News

New Performance Academy Programme

“The new programme will replace the current four-day per week Performance Academy course with a more structured and rounded package.”

A group of actors take part in a workshop while wearing blindfolds

I’m very pleased to announce some exciting news and I wanted you to be the first to hear about it!

Over the past two years we have been working very hard behind the scenes with York St John University to develop a new training programme, as part of Mind the Gap’s Academy offer. Despite the challenges that the pandemic has brought over the last 12 months, we’re thrilled to be able to offer this new programme from September 2021.

Mind the Gap Academy has been on such a journey over the past ten years. What started out as just a single theatre course all those years ago, the Academy is now the biggest arts training centre for people with learning disabilities and/or autism in the country. Boasting four one day courses in subjects including theatre, dance and music, a four-day performing arts programme and a Youth Academy, our courses provide training opportunities for more than 80 people every week.

There are very few opportunities for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to develop their performance skills at a high level. Mind the Gap Academy is proud to be able to offer this level of training with programmes specifically designed for students wishing to pursue a career in the arts.

The new programme will replace the current four-day per week Performance Academy course with a more structured and rounded package, which better reflects the needs of our students and the training on offer.

Our ambition has always been to support people with learning disabilities and/or autism to gain employment in the arts, so we are really excited that this new training programme will provide the level of training required to meet this goal. Not only will it provide the necessary skills needed to work in the arts, it will also raise awareness among industry professionals and other performance makers about the talent that exists among people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

By Charli Ward, Academy Director

We will begin recruiting for this year’s intake of students in May 2021. To find out more about the course or register your interest, contact our Learning and Participation Coordinator, Melissa Conyers: melissa@mind-the-gap.org.uk / 01274 487390.

Back to All Posts