• Stepping Up 2026 - Application Form

  • Stepping Up

    Stepping Up is a practical three month part-time drama training programme, offering young people aged 19 - 25 (or top to 30 if leaning disabled) the opportunity to gain a Level 2 qualification in Performing Arts from September 2026 to December 2026 at the National Youth Theatre.

    Stepping Up comprises of the Acting Strand and The Leadership Strand. Both pathways do core actor training modules, if you are on the Leadership strand you will also learn about facilitation and directing for theatre.

     

    Please note the deadline for this application is Friday 3rd July 2026 at 1 PM.

  • Additional Support 

    If you would like to request some additional support to complete this application form please email Hamish Macdougall on hamish.macdougall@nyt.org.uk A member of the learning support team will be able to meet with you via TEAMS and work with you to complete the application form.

  • Please fill in the following questions to apply for the National Youth Theatre's Stepping Up Course!

  • Eligibility Information 

  • To be eligible for Stepping Up, we assess applicants’ Educational History & Previous Qualifications, Immigration Status & Citizenship, and Employment Status, including whether applicants receive benefits or family support.

    As Stepping Up is free of charge and funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA), you may be asked to provide evidence of your eligibility during the application process. If you are successful and receive an offer, you will then be required to submit eligibility documentation as part of our enrolment process. The type of evidence requested will vary depending on your individual circumstances.

    Please read the Stepping Up Eligibility Guidance before starting your application to ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements. 

    Link to Stepping Up Eligibility Guidance

  • Audition Information & Availability

  • First Round Auditions - Please select all dates that you are able to join:

  • Personal Information

  • What is your date of birth?*
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  • Pronouns - how would you like to be referred to?

  • Education History and Previous Qualification

  • What is the highest qualification you have completed so far?*
  • Do you have any previous qualifications in drama, acting or performing arts?*

  • Immigration Status and Citizenship

  • What is your citizenship or immigration status?*

  • Employment & Financial Eligibility

  • Are you currently employed with a gross annual salary at or below the London Living Wage threshold?*
  • Do you currently receive any benefits or financial support?*
  • Are you currently unemployed, do not receive any benefits, and rely on financial support from a parent or carer?

  • Why would you like to take part in Stepping Up?

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  • Emergancy Contact

  • Access Requirements

    This is an opportunity for you to disclose any access or support requirements you have to ensure NYT can support you throughout the application process. Please complete the below.
  • Do you consider yourself to be d/Deaf, disabled, or have a medical condition or access requirement that you want NYT to know about?
  • NYT can offer a variety of ways to support you. Please tick any of the options below if they would support you when you are working with NYT.
  • Would you like to arrange a conversation/ meeting with someone from NYT before the start of the activity to discuss the information above in more detail?

  • National Youth Theatre Culture

    National Youth Theatre Culture At the National Youth Theatre we want to create a culture that is inclusive, creative and collaborative. We celebrate all the ways we are different and aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive and do their best work. We want our culture to create spaces where young people from around the UK can be together, be brave and create bold work. We ask everyone involved in making each project to approach it with generosity, curiosity, kindness and respect. We believe that we do better work together than we would apart and that our work is richer and stronger thanks to the different backgrounds and experiences that everyone in our company brings. Through our work we want to be connected and responsive to each other, our communities, our industry and the wider world. Whatever your background or wherever you’re from, we invite you to apply to join us to support our mission to be a creative force for good at a critical time for our industry, country and world.

  • Inclusion Information

  • NYT collects certain personal information to help ensure that Playing Up is accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of everyone who applies. Understanding applicants’ backgrounds, circumstances, and support needs allows us to remove barriers, meet funding requirements, and make sure the course is reaching the young people it is designed to support. This information is handled with care and used only to ensure fair access and an inclusive experience for all participants.

    Please note: Providing this information is optional, and choosing not to share it will not affect your application or participation in the programme.

    What happens to your data: The information you provide is stored securely, accessed only by staff who need it to administer the programme, and used solely for monitoring, reporting, and ensuring equitable access. It is never shared externally in a way that identifies you, and is retained only for as long as necessary to meet our legal and funding requirements.

  • Pleas select from the list below if any of these circumstances apply to you:
  • Are you currently a member of the National Youth Theatre?
  • Where did you hear about the Playing Up course?

  • Equal Opportunities Form

    The National Youth Theatre continuously aims to create and retain an inclusive and representative working environment that delivers opportunities for current and future young people and ensures that all talent is recognised, utilised and valued. We are committed to being an equal opportunities and disability confident organisation and to address areas of under-representation in the charity. To support this ongoing work we would be grateful if you would complete the following questionnaire. You might feel that proposed categories don’t correlate with how you perceive yourself –feel free to self-define if that’s the case. You are also of course welcome to choose not to answer any of the below or to fill in this form. Your answers will be treated confidentially and in the strictest confidence and will not affect your current application in any way. The questions and answers on this form have been compiled from Arts Council England (our main funder), the LGBT foundation, The Gate Theatre and Graeae. We welcome any comments or suggestions for amendments, which can be emailed to equality@nyt.org.uk 

  • What happens to information that you supply?

    What happens to information that you supply? The Data Protection Act 1998 gives rights to individuals in respect of personal data held about them by others and as directed by the Act, you should know the following: Diversity information is defined as “sensitive”. It is not mandatory to supply “sensitive” information. Information you supply will be detached from your application and only used for research/statistical analysis and as a tool to enable us to address any issues within our recruitment processes.
  • How would you describe your sexual orientation?
  • How would you describe your ethnicity?
  • Gender - how do you identify?
  • Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were assigned at birth?
  • Disability - do you identify as:
  • Do you identify as Neurodivergent:
  • What type of school did you attend?
  • What was the occupation of the main/highest income earner in the household when you were 14?
  • How do you define your religion or belief?

  • Feedback on this Application Form

    At the National Youth Theatre we are always looking for ways to improve our service and increase digital accessibility to our online forms. As part of this process we ask if you would mind to leave some comments on how you found this experience or ways it could be improved, thank you.
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