Y Touring theatre group celebrates 21 years
28 October 2010
Y Touring was the first company to work in the arena of health, sex education and science ethics. Performances have taken place in settings ranging from theatres, schools and science venues, to prisons and youth offenders' centres. Now, it's preparing to mark its anniversary.
Over the next three months, to celebrate this milestone, Y Touring will be producing a blog that will feature a series of essays and interviews with those who have contributed to the company's work. This content will both document and explore Y Touring's contribution to public engagement of the major science and health debates from the past two decades.
"How do you catch and hold the attention of restless teenagers? How do you interest anyone in the convolutions of science?" asks Dame Joan Bakewell, patron of Y Touring. "How do you explain the ethical dilemmas that affect our daily lives? How do you make exciting drama that is enthralling to watch? How do you do all this? The answer is - uniquely - Y Touring."
The Wellcome Trust has funded Y Touring projects for the past 15 years, beginning with the 1995 play 'The Gift', Nicola Baldwin's play about genetic selection. Since then, a further 12 plays have been supported, covering a wide range of topics, such as mental health, clinical trials and the use of animals in medical research.
"Wellcome's continuing support has enabled us to engage young people emotionally and intellectually with challenging and complex issues that may not be high on their agendas," says Nigel Townsend, founder and Executive Director of Y Touring.
"The Trust's support has begun and sustained a quality conversation between leading scientists and young people through the tradition of live theatre in schools and encouraged other partners to be open to working with us," he added.
Image: Actress Danielle Calvert in a Y Touring production of Starfish
Credit: RightAsRain on flickr
