News Story
How much do you know about Chichester Festival Youth Theatre (we call it CFYT for short)? This year, our award-winning youth theatre is 40, so we’re celebrating this special community! Read on to meet just a few of the hundreds of young participants and discover why they love taking part.
We know that young people today are growing up with limited creative opportunities in and out of school. But being creative is so important for learning transferrable skills that last a lifetime. That’s where youth theatre comes in! Young people have a space to get stuck into creative projects, which helps to improve mental health and escape from social pressures and worries about growing up in an uncertain world. Every week we run 42 sessions teaching drama, singing, stagecraft, and technical skills across eight locations in West Sussex and Hampshire for young people aged 5 - 25.
Youth Theatre gave me everything, to be honest. It was an incredible experience. It was my training. It got me my first professional job which was with Running Wild.
Romina Hytten, CFYT alumni, Lead Puppeteer and Olivier Award-winner Life of Pi
I love being part of the CFYT family because you make so many wonderful friends and memories. It is a space where you can just be you.
CFYT participant
CFYT is a welcoming environment where young people support one another, improving their confidence and helping them realise they can do so much more than they thought they could.
At CFYT, you don’t have to hide, you can just be whoever you want to be, and be proud of that.
CFYT participant
We don’t want any young people to miss out on the joy of performing arts. So we offer bursaries to remove financial barriers to attending. We currently provide around 180 bursaries.
Having a bursary has meant that my daughter has had access to an activity that’s given her an amazing opportunity to experience an industry she would like to work in. Technical Youth Theatre is absolutely brilliant, and every week she comes home excited. Finding somewhere so welcoming and inclusive, where she feels comfortable and has made new friends, has made a big difference to her wellbeing.
Parent of CFYT participant
We also have dedicated groups for young people with additional needs and promote an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere in all sessions.
I can't express how much I really appreciate the effort you have put in to support me. It's been really refreshing to be around people who are proactive about taking action towards inclusivity and accessibility.
CFYT Young Practitioner
Want to help us to offer young people these special opportunities for another 40 years? We’re excited to be taking part in The Big Give, so your gift will be doubled if you donate to CFYT from 18 – 25 March. If you’d like to support, set a reminder or pop the dates in your diary and save this link to our Big Give page.
A huge thank you to everyone who already generously supports CFYT, including: Yvonne and John Dean, Jerome and Elizabeth O’Hea, Liz Juniper, Greg Slay, The Patricia Routledge Foundation, the Wickens Family Foundation and those who wish to remain anonymous.
