World premieres, international voices and women writers dominate a diverse season of plays commissioned and developed by the International Playwrights Programme, supported by the Genesis Foundation.

The Royal Court Theatre’s Autumn / Winter 2017 programme features 12 plays, including five world premieres, from Argentina, Chile, Syria, Ukraine & the US. All these plays are part of the Royal Court’s International Playwrights Programme that’s been funded by the Genesis Foundation for 20 years.

Under the leadership of Elyse Dodgson, the Royal Court has worked with writers from more than 70 countries in 40 different languages, giving playwrights access to the best mentoring, nurturing, tuition as well as providing opportunities for them to have their work presented at the Royal Court.

Many of these writers have worked under incredible hardship in fractured societies, often finding an outlet for their voice for the first time through the programme.

Long term play development relationships now exist through projects and exchanges with writers from countries including Argentina, Brazil, China, Chile, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Palestine, Romania, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Syria, Turkey, Uruguay and Zimbabwe.

Highlights of the forthcoming season include:

• Acclaimed Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderón makes his Royal Court debut with the world premiere of B, a play exploring what revolutionary violence means to two different generations. B is on now and runs until Saturday 21 October.
• Royal Court Associate Director Hamish Pirie directs the world premiere of GOATS by Syrian playwright Liwaa Yazji, in a translation by Katharine Halls. This runs from Friday 24 November 2017 to Saturday 30 December 2017.
• Ukrainian playwright Natal’ya Vorozhbit returns to the Royal Court with the world premiere of BAD ROADS, translated by Sasha Dugdale directed by Royal Court Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone. The play runs from Wednesday 15 November 2017 to Saturday 23 December 2017.

For bookings and more information, visit the Royal Court Theatre website.

The Genesis Foundation is partnering with LAMDA to fund the new Genesis LAMDA Network that will give final year students mentoring from past graduates on how to succeed in the industry. Available initially to final year students on LAMDA’s BA (Hons) Professional Acting, Foundation Degree Professional Acting and Production & Technical Arts courses, the Network pairs them with a graduate mentor to support them as they complete their training and enter their first year in the industry.

This new partnership derives from the defining ethos of the Genesis Foundation which is to mentor and nurture young artistic talent.

Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, John Studzinski said:

“The Genesis Foundation is delighted to expand its partnership with LAMDA by launching this unique mentoring programme. This new scheme with LAMDA fills a need to provide support, guidance and networking opportunities for actors as they enter this precarious profession. Nurturing young artistic talent over the long-term, creating a network that keeps supporting them after they leave their training, has always characterised the work of the Genesis Foundation so I’m particularly delighted that we’ve teamed up with LAMDA to ensure all future LAMDA graduates receive mentoring from their third year onwards.”

Championed by David Suchet with Dame Janet Suzman and alumni from across the industry, this new initiative offers students support beyond graduation. The Network is currently being piloted with Class of 2017 graduating students and LAMDA alumni in the UK and US and will roll out across the Academy in January 2018. Read more about the Case Study of the pilot here: https://www.lamda.org.uk/our-courses/genesis-lamda-network

The Genesis Foundation has sponsored 25 Genesis Scholarships at LAMDA over the last 20 years, starting with Sam Barnett (The History Boys and Twelfth Nightfor which he received an Olivier and Tony Award nomination). Previous Genesis Scholars at LAMDA include: Ben Aldridge (recently Our Girl, BAFTA-winning BBC comedy Fleabag, Toast), Tom Riley, (Recently star of Da Vinci’s Demons, Starfish, The Collection, Ill Behaviour), Abubakar Salim (recently Black Mirror, Assassin’s Creed) and Sam Swann (recently in Oil at the Almeida Theatre, Wendy and Peter at the RSC, Pomona at the National Theatre and Mr Selfridge).

Read more about the Genesis LAMDA Network here.

We caught up with Genesis LAMDA Scholar Lewis Bruniges after his performance in the new production of Edmond Rostand’s classic French play Cyrano de Bergerac.

Talk us through your third year at LAMDA, how did it go?

There’s almost too much to reflect on! It’s been a great way of getting us match ready for the way we’ll be putting our training to use in the industry and we’ve had exposure to a number of industry professionals. The shows we’ve done have varied from contemporary pieces to classical texts with a short film project to cover all bases. Most of all, really, I’ve learnt how to guide myself through a process and to be helpful to the people in the rehearsal room with the goal of putting on a show of a high standard.

What have you been working on?

I’ve just appeared in my final show, an English adaptation of the French classic Cyrano de Bergerac. As I’ve had a lot of opportunity playing leading roles in previous productions, this time I took on the challenge of playing six different supporting parts. The style of the show was larger than life and the set and costumes played a big role in giving the audience a sense of historic Paris and the characters that might have inhabited it. It was a great deal of fun whilst still being challenging and a great show to end on.

LAMDA has recently inaugurated its new building, with a state of the art technology studio. How has that impacted your practice, and your taste even?

It’s already been well worn in, in such a short time. For the last half of this year we were able to rehearse in the new studios which are very well equipped with new sound systems. We also held our annual ‘Fight Night’ in the new Sainsbury theatre for the first time, an in-house event where the whole school gets together to rehearse for our fight exams in front of an audience. Our ability to stay at home for these kinds of events is really exciting and I think makes the new facilities really feel like they’re becoming part of the LAMDA we know and love.

What’s your approach with stage vs. film acting? Does it feel different?

I’d say at the core they’re very similar. At the end of the day the most important aspect of performance is the sense of communicating truthfully, whatever medium you find yourself in. The real difference is in the techniques you apply to carry your performance to the audience. Just as you would choose to use projection and clarity of diction to get a Shakespeare performance to reach the back of the Olivier, you have to be aware with a camera that the audience are sitting right beside you. Inside as the actor you’re still using your imagination in whatever way you can to believe the situation your character is in, all that changes is how you technically manifest that reality with your voice and body.

Do you have any plans for after graduation?

At the moment my main plan is getting a job to pay the rent! Amongst all my other goals of moving forward in my career and taking my first steps into the profession I’m looking forward to taking some time to get back in touch with family and friends and to get a steady form of income, whether that be bar work or waiting. Acting is my passion and if I get one day to earn a living from it, that’ll be a bonus.

Take a tour of LAMDA’s new building here.

echo, a new ensemble launched by former Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar Sarah Latto will perform in Debut Sounds: New Musick, a concert presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra on 12 July at St John’s, Smith Square.

Debut Sounds: New Musick is a programme celebrating British composers from Purcell to the present day including four world premieres by young composers Yvonne Eccles, Nathan Dearden, Alex Paxton and Stef Conner.

The musicians will be conducted by celebrated composer/conductor Magnus Lindberg and will be hosted by BBC Presenter Suzy Klein.

Sarah Latto says: “We are singing two pieces by MacMillan, a composer that wefeel very close to – we sang (as Genesis Sixteen) at the Cumnock Tryst last October, which is the festival that James MacMillan set up in his home town, where we met and worked with him – and that was when we first decided to set up an ensemble.” 

Sarah Latto launched echo in April, gathering 18 singers who met through Genesis Sixteen.

“Since starting echo, we’ve really enjoyed working together as a group – we are all good friends and it’s a lot of fun spending time together; a connection which I hope comes across in performance.”

echo has performed with Genesis Sixteen as part of The Sixteen’s Sounds Sublime Festival on 8 July, at a pop-up performance at St Clement Danes Church, The Strand. echo intends to explore the full range of ensemble singing, working both with and without a conductor, improvising and performing music from both inside and outside the Western classical canon.

“We are determined to strive for the same high musical standards and emotional commitment that we worked to during Genesis Sixteen; working in close detail, getting to the heart of each piece and creating a real experience for our audiences.”

echo joins a number of now established Genesis Sixteen alumni ensembles including Eo Nomine and Reverie, as well as The Gesualdo Six and Fieri Consortwhich are releasing their debut albums in spring/summer 2017.

The Sixteen are delighted to announce the new cohort of Genesis Sixteen singers and the appointment of Benedict Preece as Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar for 2017-18. The new cohort are:

Soprano: Morven Bremner, Isabella Gibber, Natalie Houlston, Maisie Hulbert, Victoria Meteyard, Rebecca Murphy, Myrna Tennant

Alto: Isobel Chesman, Anya Chomacki, Theo Golden, Katie Jeffries-Harris, David Whitworth

Tenor: Ted Black, Oscar Golden-Lee, Charlie Hodgkiss, Thomas Perkins, Sidharth Prabhu-Naik

Bass: George Clark, George Cook, Sam Gilliatt, John Lee, Peter Norris

Genesis Sixteen, supported by the Genesis Foundation, is currently in its seventh year and has worked with over 100 participants. The UK’s first ever fully funded programme of its kind, Genesis Sixteen is The Sixteen’s free young artists’ scheme for 18-23 year olds, which aims to nurture the next generation of talented ensemble singers. During the course of a year, a series of week-long and weekend courses are led by key figures from The Sixteen, including founder and conductor Harry Christophers and Associate Conductor Eamonn Dougan. Participants receive group tuition, individual mentoring and masterclasses run by some of the world’s top vocal experts. Support from the Genesis Foundation means participants receive free tuition and a bursary to cover all additional costs. The Conducting Scholarship is fully funded and offers young conductors, between the ages of 21-26, the opportunity to be mentored by Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan, as well as the chance to work with some of the best young ensemble singers in the country. The Scholar is given the chance to observe each course, sing with the choir, lead their own rehearsals and conduct several pieces in concert.

Harry Christophers, Founder and Conductor, The Sixteen commented, “Genesis Sixteen has become an integral part of what The Sixteen does and I am delighted to welcome the new cohort of singers and Conducting Scholar to the scheme. Over the next year they will work extensively and in great detail with myself and Eamonn Dougan and will also have the opportunity to be mentored by singers of the highest quality to nurture and develop their talent. We are, as always, very grateful to the Genesis Foundation for its continued support and dedication to this cause.”

John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman, Genesis Foundation, commented, “Burgeoning talent, mentoring from one of the most inspirational choral conductors, standing side-by-side with great singers, meeting peers who become collaborators – all this and much more characterise Genesis Sixteen. To take young talent, expose it to great leadership and mentoring is at the heart of the Genesis Foundation and we couldn’t be prouder of the more than 100 alumni and what they’ve achieved. The fact that they in turn are now mentoring others shows how supporting such schemes as Genesis Sixteen continually transforms the lives of young artists.”

Genesis Sixteen alumni are continuing their successful careers with chorus and solo roles at Glyndebourne and performances alongside a range of renowned ensembles including The Sixteen, British Youth Opera, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Tenebrae Choir and many more, with regular appearances on BBC Radio 3 and various festivals across the UK and beyond. This year we saw James Newby become the 2017 Jerwood Young Artist, James Way win the Second Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, and two alumni ensembles releasing their debut albums.

Applications for the 2018-19 cohort will open in November 2017.

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen have announced Benedict Preece as the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar 2017/18. Currently Music Director of Caritas Chamber Choir, East Bridge Chorale and Sandwich Concert Band, Benedict began his career as a Chorister of Canterbury Cathedral and continues to sing in the choir as a Deputy Tenor Lay Clerk.

First introduced in August 2014, the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholarship offers unparalleled access to tuition from two of the country’s leading choral conductors, Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan. Scholars get to work with Genesis Sixteen singers during their year’s training, observing each course, lead their own rehearsals and conduct several pieces publicly with them. They also take part in The Sixteen’s education and outreach work in primary schools. Previous Conducting Scholars include Benjamin Cox, Sarah Latto and Robbie Jacobs.

Benedict says: “I’m delighted to have been selected as the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar 2017/18. I’m immensely looking forward to working closely with two of the leading choral conductors Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan, and with the extremely talented singers in Genesis Sixteen. For any young conductor who enjoys working with voices, this has to be one of the most exciting scholarships available and I feel privileged to have been awarded this prestigious scholarship.”

At Trinity College of Music, London, he studied horn, natural horn, the organ and composition.  Benedict has developed his orchestral conducting technique with Stephen Portman (a former student of Monteux and Szell) and on Peter Stark’s renowned courses. His compositions have recently been performed by Caritas and choirs in Sweden, the Netherlands and the USA.

Benedict currently maintains a busy schedule with his ensembles. Caritas Chamber Choir is regularly engaged to deputise for Canterbury Cathedral Choir and have recently performed in Lille Cathedral, the Netherlands. Future engagements include Madrid and a tour of Sweden. Next year, Benedict will also direct Canterbury’s Festival Chamber Orchestra and Kent Sinfonia.

Sixteen young playwrights in Beijing are currently enrolled in a series of workshops and discussions of first drafts of their plays being run by Elyse Dodgson and the Royal Court’s International Department. Meeting in the tranquillity of an old Buddhist temple in the heart of city, the group recently gathered for a week of intensive work with Royal Court playwrights Carl Miller and April De Angelis, along with Elyse and Sam Pritchard.

Two of the playwrights commented on the experience:

“To be part of this group is truly empowering and of course, with their experience, skills, patience and generosity, Elyse, Carl, April and Sam from the Royal Court have inspired us to write that play we’ve always been burning to write…the fact that we are all writing together as a group is, I believe, the beginning of a beginning.” Zhuang Yi

“In this workshop setting, we have all made some breakthroughs that we did not manage to do in the past. They have an atmosphere that I’ve never observed before in similar writing workshops I’ve participated in. I’ve learned some significantly useful techniques about writing, how to discuss my work with others and how to improve my script. It is the connection that really matters – the connection with other young writers who belong to the same generation as me.” Chen Si’an

The work in Beijing is a continuum of many years working in China by Elyse and her team that’s been supported by the Genesis Foundation. The Genesis Foundation has supported the Royal Court’s International Playwrights Programme for almost 20 years, funding workshops and rehearsed readings in diverse countries as well as residencies and productions at the Royal Court. The Foundation’s support enables the Royal Court to find and develop the next generation of professional playwrights, providing a springboard for young writers to greater public and critical attention.

John Studzinski, Founder & Chairman of the Genesis Foundation today saluted Davin Lan’s numerous achievements at the Young Vic during his time as artistic director and his long-term partnership with the Genesis Foundation, as he steps down after 18 years.

“The Genesis Foundation believes in backing visionary artistic leaders who nurture and mentor others and we couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring partner than David. He’s been a true partner with us for over 13 years and together we’ve helped over 1,000 young theatre professionals in innovative programmes that have really delivered.

“At the Young Vic David created a culture that allowed people to be challenged, to fail and to fly while always giving them an experience that enriched and emboldened them as artists. Such vision and passion is rare in our world and for the Genesis Foundation to have supported his work for nearly 15 years has been a privilege and a joy. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter in David’s life brings to him personally and to the art world.”

The Genesis Foundation supports the Young Vic by funding a number of programmes including:

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 by being supported and mentored by the theatre’s unique creative network.

Genesis Fellowship is a two-year grant that enables its recipient to work closely with David Lan as they develop their craft as a theatre director. The current recipient is the theatre director and playwright Gbolahan Obisesan. Former Genesis Fellows include Carrie Cracknell and Joe Hill-Gibbins.

Genesis Fellow Production Fund contributes towards the research, workshopping and staging costs required over the Fellow’s two year position, enabling them to work in the best possible conditions, supported by the whole of the Young Vic team.

Genesis Directors Network is an online area that has become an invaluable forum for members to share their experiences and seek advice. The network encourages a sense of community and peer support amongst its members with independent producers, theatre companies and writers using it to find directors for their projects. Annual opportunities such as bursaries, traineeships and masterclasses are also publicised through the network to its membership of over 1,000 professionals.

For more information on the partnership between the Young Vic and the Genesis Foundation please click here.

The Genesis Future Directors Award, funded by the Genesis Foundation, gives an emerging director a once in a lifetime opportunity to hone their skills at the Young Vic and stage a fully-resourced production in the Clare Studio. Details and guidelines for the 2018 Award, now open for application, are available here.

The Award is aimed at emerging young directors who have demonstrated a talent for, and commitment to, directing but have had limited opportunities to develop their work. It enables them to present a show in the Clare Theatre for a short run under the guidance of the Young Vic’s artistic team but without press scrutiny. This year, the judging panel calls for applications from D/deaf (Deaf and hard of hearing) or disabled emerging directors, and emerging directors who want to work with a cast that includes D/deaf or disabled actors.

Previous recipients of the Genesis Future Directors award include:

• 2017 – Nancy Medina, a Bristol-based freelance director who will be directing Yellowman at the Young Vic in Autumn 2017
• 2017 – Lucy J Skilbeck, who directed the gender-binding adaptation of Chekhov’s The Bear / The Proposal in March 2017
• 2016 – Bryony Shanahan, co-artistic director of the Snuff Box Theatre, who is currently the Staff Director on Yaël Farber’s Salome at the National Theatre
• 2016 – Ola Ince, a freelance director who recently directed Start Swimmingby James Fritz at the Young Vic, which will be part of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival
• 2011 – Ben Kidd, co-artistic director, Dead Centre, who co-directed Chekhov’s First Play which is still on tour and goes to Théâtre de Vidy in Switzerland and the Helsinki Festival in Finland. Hamnet, which he also co-directed, will premiere at the Abbey Theatre as a part of the Dublin Theatre Festival

Meanwhile, current Young Vic Genesis Fellow Gbolahan Obisesan has recently run Springboard, a week-long series of workshops at the Young Vic for emerging directors from across the country as part of their Directors Program.  The participants considered the balance between creative ambition on the one hand and the skills and responsibilities required of a director on the other.

Gbolahan Obisesan said: “The week was curated to allow access to established theatre makers with the broadest approach toward making theatre, allowing the directors to cultivate an eclectic practical knowledge of how different artists utilise their unique artistic and technical talents to make great theatre.”

The Genesis Foundation has supported the Young Vic for nearly 15 years, including the Young Vic’s Directors Programme since its inception. The Genesis Foundation funds the Genesis Fellow (past Fellows include National Theatre’s director Rufus Norris, Carrie Cracknell, Natalie Abrahami and Joe Hill-Gibbins) and Genesis Fellow Production Fund, the Genesis Future Directors Awards and the Genesis Directors Network at the Young Vic.

John Studzinski is being honoured for the contributions of the Genesis Foundation – which he founded in 2001 – in nurturing artistic excellence among young artists with the 2017 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award for the UK, an annual award highlighting the importance of arts patronage in communities around the world. He joins a notable list of past honourees that include HRH The Prince of Wales, British maestro Sir Simon Rattle, Italian architect Renzo Piano and Japanese artist Yoko Ono.

The Montblanc Cultural Foundation assembled an international jury of art influencers to evaluate the nominees, from which winners were chosen from 17 different countries, including John Studzinski. The awards, now in their 26th year, put a focus on the world’s most committed patrons by choosing winners based on their history of personal commitment to the arts and their support to the work of young and emerging artists with a concern that the wider public should benefit from cultural projects and, in particular, the work of young and emerging artists.

John Studzinski will be presented with the Patron of Art Limited Edition 4810 pen – featuring a personalised nib engraving and set inside a steel, sand blasted trophy displaying an angel wing design, symbolic of a patron’s role in nurturing, protecting and fostering the creative work of artists – at the British Award Ceremony on 12 October. He will also be awarded 15,000 Euros to support the work of the Genesis Foundation.

Established by John Studzinski in 2001, the Genesis Foundation works in partnership with the leaders of prestigious UK arts organisations such as LAMDA, the National Theatre, Royal Court, The Sixteen and the Young Vic.  Its largest funding commitment is to programmes that support directors, playwrights, actors and musicians in the early stages of their professional lives.

The theme of art & faith increasingly characterises aspects of the Foundation’s work with choral commissions including James MacMillan’s Stabat mater.