We catch up with Sanjana, one of our Young Producers alumni, to see what she has been up to since VIVACITY Festival and how taking part in the training programme has supported her journey.
Since Young Producers, I have jumped further into the world of producing and have been pursuing an MA in Creative Producing at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama since October 2022! My favourite parts have been connecting with incredible peers and staff at Central and having really inspiring guest lecturers. On top of that, it’s been really exciting to be stepping into the industry through work placements with different companies.
My first placement was with Collide Theatre company on their world premiere of The Woman Who Turned Into A Tree, in co-production with Omnibus Theatre. My second was with InTheatre Productions, working across their productions on the West End. These experiences have shown me how wide-ranging and diverse theatre can be in the UK and the wonderful people and teams that go into producing really exciting new work.
My course and these experiences have made me most interested in ethical producing practices and the processes through which we create work collaboratively – which is the focus of my MA dissertation.
Looking back, Young Producers was a key inspiration for this topic. What I remember the most is how our care as young producers, students and people was always put first. We were taken to shows, given agency over areas of our own interest and able to work with each other in a way that felt connected and driven.
This programme was also my first introduction to making the arts more accessible in a way I could experience and see first-hand, with China Plate’s commitment to having shows BSL-interpreted, videos captioned and social media posts screen-reader friendly. This commitment and consistency has had an impact on how I think work can be created and on my personal ambitions and practice.
As I’m nearing the end of my MA in September and entering into a post-student life phase, I feel grateful for the regular check-ins, training sessions and opportunities from China Plate. It feels reassuring to be part of the China Plate extended family, and to stay connected to a network of wonderful producers and creators no matter where I go.
If you are interested to learn more about Young Producers, you can visit the programme page here, or get in touch with our Engagement & Participation producer Andrea Pieri Gonzalez at [email protected]