Actor Musicians, Sensory Cinders

About Concrete Youth

Concrete Youth is a charity dedicated to enhancing the lives of people labelled as having profound and multiple learning disabilities through cultural provision. Consistently making trailblazing work, the touring department offers exceptional, especially designed, live sensory theatre productions for audience labelled as having PMLD. To date, Concrete Youth’s touring productions have reached over 7,500 audience members across 5 continents since its launch in 2019.

Winner of the Corporate Vision Best Sensory Education Award for 2023, the department offers sensory stories, sensory workshops, sensory parties, and story massage sessions, as well as training and consultancy for theatres, schools, and care settings internationally.

About Sensory Cinders

Sensory Cinders, a sensory pantomime adaptation of Cinderella for audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities, with original music exploring themes of identity, self-expression, transformation, magic, personas, authenticity, and connectedness. What is it to pursue self-love and understanding in a world that doesn’t understand you? Sensory Cinders is in development with the support of the National Theatre’s Generate programme and in partnership with Barnsley Civic.

About the Role

Concrete Youth is looking for x4 exceptional actor musicians to join the research & development (R&D) period of its upcoming production, Sensory Cinders.

Essential Skills for candidates

• Strong singing experience

• Professional experience as an actor musician

• Experience of working in an R&D capacity

Desirable skills for candidates

• Experience of working with audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD)

• Experience in Makaton or other forms of signed communication

• Experience in sensory theatre

The Roles

For all roles, we are specifically interested in receiving applications from D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent applicants, actors from the global majority, and candidates from the LGBTQ+ community.

As a queer and neurodivergent-led production, Concrete Youth is committed to making reasonable adjustments for artists with access needs throughout the project and is working with a Creative Access Consultant throughout the development of the production to embed these in the process.

Please note, as this show is currently being developed, all roles, character breakdown and cast sizes are subject to change.

Cinderella

• Female

• Playing age: 20-35

Cinderella, our persecuted heroine of this story. She’s isolated from society held back by barriers put against her, not allowing her access to the thing she loves most nature. She longs to know the outside world and make her own decisions in life. She has a wildness about her and loves nature although she can’t reach it. People in this world look down on her for her wildness as to them it’s unsophisticated. She’s incredibly bored of being stuck inside all day with nothing to do but stare longingly out of the window imagining what kind of world is out there. She hears of the ball and the importance of it. She wants to go and see what all the hype is about with the prince and the famous dances that happen there.

Fairy Godmother

• Any Gender

• Playing age: 30-50

• Physical clowning experience is desirable for this role.

A powerful and mysterious character, one who speaks their own language and communicates non-verbally. They draw on the ancient powers within nature and the moon to cast spells.

They are at one with nature; it is very much a part of this person. They live in the woods and have wildness within them, like Cinderella. They are a protector of Cinderella and want to help her as best that they can. They are in a double act with Mama Disco and don’t necessarily get on at the best of times due to the fact they are complete opposites from one another with completely different values in life.

The Prince

• Any Gender

• Playing age: 20-35

• Dancing experience is desirable for this role

• Concrete Youth is specifically interested in hearing from artists with drag king experience for this role.

Mama Disco’s son. He’s bored with his life but holds a very high status. He throws a ball every year, a tradition passed down for generations. He chooses a diamond of the ball each year to be included in his inner circle. He is highly educated and lives within the high fashion world. Everyone that meets him seeks approval around him and always tries to impress him with the famous dances only reserved for such occasions at the balls he throws. He is a fantastic dancer. You will always find him at the centre of attention due to his high status and the power he holds. He has a great relationship in Mama Disco and confides in her. However, Mama Disco can be quite pushy with him, causing some tension between them, leading to a comparison between him and the situation that Cinderella finds herself in.

Mama Disco

• Any gender

• Playing age 25-50

• Concrete Youth is specifically interested in hearing from female actors and drag artists for this role.

The Queen in charge of all ongoings in this high fashion society. Not a fan of nature. Is part of a comedic double act with the Fairy Godmother. They don’t tend to get along too well. They are very different from one another. However, this queen knows how to throw a ball and is always the life and soul of every party. She is super protective of her only son, the prince. She has spoiled him and has given him anything he could ever want in life in all material aspects. She is the pinnacle of high fashion, loves a celebration and you guessed it, Disco!

Key Dates

• 15th-26th July - Barnsley Civic, Barnsley

• 29th July-2nd August - National Theatre, London

Auditions

Auditions will take place on Wednesday 15th May at the National Theatre, London.

Fee

The fee for the project is £650 p/w for 3 weeks + travel and accommodation, where necessary.

Further Contract

Subject to the needs of the production upon completion of its development, there may be potential for renewal of the contract for the production’s run. The production’s rehearsal, tech, previews, and run will take place October until mid-December.

How to Apply

***PLEASE NOTE: IT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO US THAT SOME CANDIDATES HAVE EXPERIENCED ISSUES SUBMITTING THEIR APPLICATION VIA THE APPLICATION FORM ON THIS PAGE. IF YOUR SUBMISSION DOES NOT SUBMIT, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR APPLICATION TO JOBS@CONCRETEYOUTH.CO.UK. OUR MARKETING & WEB TEAM ARE RESOLVING THE ISSUE.***

To apply, candidates should complete the form on the page with their cover letter, CV, and examples of previous work by 7th May at 23:59. If you would prefer to apply via a format that is more accessible to you, please do so by emailing it to jobs@concreteyouth.co.uk. You are kindly asked to only email this address with accessible applications and apply using the form on this page in all other events.

Our audience comes from all walks of life, and so do we. We work with great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes our company stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for inclusive theatre, you will find a home at Concrete Youth.