The Bear/The Proposal, directed by Lucy J Skilbeck, will run from 15 March – 25 March 2017

Yellowman, directed by Nancy Medina,will run from 22 November- 2 December 2017

Checkhov’s The Bear, is the story of the inconsolable widow Elena who has vowed to spend the rest of her days at home, grieving. Seven months into her mourning, an intrusion from an unknown and headstrong stranger forces her to re-engage with the outside world. In The Proposal, a bachelor asks a neighbour for his daughter’s hand in marriage. It’s a practical move: time is marching on for Lomov, and he believes Natalya is as good a match as he can hope to find. Though her father is delighted, a misunderstanding leads to wild accusations and Lomov’s plan risks being thrown off course. Lucy J Skilbeck, isone of two winners of the Genesis Future Directors Award 2017.

Later in the year, Nancy Medina’s production of Yellowman will take to the same stage. As children Alma and Eugene struck up a friendship, blissfully unaware of their differences. But growing up their developing affection is met with opposition from close quarters, and prejudice and violence complicates their changing relationship. Set in South Carolina in the 1970s, this powerful play reflects on internal racial prejudice and colourism within the black community.

The Genesis Future Directors Award nurtures and develops emerging young directors by providing them with an invaluable opportunity to explore and develop their craft while creating their first fully resourced production at the Young Vic without the scrutiny of the media. Lucy and Nancy became the eigth and ninth recipients of this award this year and will be supported and mentored by the Young Vic including Artistic Director David Lan, Genesis Fellow Gbolahan Obisesan, Lead Producer Daisy Heath and Associate Artistic Director Sue Emmas .

Former recipients of a Genesis Future Directors Award include Ola Ince (2016), Bryony Shanahan (2016), Rikki Henry (2015), Finn Beames (2014), Tinuke Craig (2014), Matthew Xia (2013) and Ben Kidd (2012).

To find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with the Young Vic, click here.

The Genesis Foundation today announces the appointment of its 25^th Genesis LAMDA Scholar: Stuart Thompson.

John Studzinski instigated the Genesis LAMDA scholarship endowment in 1998, following a conversation with Dame Janet Suzman DBE, about the socio-economic inequality of the intake in the major London drama schools. Since then John Studzinski and the Genesis Foundation have supported LAMDA by helping the Academy nurture and develop talented young actors through an annual Genesis LAMDA Scholarship.

This year, a panel headed up by LAMDA Vice-President Dame Janet Suzman DBE, Genesis Foundation’s Managing Director Harriet Capaldi Genesis LAMDA alumni Ben Aldridge and LAMDA’s Principal Joanna Read auditioned a number of students selected by LAMDA. Genesis LAMDA Scholars have their tuition fees paid in their entirety over the three years of LAMDA’s BA (Hons) in Professional Acting and receive a contribution towards their living expenses.

Commenting on the celebration of the 25^th Genesis LAMDA Scholar, John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of The Genesis Foundation said:

“I’m thrilled that the Genesis Foundation and LAMDA have reached such a milestone. To have supported twenty five great young actors over three years – in effect 75 years of training – is something worth celebrating. The Genesis Foundation was formed from the conviction that access to the best training mustn’t only be the preserve of those from comfortable backgrounds. Art and creativity suffer if that happens and then we all suffer. It gives me particular satisfaction to watch these Genesis Scholars become professionals and help other actors so that the Genesis network of nurture and support continues to grow.”

Janet Suzman commented:

“The ongoing struggle to open doors in the arts for the unrich in this class-driven country is spearheaded by John Studzinski and the likes of him. He and his Foundation are training young actors and playwrights to ensure that theatre’s many treasures are brought to life.”

Stuart Thompson applied to LAMDA and was delighted to be accepted on to the three-year BA (Hons) Professional Acting as a Genesis LAMDA Scholar and will graduate in July 2019. Raised in a small mining village in the North East of England, Stuart Thompson began performing from a young age, firstly in dance and musical theatre. At the age of 16, Stuart moved to London to take up a full scholarship place at ArtsEd on their BTEC Extended Diploma in Musical Theatre, with A-Levels in Dance and Drama. As part of his A-Level, Stuart played the role of Katurian in The Pillowman and it was this experience that led to his decision to pursue a career in acting.

Many of the Genesis LAMDA Scholars have gone on to enjoy active careers in television, films and the theatre. The first ever recipients of a scholarship was Samuel Barnett, who says:

“There is no way I could have gone to drama school if it hadn’t been for Genesis. Investment in young people at grass-roots level is critical if we want to continue to be a country at the forefront of artistic excellence.”

Lewis Bruniges, Carys Bowkett and Stuart Thompson are the three current Genesis LAMDA scholars.

For more information on the Genesis Foundation please contact Cécile Beauvillard Burman at cecile@albion-media.com, 020 3077 4940.

Editors’ Notes

About Genesis Foundation

Established by John Studzinski 15 years ago, the Genesis Foundation works in partnership with the leaders of prestigious UK arts organisations such as the Royal Court, The Sixteen, Welsh National Operaand the Young Vic. Its largest funding commitment is to programmes that support directors, playwrights and musicians in the early stages of their professional lives.

In addition it awards scholarships to exceptional student actors at LAMDA and commissions stimulating new works, from choral compositions to light installations.

In 2015 the Genesis Foundation launched its first partnership outside the UK, funding residencies for playwrights at New York’s Signature Theatre.

Saturday 15 October 2016 sees the world premiere performance of James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater at the Barbican Centre, London as part of a whole day of programming around his choral music. Commissioned by the Genesis Foundation for Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, MacMillan’s new composition is the culmination and climax of a three-year project by the Genesis Foundation dedicated to the Stabat Mater.

For more information about the world premiere of MacMillan’s Stabat Mater and tickets, click here

“I often wonder where I would be today were it not for the wonderful experience and inspiration that I was privileged enough to receive as part of the Genesis Sixteen scheme.”

Five years on from taking part in the inaugural Genesis Sixteen training scheme, soprano Hannah Ely reflects on how the experience helped her to develop as a musician, leading her to become a professional singer, and the manager of the Fieri Consort, a vocal ensemble founded by graduates of Genesis Sixteen.

I was twenty-one years old when I embarked on the first ever Genesis Sixteen programme, having just completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester. Over the course of my degree, I had begun to realise how important singing was to me. Although opportunities were fairly limited, there was a fantastic student-led chamber choir, which inspired many young musicians to pursue singing further. This is what led me to apply for Genesis Sixteen, though at the time I had no idea of how it would change the course of my life.

Coming directly from University into an environment where I performed with, and was mentored by, professional musicians; was inspiring and a little overwhelming! This exposed me to a higher level of music-making than I had ever encountered before. The opportunities to sing alongside members of The Sixteen and to develop close-working relationships with Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan gave me the confidence to pursue my own singing career.

Our mentors at Genesis Sixteen encouraged us to start our own ensembles, not only to provide a vehicle for our own artistic learning and expression, but also to build new audiences in a world where, partly because of government funding cuts, work for young musicians is increasingly hard to come by. This led to the foundation of the Fieri Consort.

Fieri is an ensemble of seven young professional singers, and we specialise in the performance of contemporary music and the early Italian madrigal. We have been running workshops alongside our concerts since its foundation and we work hard to advertise our performances widely, informing our audiences as well as entertaining them. Fieri travels widely, making it a priority to reach audiences outside of London and to increase our outreach work. We have stand-alone workshops planned this summer in collaboration with Hackney Arts and a joint project for lung patients with music therapist Mary Barclay scheduled for next year.

As a registered charity, Fieri has recently secured funding for our first recording, which will take place in September. The disc will feature Marenzio’s Se Quel Dolor, a lover’s lament as well as music by Monteverdi and previously unrecorded works by Ingegneri.

Fieri would not have come to exist without the support we were given by the Genesis Foundation when we first embarked on our journey to become professional performers. Taking part in the Genesis Sixteen programme motivated us not only to continue our own pursuit of music as individuals, but also to work together to educate and inspire as many other young people as possible.

Find out more information about Genesis Sixteen.

The Fieri Consort next London concert is on Saturday 8^th October 2016, 7.30pm at All Saints Church, Blackheath. For information and tickets, click here.

Applications for the 2017-18 Genesis Sixteen group open in November 2016 – click here for full details.

From 7 – 24 September 2016, two Genesis partners cross paths as former Genesis LAMDA Scholar, Paul Tinto (class of 2010), stars in the play Operation Crucible directed by the current Genesis Future Director at the Young Vic, Bryony Shanahan. The widely acclaimed and award-winning play will finally make its homecoming at the Sheffield Crucible, before embarking on another tour. The Genesis Foundation caught up with Paul to talk about the play’s success and working with such a talented director as Bryony.

