Youth Theatre
School Years 3 – 10+
Playmakers Youth Theatre provides engaging, practical and inspiring sessions, where young people take the lead in making theatre that's truly their own.
Our weekly 90-minute sessions run on Mondays and Thursdays, led by professional theatre-makers who support participants to:
- Devise original performances
- Collaborate and create as an ensemble
- Develop confidence, creativity and self-expression
- Build skills in storytelling, physical theatre, improvisation and more
In the autumn and spring terms, we focus on devising new work, which leads to a performance at Theatre Royal Winchester in March.
In the summer term, we shift to working with scripts, giving participants the opportunity to explore character and text in a new way, and share their work in a performance for parents and carers.
Here at Playmakers, we create theatre by young people, for young people — and every voice matters.
"Where young theatre-makers experience the creativity, performance and joy of theatre in a nurturing and supportive environment"
Our Groups
Drama and Theatre
School Years 3–6, 7–9 and 10+
Where participants will develop their skills in theatre making to create devised theatre. Led by our passionate team, participants will make new work to be performed on stage at Theatre Royal Winchester.
Our Year
The Playmakers Youth Theatre year runs during the majority of the traditional Autumn, Spring and Summer academic terms with 30 sessions including performances at Theatre Royal Winchester in Spring and at Hat Fair in the Summer.
Our proposed dates for 2025/26 are:
Autumn Term
w/c 22 Sep to 1 Dec 2025
(Autumn half term w/c 27 Oct 2025)
Spring Term
w/c 5 Jan to 16 Mar 2026
Performance at Theatre Royal Winchester 20 Mar 2026
(Spring half term w/c 16 Feb 2026)
Summer Term
w/c 20 Apr to 29 Jun 2026
Performance/Rehearsed Reading date TBC
(Spring half term w/c 25 May 2026)
Our Membership Fees
We have worked tirelessly to ensure that the cost of Playmakers Youth Theatre is the most affordable youth theatre in Winchester and District.
Our membership fees for the entire school year:
- £285 Standard fee (includes Autumn, Spring and Summer terms)
Free Taster Sessions
Want to try us out? Participants (and their parents/guardians) are most welcome to come along for a free taster session and see what we get up to. If you'd like to attend a free taster session, please contact shian@playtothecrowd.co.uk
Financial Support
We hope that our prices are affordable, but we understand that it may not be affordable for everyone. We are able to offer financial support (such as bursaries) to new and existing members for whom the price is a barrier to joining Playmakers Youth Theatre. If you would like to discuss this further please contact shian@playtothecrowd.co.uk for a confidential conversation as to how we can support.
Our Commitment to Accessibility
Playmakers Youth Theatre is for everyone.
All of our staff have many years experience of working with young people and we are committed to ensuring that every member of Playmakers Youth Theatre feels welcome, heard and supported no matter their lived experience or accessibility requirements.
We ask members to inform us of all relevant medical information, accessibility requirements and any other relevant information to ensure we can provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment for all.
If you would like to discuss how we can best support you/your child further or would benefit from any of our information in an alternative format, please contact shian@playtothecrowd.co.uk or call 01962 840 440. Alternatively pop into Theatre Royal Winchester during our opening hours to speak to a member of our Playmakers team.
"I really like how sessions encourage us to be open, to understand ourselves and the lives of others"
