Your chance to make a splash at Playhouse

Shared Experience is an award-winning theatre company with an unrivalled reputation for creating inspiring, contemporary adaptations of classic literature.

Mermaid, a mythic coming of age story, will have its world premiere at Nottingham Playhouse from March 13-21, before touring the country.

The production includes a chorus of young women who will conjure the unearthly sound of the mermaids. Shared Experience are looking for young women aged 14-20 years to make up this chorus at each of the venues. Participants will also take part in a national project exploring themes central to the production – identity, body image and self-esteem.

You can apply to take part in the project by completing the application form to found at www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk.

From the applications received, 30 young people will be invited to join the Mermaid Chorus at Nottingham Playhouse.

Chorus members will attend a day-long preparatory workshop held on Saturday, February 21, 11am – 5pm, two weeks before production week. All participants will go on to take part in the Mermaid show.

We are committed to working with a wide range of young people from a variety of backgrounds. Participants do not have to be the best singers, just enthusiastic and willing to get involved with a passion for drama.

During production week the young people will become a member of the Mermaid team taking part in the technical rehearsal and performing in the show alongside the professional cast.

Participants must be available to attend the technical rehearsal, which will take place on Thursday, March 12, and four evening performances. They may also be required to attend one midweek matinee and one Saturday matinee.

To perform in the show participants may be required to take two afternoons off school in one week.

The workshop on Saturday, February 21, will be run by two Shared Experience facilitators and will last for six hours with one hour included for lunch.

The workshop is split into two sessions. The first session will explore the Mermaid production and Shared Experience’s rehearsal process. Chorus members will participate in exercises the professional cast use in rehearsals and they will have the opportunity to work on the opening scene of the play. The young people will create their own underwater world and gain an insight into how Shared Experience create the physical and theatrical worlds of their productions.

The second session will look at the themes of self-image and identity that resonate in Mermaid. The workshop aims to draw attention to the pressures that challenge young women and the participants will be encouraged to unpick and challenge society’s image of the so called ‘perfect woman’ to empower them to make their own choices about self-image.

For more information about how to take part please contact [email protected] or go to www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk