RTYDS Broadens UK Reach with New Residencies and Partnerships

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The partnerships include residency at Engine Room in Wigan and associate status with Factory International and the Bush Theatre.

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RTYDS (Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme) has announced a new residency and company associations across England. Joining ThickSkin at The Engine Room, as new resident company in Wigan; RTYDS will also become an associate company of Factory International in Manchester and at the Bush Theatre in London.

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RTYDS will continue to deliver Fair Play, their unique programme for working class theatre directors, funded by Arts Council England, from their new home at The Engine Room. Delivered across England, the programme addresses the social, cultural, financial and systemic inequalities that prevent working class creatives from making work, sustaining careers and progressing into creative leadership roles. The arrival of RTYDS marks an important new chapter for the venue and strengthens its role as a home for talent development in Wigan and the wider region.

Alongside its new residency at The Engine Room, RTYDS begins new associate company relationships with Factory International and the Bush Theatre . Together these relationships create a new network connecting Wigan, Manchester and London, enabling RTYDS to draw on the expertise of major cultural organisations as a company that is locally rooted, nationally relevant and internationally ambitious.

RTYDS will partner with each company to deliver a new initiative. With ThickSkin they will lead a Wigan Directors School, providing early career, working class artists the opportunity to develop skills and connections. With the Bush they will launch a new, free to access, library collection of theatre texts, highlighting plays by working class writers. RTYDS's new International Research Trip for working class directors will benefit from Factory International 's extensive global connections. The partnerships will enable RTYDS to expand their offer and also contribute to the exceptional artist development of each organisation.

Sue Emmas, Artistic Director for RTYDS, Fair Play comments, RTYDS has always been committed to creating real, long‑term change in who gets to lead and shape British theatre. Becoming resident at The Engine Room and an associate company of Factory International and the Bush Theatre marks an important next step for us - one that keeps working class artists at the centre of our mission. Fair Play was built to challenge the systemic barriers that stop working class directors from progressing, and these new partnerships strengthen our ability to do that nationally. We're excited by what this network will make possible for artists in Wigan, Manchester, across the country and beyond. We want to position Fair Play as the national leader in class equity conversations and these partnerships move us closer to that ambition.

Established as a talent development programme in the 1960s, RTYDS became a charity in 2015 and works with organisations across England to provide professional development opportunities for theatre directors. The organisation has become a sector leader in addressing social, cultural and financial inequality in theatre, working with Arts Council England and partners across the industry to challenge the barriers to artistic leadership created by unequal access to opportunity.

Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport comments, We know that artistic talent can be found everywhere, but opportunity is not. That's why schemes like this are so important.

The Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme will not only up opportunities in theatre for local people, it will champion working-class artists, inspire more creative careers and break down barriers for young people across our borough.

Neil Bettles and Laura Mallows, Co-Chief Executives of ThickSkin comment, We're delighted to welcome RTYDS to The Engine Room. They have played a hugely important role in developing and championing theatre directors and artists from across the UK for decades, and more recently in advocating for working class artists through Fair Play. Their commitment to creating opportunities outside London, improving representation and removing barriers to the industry feels incredibly aligned with our own values.

The Engine Room was created to be a home for artists and creative organisations in Wigan, so it's a real vote of confidence that an organisation of RTYDS' national standing has chosen to make its home here. There's a natural connection between our work, and we're excited about what their presence will bring to the building, to artists locally and to the wider cultural life of the borough.

Wigan Council comments, We are thrilled that the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme team have made the decision to move into the borough. The scheme works with and within the theatre profession in an inspiring way to support and enable future generations of theatre directors. This news further supports our collective ambition to make Wigan a regional producing hub, and firmly establishes the Engine Room at Trencherfield Mill, managed by ThickSkin Theatre, at the centre of this ambition.

John McGrath , Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Factory International comments, We're proud to welcome RTYDS in a special partnership with Factory International . RTYDS's hugely impactful work in the theatre sector aligns with our commitment to supporting artists at all stages of their practice and removing barriers to careers in the arts, which we deliver through our artist development programmes and training arm Factory Academy. Our unique place as the UK's largest cultural exporter allows us to support artists to think about their work on an international scale; this partnership with RTYDS will broaden that support, providing opportunities for working class theatre professionals to connect with producers and peers working across the globe.

Taio Lawson and Angela Wachner, Co-CEOs of Bush Theatre comment, RTYDS has been instrumental in the careers of so many artists and artistic leaders, including mine. This collaboration enables the Bush to double down on everything it stands for: championing marginalised and under-represented voices and ushering in the future of British theatre, through both the work on stage and the people making it.

RTYDS has the minerals - they talk the talk and walk the walk - and it's a pleasure to be in step with them for the foreseeable future and beyond. This partnership allows us to connect nationally in tangible ways, breaking down ceilings for artists from working-class and lower socio-economic backgrounds. The relaunch of the Bush's Library, alongside RTYDS and their Fair Play initiative, is just the start. Our library will be a dedicated sanctuary for curious minds to dive into the imagination of fearless playwrights, highlighting a catalogue of exceptional working-class writers.

Dismantling these barriers isn't just vital for our industry; it is vital for the future of our entire nation. Those who tell the stories shape society-for you reading this statement, and for us writing it. Our democracy needs multiplicity. That's what this collaboration offers.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/RTYDS-Expands-Network-With-Three-Major-UK-Theatre-Partnerships-20260929)._