In setting up the new Luton Arts Trust, Andy is pulling together a group which will seek to create a comprehensive cultural offer for young people in Luton.

To initiate this idea Andy has brokered a relationship between THEATRE IS… and Luton’s Integrated Youth Services. For 8 weeks our practitioners will create a new piece of theatre with young people combining Hip Hop dance styles and contemporary musical theatre practice. It’s important to note that the young people have chosen this. Apparently they have been inspired by Zoo Nations fabulous ‘Into the Hoods’

For all sorts of reasons we are really pleased about this. It allows us to work for the first time with DJ Excalibah. Excalibah is an Associate Artist at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. He is a film maker, musical theatre director, journalist and DJ. Excalibah will be working with Bugz, one of Britain’s finest B Boys to create a new show using the theme of ‘epiphany’. This is part of our overall enquiry focusing on how a moment of 'epiphany' turns a young person into a professional artist.  The work in Luton climaxes on the 31st March.

In the next bulletin we will be focusing on developing talent in Thurrock.