth Night. We’re also partnering with our local friends at London Metropolitan University to evaluate the programme as part of their civic role in the borough.

NYT is a National Portfolio Organisation. What does that mean?

Being an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) based in Islington means we can connect young people in the borough with a network of thousands of young creative people all around the UK. We’ve also enjoyed connecting with other NPOs in the borough, from hosting a re-run of a Company Three youth theatre production that was postponed due to COVID-19, to seeing our alumni like Daisy Edgar-Jones perform at the Almeida Theatre, getting rave reviews for Cat On a Hot Tin Roof.

Why does NYT choose to call Islington home?

Holloway Road has been our home for nearly 40 years. We love the creativity and diversity of the borough and are committed to working with other local arts and community organisations to bring down the child poverty rates on our doorstep. As we approach our 70th anniversary, in 2021 we committed the next phase of our history to Islington with a RIBA award-winning redevelopment to make the building more accessible and welcoming. We also added new spaces including a theatre to host shows for local audiences, which has so far seen critically-acclaimed productions of REP shows, like Animal Farm and a female-led Othello, alongside shows specifically made for families and disabled young people. We also continue to work all over, with courses in nine cities and members in every corner of the UK.

What would you say to someone whose never visited?

Our doors are always open and we invite you to come and spend time in our creative home for storytellers. Whether you want to come and watch a show or are a young person looking to express your creativity, there are free and affordable activities throughout the year. All our shows have ‘pay what you decide’ tickets. On each course, we offer free bursary places and in 2025, we’re launching our Islington Choice Award, which will offer totally free training to a young person who comes to our open auditions.

Anything else exciting coming up?

Our Free Open Award auditions kick off in January, including our new Islington Audition Choice Award. We’ve got a free adult learning opportunity through our new creative night school offer starting in February, with a free intro to performance course for local people aged 19–30. Applications for our free three-month stepping up course for young performers and leaders are open now.

Young creatives can also join our mentoring collective supported by the Mayor of London and our free digital accelerator course, supported by Microsoft.

How can local people get involved?

Follow our social media channels @NationalYouthTheatre on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Join our mailing list, visit our website or, if you’re like me and prefer the old-fashioned way, come and say hello to our welcome team at 443-445 Holloway Road between 10am–6pm Monday to Saturday.