Thank you for you interest in the Underbelly Training Academy, an exciting and unique opportunity for 16-25 year-olds resident in the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea to gain insight and practical experience in the production and staging of large-scale events and festivals.
The Training Academy will run Tuesdays & Thursday 6pm-9pm, 7th June - 15th July 2022, on-site at Underbelly Festival at Earls Court, SW6. There will be onsite shadowing opportunities with our festival departments on Saturdays. A final production of your work will take place on the afternoon of Friday 15th July. The six-week Training Academy is an initiative by Underbelly, supported by The Earls Court Development Company, and delivered in partnership with the Young Lyric Team at the Lyric Hammersmith.
The course will be workshop based with theoretical sessions covering a range of festival topics from creative programming, stage management, and technical production, to front of house, marketing, and finance. There will be practical learning sessions with participants shadowing Underbelly staff on-site, putting the classroom learning into practice. Some of the shadowing sessions will be in the evening (up to 10pm).
This Academy programme will culminate with participants producing their own show as part of the Underbelly Festival programme. Participants will be responsible for booking performers, coordinating the promotion and selling of tickets with the marketing and box office teams, and working with the stage management and technical teams to deliver the show.
The aim of the Academy is to introduce participants to the process of producing a creative event from planning through to delivery, and to give them the confidence to seek further training in the field, or to apply for jobs within the sector. Previous participants have developed fulfilling long-term careers in the sector following their successful participation in the programme.
Anyone aged between 16-25 and living within Hammersmith & Fulham or Kensington & Chelsea can apply using a short online form before 10am on Monday 6 June 2022. Applicants may be required to attend a short phone interview with the Academy team. The Academy would particularly like to receive applications from those who have an interest in events and festivals, but have no previous experience of working or training in the field.
This is not a paid opportunity, but travel costs to get to the training sessions, and catering will be provided.
If you have any questions or require further information on the Underbelly Training Academy, email academy@underbelly.co.uk
To apply for the Underbelly Training Academy, you must be aged between 16-25 on 7th June 2022. You must live in the London Boroughs of either Kensington & Chelsea or Hammersmith & Fulham.