Help get Joe Young to Royal Central
Donation protected
Johannesburg to Royal Central
In December 2018 I set off to London without much idea of what I was doing but determined to find my way into a Master's course. I applied at any school that would speak to me- deciding that what ever happened I was going to study- but I applied a the schools I had dreamt of attending when I was a kid too.
Amazingly, just a couple of days after attending an interview at my first choice school on my first choice course I was offered a place for September 2019.
The MFA Advanced Theatre Practice course at Royal Central School for Speech and Drama represents one of the most forward looking courses offered at graduate level, and offers me the chance to work alongside an amazing group of educators and practitioners from around the world.
BUT the competition for places in the school, with only ten to fifteen people selected for the MFA level degree, means a deposit of two thousand pounds is required by the 22nd of February.
The Short Term Goal?
For the past year I've worked four jobs saving towards the trip to London for auditions, and unfortunately the travel expenses have depleted most of my savings. What I am asking for help with is raising the money for the deposit, which will give me time to apply for scholarships and grants before the commencement of the academic year in September.
The Long Term Goal?
The chance to study at Royal Central is something I can't turn down. It offers the chance for me to make massive leaps as a professional, but more than that it puts me take another step down the path to my goal of becoming a lecturer and theatre trainer. I believe in the transformative power of education and I want to be able to take part in the transformation of education and theatre in South Africa. The experimental nature of the course means it would equip me to engage with young theatre makers on a different set of terms than the traditional ones taught at most Universities, and in the South African context, where so many of us have so many different points of reference, I think that is crucial.
As an artist I believe in telling inclusive stories, ones of marginalised identities, and alternative narratives.
Examining my own queer identity, as well as what it means to be a white South African in the post-Apartheid era, is central to my goals as an artist, and these questions of identity so often feel central to South African society too. As part of a new generation of citizens and artists I want to take part in this conversation as best I can.
At University I was part of a number of student initiatives that involved building community amongst young artists, including a project known as Open Forum that gave a meeting place each week for workshops or experimental performances. Whilst there I was awarded the Leontine Sagan award for best third year moving into fourth year, as well as the award for the best Artistic work in my final year project.
Since my time there I have worked at William Kentridge's incubator space The Centre for the Less Good Idea engaging with some of the foremost performance art both locally and globally. Working there has re-affirmed my desire to take part in a theatre that pushes boundaries and continually looks to re-invent itself.
With the opportunity to take up this place at Royal Central I believe I could take part in a new South African theatre, as a practitioner, researcher, and a teacher.
If you're able to help in anyway- a share, a penny, or even a point in the right direction- I'd be forever in your debt.
In December 2018 I set off to London without much idea of what I was doing but determined to find my way into a Master's course. I applied at any school that would speak to me- deciding that what ever happened I was going to study- but I applied a the schools I had dreamt of attending when I was a kid too.
Amazingly, just a couple of days after attending an interview at my first choice school on my first choice course I was offered a place for September 2019.
The MFA Advanced Theatre Practice course at Royal Central School for Speech and Drama represents one of the most forward looking courses offered at graduate level, and offers me the chance to work alongside an amazing group of educators and practitioners from around the world.
BUT the competition for places in the school, with only ten to fifteen people selected for the MFA level degree, means a deposit of two thousand pounds is required by the 22nd of February.
The Short Term Goal?
For the past year I've worked four jobs saving towards the trip to London for auditions, and unfortunately the travel expenses have depleted most of my savings. What I am asking for help with is raising the money for the deposit, which will give me time to apply for scholarships and grants before the commencement of the academic year in September.
The Long Term Goal?
The chance to study at Royal Central is something I can't turn down. It offers the chance for me to make massive leaps as a professional, but more than that it puts me take another step down the path to my goal of becoming a lecturer and theatre trainer. I believe in the transformative power of education and I want to be able to take part in the transformation of education and theatre in South Africa. The experimental nature of the course means it would equip me to engage with young theatre makers on a different set of terms than the traditional ones taught at most Universities, and in the South African context, where so many of us have so many different points of reference, I think that is crucial.
As an artist I believe in telling inclusive stories, ones of marginalised identities, and alternative narratives.
Examining my own queer identity, as well as what it means to be a white South African in the post-Apartheid era, is central to my goals as an artist, and these questions of identity so often feel central to South African society too. As part of a new generation of citizens and artists I want to take part in this conversation as best I can.
At University I was part of a number of student initiatives that involved building community amongst young artists, including a project known as Open Forum that gave a meeting place each week for workshops or experimental performances. Whilst there I was awarded the Leontine Sagan award for best third year moving into fourth year, as well as the award for the best Artistic work in my final year project.
Since my time there I have worked at William Kentridge's incubator space The Centre for the Less Good Idea engaging with some of the foremost performance art both locally and globally. Working there has re-affirmed my desire to take part in a theatre that pushes boundaries and continually looks to re-invent itself.
With the opportunity to take up this place at Royal Central I believe I could take part in a new South African theatre, as a practitioner, researcher, and a teacher.
If you're able to help in anyway- a share, a penny, or even a point in the right direction- I'd be forever in your debt.
Organizer
Joe Young
Organizer
England
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