“Sheffield was on fire, it was glowin’ orange, like hell, like a furnace, like steel”

Set against the backdrop of WW2 Sheffield, Operation Crucible tells the story of four steel workers recalling the Sheffield blitz, reliving the night when single bomb destroyed the city’s Marples Hotel, leaving them trapped and helpless within the one withstanding basement cellar, with no hope of escape.

Operation Crucible started in 2012, with very humble beginnings – four LAMDA alums got together around a pub table with nothing more than a blank piece of paper and a desire to create something new.

First came the story, then the scripting process, an internet crowd funding campaign followed that, then our director, Bryony Shanahan, and finally 9 performances at London’s Finborough Theatre as a published play.

Since then, Op Crucible has toured, returned to London to critical acclaim, and been nominated for 3 off-West End awards, including Best Director for Bryony Shanahan.

Now, the play is finally going to its home city to play at the Sheffield Crucible, before embarking on another tour.

Genesis has always played a part in my career ever since LAMDA, not least in always teaching me to have full belief in what I’m doing, but I believe it’s the ethos of the Foundation that both inspired me, and resonates within the entire company.

I remember hearing John Studzinski give his analogy on philanthropy; talking about the difference between giving a fisherman a fish so that he can feed himself for a day, and helping him learn how to fish so he can feed himself for a lifetime.

From having nothing but a blank page, it’s amazing to think that we now have our own play on at the Crucible Theatre and a theatre company with a promising future and holding its own within the industry.

And in keeping with the Foundation’s ethos and the people it brings, the production would have never been possible without our director, Bryony Shanahan, who, with hardly any budget, brought the story and words to life from the page better than we could have ever imagined.

Bryony is one of the best directors I have ever had the pleasure of working with and her ability to harness both the actors and the audiences imagination is what makes her truly brilliant at her craft. She is a credit to Genesis family, I feel lucky and privileged to have worked with her, and am so glad that the Foundation has such connection to the show.

– Paul Tinto

2016 marks the 15^th anniversary of the founding of the Genesis Foundation, an exciting year that has already seen the historic vespers service take place at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace, plays by Genesis international playwrights performed in South Africa and at the Royal Court, and Hadrian Garrard, director of Create London, awarded the biennial Genesis Prize, in recognition of his outstanding mentorship of artistic talent. On 15 October James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater, commissioned by the Genesis Foundation, will receive its world premiere at London’s Barbican Centre by Harry Christophers with The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia.Find out more about each Genesis partner’s recent activity, below.

Polly Graham, WNO Genesis Assistant Director (2012-14), continues to go from strength to strength. Fresh from her success as Associate Director of In Parenthesis, Polly executively directs Kommilitonen! for WNO Youth Opera this summer, ahead of her WNO main stage debut with Le Vin herbè in the spring of 2017. Her ongoing success has led to her appointment as INDEPENDENT OPERA Fellow at Sadler’s Wells, a position that will see her direct a new production.

In its feature Why are directing awards so important?, What’s On Stage interviews Young Vic Artistic Director David Lan, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation John Studzinski, and several past and present Genesis Future Directors to gain an insight into the impact and worth of this vital programme.

“What the Genesis Future Directors Award gave me was the opportunity to put my training into practice, to be able to focus on the craft of directing without having to worry about the production side of things and, crucially, the unique sense of being trusted and believed in by an institution.” Tinuke Craig, Genesis Future Director 2014

The calibre of the young talent nurtured through Genesis programmes can be seen in upcoming production Operation Crucible, directed by current Genesis Future Director Bryony Shanahan and featuring past LAMDA Scholar Paul Tinto; the opportunities created by Genesis Partnerships are rich, stimulating and many. To keep up to date with all of the Young Vic’s developments, subscribe to their recently launched Off Book podcast, available on iTunes and SoundCloud.

Following her recent trip to Cuba, Elyse Dodgson, Head of the International Department at the Royal Court Theatre, is currently leading a phase oneworkshop in China, whereby writers develop basic tools that will enable them to develop a new contemporary play. For the most up to date news and photography from Elyse, follow the Genesis Foundation on Twitter.

