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Speak Up

Speak Up is a secondary school programme that sees young people working in collaboration with local artists and teachers to co-create artistic responses to issues that are most important to them.

The programme aims to encourage new ways for young people to think, see and bring about change.

Listen up!
Explore the work created by young people across England on Speak Up

Join the conversation on #NTSpeakUp

SpeakUp Twitter account

About Speak Up

The words Speak Up in thick green font against a bright pink background

Speak Up takes place in areas of low arts engagement where there is an inequality of access to opportunities for young people and their voices are not always heard.

Young people work collaboratively as equal partners with their teachers, artists, local arts organisations and the National Theatre to co-create local artworks and creative projects in response to issues which matter to them.

Read all about the impact Speak Up is having nationwide in Year 2

Impact

Speak Up is taking place in selected schools across England and delivered through our Theatre Nation Partnerships partners. From 2022 to 2025 Speak Up will engage with 140,000 young people in 55 selected secondary schools nationwide.

  • Young people are supported to become leaders, by putting them at the heart of the creative process and decision making
  • Teachers are able to find ways that Speak Up can impact the culture of their school
  • Artists have the freedom make work without any predetermined outcomes

Speak Up aims to develop young people’s self-expression, wellbeing and personal skills, with an open-ended offer to make creative projects in their local area.

A group of young people all dressed in pink shirts that say Speak Up with the words National Theatre and Speak Up: Volume One on the sides
Play Video

Find out about the first year of the programme in our short film Speak Up: Volume One.

Play Video:

Find out about the first year of the programme in our short film Speak Up: Volume One.

Speak Up Council

Launched in May 2023, the Speak Up Council are consultants that feed into the culture of the programme. Members of the Council represent the young people, artists, and teachers participating in Speak Up.

We have two co-chairs of the Council who lead the Council conversations; a young person from Havering and the Head of National Partnerships at the National Theatre.

The Council meet monthly online and will have their next residential at the National Theatre in spring 2025.

Aims of the Council

  • The co-chairs lead the Council conversations, the area representatives (young people, artists, teachers) shape elements of developing the Speak Up programme.
  • The Council is a tool for us to have conversations at a national level about the bigger picture of the Speak Up programme and its legacy.
  • The Council tests a youth centred model of consulting with young people, teachers, and artists that could act as an example of excellence for other projects and organisations.
Open Gallery Dialog: 17 images A group of young people wearing matching
A group of young people wearing matching
A group of young people wearing matching
View 17 images
A young person with short blond hair is wearing a green T-shirt that has A young person with long dark hair and a pink shirt looks directly at the camera. The shirt has the words A person with shoulder-length dark hair smiles warmly while wearing a pink shirt with green and white text. The background is a neutral gray. Smiling young person wearing a pink T-shirt with the text A person smiling, wearing a pink A person with long dark hair stands against a plain background, wearing a pink shirt with green and white text. They have hoop earrings, a nose ring, and a necklace, and they are looking directly at the camera. A drawing of a stick figure with long hair A person with long dark hair smiles at the camera, wearing a green hoodie with the words A young person with short black hair and a faint mustache, wearing a green T-shirt, stands against a plain background. They have a neutral expression and face the camera directly. A young person with curly dark hair is wearing a pink T-shirt and a black underlayer, standing in front of a plain light background, smiling slightly at the camera. A young person in a wheelchair wearing glasses and a pink A person with red hair smiles at the camera. They are wearing a pink t-shirt with the words A person with short, curly brown hair and glasses smiles gently at the camera. They are wearing a pink t-shirt with green and white lettering. The background is plain and light-colored. A young person with short black hair and glasses is wearing a green T-shirt, smiling subtly at the camera against a plain background. A drawing of a woman with brown hair, with her eyes closed and pink top. Framed in the Speak Up green. A person with long hair and glasses smiles while wearing a bright green hoodie with the words

Meet the Speak Up Council representatives

 

Partners

Creative Associate: LUNG

LUNG are the Creative Associate on Speak Up. Their role is to devise, develop and maintain the methodology and creative ambitions for Speak Up. They will oversee the training of artists and teachers.

Founded in Barnsley in 2012, LUNG is a campaign-led verbatim theatre company that tours work nationally. They work closely with communities to nationally shine a light on political, social and economic issues in modern Britain to ensure hidden voices are heard.

LUNG’s Co-Artistic Directors are Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead. Together they have created critically acclaimed plays including E15, Who Cares and Trojan Horse. Each project is co-created with the people, often young people, at the heart of the story and puts engagement and campaigning work at its centre. Helen and Matt also design and deliver extensive schoolwork and are honoree Research Fellows at the University of Nottingham.

