From Alexandra Palace, London twinkles below, holding the hopes and fears of millions, pulled in by the bright lights. We stay. We leave. We laugh. We cry.
On the 7-8 March, the Ally Pally Young Actors Company will return with a performance of View From The Top. Working with director Jonny Siddall (previously of RSC Barbican Theatre and Bush Theatre, and founder of the Education Department at Hampstead Theatre) it tells a collection of imagined stories from the past and present in a fast paced, switch-back play exploring what ties us to London.
The performance, which will take place in our Transmitter Hall, is the latest in a series of seasonal productions from the Company, which was launched in 2022 as part of our Creative Learning programme. The Company offers young actors – aged 18–28 – the chance to work alongside industry professions to build their experience and networks. Skills workshops are also provided, covering writing, direction and improvisation, plus there is the opportunity to rehearse and perform on the Palace’s iconic stages.
Funding from the John Thaw Foundation and D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust has ensured that the Company remains free and accessible for all.
Aaliyah, 22, who is performing in View From The Top, says: “I enjoy being party of the Young Actors Company because it allows me to be creative and learn new skills. I’m able to work with like-minded people and perform in different spaces in Ally Pally.”
Fellow Company member, Molly, 24, adds: “I really love the Young Actors Company because I’ve been able to work on my devising, my writing, and I really enjoy the teamwork and atmosphere that is created here.”
Reese Campbell, Assistant Producer in Ally Pally’s Creative Learning team, is producing View From The Top and is working with Emma Rice’s theatre company, Wise Children, to organise learning opportunities for Company members and sessions for local teachers, ahead of a co-production of North by Northwest in the Theatre at Alexandra Palace.
The Ally Pally Young Actors Company met every Tuesday evening for a two and half-hour rehearsal, working over ten-week time frame leading to performances spread over Autumn, Spring and Summer each year. Rehearsal sessions and productions are supported by experienced freelance writers, performers and directors and through paid roles for emerging theatre practitioners.
Last Spring saw Company members animate the Palace’s semi-derelict Basements with an immersive performance of Macbeth, which was informed by materials from the Alexandra Palace archive. This Summer, the Company will stage Scene for 30 Actors in a Time of War, written by Kay Adshead and commissioned by LAMDA for student production.
Find out more about the Young Actors Company.