Having recently completed his three year undergraduate degree as Genesis LAMDA Scholar, Murray Fraser’s professional career is already taking flight. Signed to leading theatrical agency Scott Marshall Partners prior to concluding his studies, Murray has already secured a role in six-part drama Loch Ness, commissioned by ITV. Murray’s impressive talent and skill is apparent in his graduation short film, Distortions.

The 25^th and final LAMDA Scholar of the Genesis Foundation’s almost two-decade long partnership with the institution has been auditioned and will be announced in the autumn.

Each summer sees the changeover between Genesis Sixteen cohorts, packed with exciting events such as Sounds Sublime and Cumnock Tryst Festival. As the new group of talented young choral singers begin their course under the direction of Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan, they will no doubt be inspired to hear of the success of previous participant James Newby. First prize winner of The Kathleen Ferrier Awards 2016, Newby was the youngest entrant to reach the finals of the competition. Just 23 years old and newly graduated from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Newby’s impressive achievement stands him in good stead for an exciting and resounding career. To hear James perform live, be sure to book tickets to the Last Night of the Proms on Saturday 10 September 2016; alumni from Genesis Sixteen can be heard at their dedicated Late Night Prom on Tuesday 16 August 2016.

The newest Genesis Foundation partnership has already begun to produce impressive and culturally substantive output, apparent from the impressive critical reception that Martha Clarke’s Angel Reapers was met with earlier this year. With three world premieres by Residency Five playwrights scheduled as part of Signature Theatre’s 2016/17 season, we look forward to seeing how this promising collaboration grows over the coming years.

On Saturday 16 July St-Martin-in-the-Fields, The National Gallery, St Clement Danes and Bridewell Hall will resound with music-making by the fifth cohort of Genesis Sixteen and a selection of other vibrant young vocal ensembles, including London International Gospel Choir, The Manchester Singers and the Zenobia Scholars. Sounds Sublime, which this year has a strong Shakespeare theme in celebration of the 400^th anniversary of the Bard’s death, is an annual one-day festival that strives to bring together the best young choral talent for a packed programme that includes secret pop-up performances around Trafalgar Square, the premiere of The Fairy Queen, a family-friendly and abridged interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream acted out by puppets, as well as an opportunity for members of the public to Come and Sing Shakespeare with The Sixteen’s Associate Conductor Eamonn Dougan. At the centre of this year’s festival is a free and un-ticketed lunchtime concert (1.15pm) given by Genesis Sixteen. This will be the penultimate opportunity for members of the public to hear the fifth cohort perform, prior to their final recital at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace the following day.

After months of auditions across the country, the 22 singers that will form Genesis Sixteen 6 are now confirmed as:

Soprano: Charlotte Bowden, Catriona Holsgrove, Sarah Keirle, Eleanor Oldfield, Danielle O’Neill, Eleanor Partridge & Jennifer Statham.

Alto: Francis Gush, Emily Harrison, Emily Hodkinson, Rebecca Leggett & Rosie Parker

Tenor: Thomas Brooke, Graham Cooper, Jonathan Hanley, Euan Williamson & Will Wright.

Bass: Nathan Harrison, Ossian Huskinson, Michael Lafferty, Chris Mitchell & Williams Stevens.

Perhaps the most significant ongoing collaboration in choral music, Genesis Sixteen is a free young artists’ scheme which aims to nurture the next generation of talented singers. To find out more about the partnership between The Sixteen and the Genesis Foundation, click here.

For more information on the Sounds Sublime festival and full listings, click here.

On Thursday 2 June 2016, Founder & Chairman of the Genesis Foundation John Studzinski CBE delivered a Roscoe lecture, Making Money do Good Things in the magnificent setting of St George’s Hall, located at the heart of Liverpool’s St George’s Quarter. Mr Studzinski was invited to speak at the prestigious lecture series in honour and recognition of his great business and philanthropic achievements. Past speakers include a diverse cohort of revered individuals including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, BBC News Presenter George Alagiah and Lord Justice Sir Brian Leveson.

“To fix a problem, you have to look at what makes you angry… My advice is to pick your passion, identify your issue and, with conviction, you can make a big difference in your life and that of others.” John Studzinski CBE

The lecture focused on the intersection of empathy and talents; Mr Studzinski urged the youth of society to harness their anger and political discontent in a constructive way so as to bring about positive change.

To listen to the lecture in full, click here to download a podcast of the talk. To learn more about John Studzinski CBE, click here.