The logo for LUNG, the word Lung in bold red letters against a white background

Theatre Nation Partners

We successfully piloted Speak Up in autumn 2021 in seven schools across Wakefield, Sunderland and Greater Manchester. In each area, we listened to what the young people wanted and needed, creating a bespoke programme of activity for each school in response to its students’ needs.

As a result, we have expanded Speak Up into 55 targeted schools across Doncaster, Greater Manchester, Leicester, North Devon, Outer East London and South Essex, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Wakefield and Wolverhampton. We will connect with schools nationally at key moments to share ideas and outcomes, and to raise the profile of the work happening in schools across the country.

The current partners for Speak Up are:

A photo of the frontage of the Cast building in Doncaster.

Doncaster

with Cast

The image depicts the exterior of The Lowry, a contemporary glass and steel building with an overhanging structure. The entrance has large glass windows and a balcony above it. Several people are walking near the entrance and colorful posters are displayed.

Greater Manchester

Salford, Rochdale, Wigan with Lowry

A modern, curved, glass-fronted building with horizontal slats stands prominently in an urban setting under a blue sky with scattered clouds. Surrounding the building are older, brick structures, trees, and a partially visible high-rise in the background.

Leicester

with Curve

Circular building with a unique, conical structure and large entrance windows, set in a lush green area with trees and pathways. The image captures the building from an elevated perspective, illuminating the detailed texture of the structure in natural light.

North Devon

with Landmark Theatres (The Queen’s Theatre & The Landmark)

A photo of the frontage of the Queens Theatre building in Hornchurch.

Outer East London and South Essex

with Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch

Image of the entrance to Regent Theatre with glass canopy and neon sign. Posters for upcoming shows and events are displayed on either side of the entrance. The building has a tiled façade and large windows above the entrance.

Stoke-on-Trent

with Regent Theatre & Victoria Hall

A photo of the frontage of the Fire Station building in Sunderland.

Sunderland

with Sunderland Empire & Sunderland Culture

The front of the Theatre Royal Wakefiled building, a red-brick facade with a glass canopy projecting over the entrance.

Wakefield

with Theatre Royal Wakefield

A night view of the Grand Theatre illuminated with pink lights. The historic building features large, arched windows and ornate architectural details. Street lamps and trees frame the scene.

Wolverhampton

with Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Our funder

Speak Up is generously supported by The Mohn Westlake Foundation, which shares our belief in the power of youth voice and working with young people to enable positive change in their lives, schools and local communities.

Find out more about supporting our work

Contact us

Email: ntspeakup@nationaltheatre.org.uk 

Annabel Weeden
Participation Producer, Cast, Doncaster
Ella Dufton
Speak Up Manager, Lowry, Salford
Ellie Hart
Speak Up Manager, National Theatre
Gemma Woffinden
Speak Up Producer, Theatre Royal Wakefield
Helen Monks
Speak Up Creative Associate, National Theatre
Jo Brown
Speak Up Administrator, National Theatre
Kiri Grant
Head of National Partnerships, National Theatre
Liam Smith
Speak Up Project Coordinator, National Theatre

 

Louise MacNorman
Speak Up Producer, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch
Matt Woodhead
Speak Up Creative Associate, National Theatre
Phebe Smith
Speak Up Project Manager, Regents Theatre & Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent
Rachel Hamer
Young People & Communities Producer, Sunderland Culture
Sarah Marsden
Creative Learning Officer, Sunderland Empire
Tamika Gore
Speak Up Programmer, Curve, Leicester
Tristan Jones-Smith
Outreach Manager, Wolverhampton Grand

Photos © Matthew Kaltenborn and Tyler Whiting
The words Cast in capital letters in a black font
Visit CAST's website
The logo for Leicester Curve featuring the words Curve in red block letter against a figure eight in red lines
Visit Curve's website
The word 'LOWRY' in capital letters and a black font on a white background
Visit The Lowry website
Queesn's Theatre Hornchurch logo
Visit Queen's Theatre Hornchurch website
A pear shape with a whole in it with the words Landmark Theatres unerneath it in soft multicolours
Visit Landmark Theatres
The logo for Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, a white R against a blue circle and a white V against a red circle with the names of the theatre underneath
Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall venues on Sellador.com
The logo for Sunderland Culture featuring the words with a S beside it made up of multicoloured triangles
Visit Sunderland Culture website
The logo for Sunderland Empire featuring the words in yellow and red and underneath the tagline: The West End of the North East
Visit Sunderland Empire website
The logo for Theatre Royal Wakefield featuring those words in a black font
Visit Theatre Royal Wakefield website
The logo for Wolverhampton Grand featuring those words in black font
Visit Wolverhampton Grand website