Elyse Dodgson, Head of the International Department at the Royal Court Theatre, offers an insight into the creative process behind the theatre’s ever ambitious and crucially important International Playwrights Programme. With support and funding from the Genesis Foundation, Elyse and her team are able to nurture emerging talent and develop ground-breaking work with playwrights from all over the world. In this post, Elyse writes about the work currently being undertaken with young and upcoming Cuban writers:

The Royal Court Theatre has been working with emerging playwrights in Cuba since 2002. We have now worked with over 50 Cuban writers over the last 14 years and four different groups on long term projects. During that time we have invited over a dozen Cuban playwrights to London and many Royal Court writers and directors have led the workshops in Cuba. Many of the early writers are now some of the most produced playwrights in the country. None of this could have happened without the support of the Consejo Nacional de Artes Escenicas (CNAE), the British Council and the Genesis Foundation which supports all the Royal Court’s international work.

The impetus for the latest work came in 2014. We had not worked in Cuba for four years and there was a new group of young writers who were eager to take part. When I visited Havana in advance of the workshop, I found many more theatres involved in new writing, artistic directors interested in developing contemporary plays and young writers who said they had new and urgent stories to tell. The first workshop began with 14 writers and playwrights Stephen Jeffreys, Vivienne Franzmann and myself.  Cuba was beginning to undergo big changes and the writers were keen to explore the effects of these changes on those whose lives would be deeply affected from different generations. By October 2015 we had new drafts from all of the writers and worked on their problems and possibilities with Stephen Jeffreys who was now joined by playwright April De Angelis. It was on this second workshop that we went to see a new play by one of our previous writers, “Mecanica” by Abel Gonzalesz Melo directed by Carlos Celdran. I was thrilled to see Carlos again, who I first met in 2002, and to talk about his interest in the new Cuban writers. It had been a dream of many years to invite one of Cuba’s most influential and brilliant directors to work on these plays with us.

In May 2016, Stephen, April and I returned to Cuba to live and work with ten of the writers for four days. It was an intense and inspiring time and all the writers felt ready to complete the final work on their play. In the second part of the workshop, we were joined by Carlos Celdran and a group of devoted and gifted Cuban actors. For the next four days we worked on scenes from six of the plays. It was thrilling to observe the rigour and detail of the work between Carlos, the writers and the actors.  I truly believe the work reached a new depth and understanding in such a short time. On the evening of the 25th of May the work was presented at the Sala Llaurado in Havana.  It was an experience I will never forget, so moving to share this work in progress with a Cuban audience. There is more work to be done as we expect the new drafts in less than one months’ time. I look forward to the next steps with great excitement.

It has been an enormous privilege to work with Cuban theatre practitioners over the last 14 years. These projects thrive on continuity and longevity. I hope that audiences in Cuba and the UK will see the results of this current project very soon. It has been a remarkable time for the Royal Court team.

To find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with the Royal Court Theatre, click here.

New York’s Signature Theatre has announced that three world premieres in its 2016/17 season will be by Residency Five writers will. The Genesis Foundation funds the Theatre’s innovative Residency Five programme in support of the company’s founding principle of honouring and nurturing the playwright.

Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, from 31 January 2017

A New Play by Will Eno, from 7 February 2017

The Antipodes by Annie Baker, from 4 April 2017

Hailed by The New York Times as “…one of [America’s] most original and illuminating writers”, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins returns for the second production of his residency with a unique and modern re-imagination of Everybody, one of the oldest plays in the English language. Will Eno brings his “… formally inventive, verbally dexterous … and excruciatingly truthful” (The New York Times) voice to A New Play, the final production of his residency, and in April, following on from the tremendous success of her first play John, a sell-out extended run production that appeared on the top ten list of The New York Times, New York Magazine and Time Magazine, Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Baker returns with the second play of her residency, The Antipodes.

Residency Five is a unique programme at New York’s off-Broadway Signature Theatre which guarantees a group of playwrights three new productions each over the course of a five-year residency. Talking of what inspired him to extend the Foundation’s activities abroad, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, John Studzinski CBE says:

“I’ve long been a fan of the Signature Theatre and its commitment to living playwrights. Without doubt it is one of the most dynamic organisations currently working in North America. Since joining its board earlier this year I’ve really been able to immerse myself in this powerhouse of creativity. I am therefore delighted that the Genesis Foundation is able to underwrite Signature Theatre’s programme for nurturing young playwrights.”