Theatre shows, drama schools and auditions - a career on the stage and screen is within reach for a cohort of acting students about to graduate from Newcastle Theatre Royal’s Project A professional actor training course.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this September, Project A is Newcastle Theatre Royal’s Northern school for drama – providing a credible and cost-effective alternative to moving to London to train. Suitable for those just starting their journey as an actor or those who are almost ready to enter the industry, the programme provides full-time professional actor training and development for 18–25 year-olds in the North East – as a precursor or alternative to studying at Drama School.
90% of our graduates go on to work professionally, gain agent representation or a place at Drama School within six months of graduation.
Thanks to the course leaders’ outlook on providing enhanced opportunities for professional networking, Dani Zareie has already taken up paid work in Champion by Ishy Din at Live Theatre where he played the character of Azeem. Now the19 year-old from Rowlands Gill is off to New York to continue his training at the American Musical Drama Academy (AMDA).
Dani said: “Project A has acted as a bridge between sixth form and drama school/professional work. If I hadn’t done Project A I would have been so intimidated going to auditions, drama school or professional work.
“Being in Champion was amazing – and it was unbelievable that I was even allowed to do something like Champion, because you don’t usually work while you’re at drama school, you go to drama school to get work! When that opportunity came up, I felt like the luckiest person in the world. I didn’t feel like a student, it was a chance to use everything I’d learned at Project A in a professional setting, if I hadn’t done it, I would have gone into Champion so blind. And when it came to doing my first press night, I had the backing of Project A practitioners and course leaders – I felt so supported!”
Looking ahead and at how the programme prepared him for work as an actor, Dani added: “It reassures and brings out the best part of you, the little nuggets that you can’t bring out yourself. Once you’ve got that, they hone into that. By the time you leave, you know who you are as a performer. Going into drama school and professional work, I feel reassured about what I can bring to the table, and most importantly, what type of actor I want to be.”
JoJo Appleton, 19, from North Shields has been accepted at East 15 Drama School in London where she will continue her studies for three years.
She said: “I chose Project A because I was looking for further training in the North and there was nothing else like it around. It’s very industry-based and it appealed to me because it is based in a theatre which is a great springboard and it makes you step up.
“My highlights were the Shakespeare and improvisation modules – they really built my confidence and made me feel prepared for anything, especially if you’re doing auditions. Another highlight was being on the Newcastle Theatre Royal stage for Gerry and Sewell within weeks of starting. Some people work in the industry for decades and they don’t get that opportunity!”
JoJo hopes to do more devising work at drama school. As well as acting, she wants to work creative development because her time at Project A has helped her discover the importance of outreach for the North East’s creative landscape. She said: “They make you dream bigger and think of things you wouldn’t have thought of doing before.”
Since Project A began in 2015, leaders have developed a course that is delivered by professional actors and theatre-makers based inside the iconic Grade I listed theatre in Grey Street. The course focuses on giving students the skills to forge a sustainable pathway or career in the arts. It boasts expert tuition from visiting experts in specific topics including Royal Shakespeare Company Voice and Text Associate Michael Corbidge and Stage Combat expert Sean Bingham.
Project A alumni have gone on to act in films, TV and on the stage. Some have gained degrees through additional training at the best drama schools across the UK and abroad.
Jamie Doncaster graduated from the course in 2019 and has most recently been performing in Muril’s Wedding in Leicester’s Curve Theatre as Bjorn, as a member of the Abba-themed adult ensemble. Other credits include off stage support for four main characters in A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic, London, and on-stage cover, supporting the ensemble and lead role in Standing at the Sky’s Edge at The Crucible in Sheffield, in 2023.
Now 25, Jamie said the attraction of Project A was that it was a credible local alternative to training in London, which equipped him for drama school with a wealth of knowledge, and toolkit honed to the career direction that Jamie wanted to follow, musical theatre.
He said: “I’ve taken a lot of that knowledge and even apply that now in my professional career.”
Newcastle Theatre Royal’s Creative Engagement Lead Kim Hoffmann said: “Our offering is unique at Newcastle Theatre Royal because unlike any other regional professional acting courses, it is set inside a working theatre. The benefit to this is that the students are immersed in a professional environment and start to develop their working relationships for the future with directors, producers, writers, theatre makers and other creatives, as well as developing their skills as performers.”
The Project A course is divided into three blocks where students learn what it takes to work in repertory theatre including introductory drama skills like dance, stage combat, text work, Shakespeare, improvisation, with progression through to script writing and research and development (R&D) work. The 2024-25 cohort of students have collaborated with the theatre’s first Open Door project alongside Eastlake Productions, on a piece of R&D work relating to The Angel of the North led by artist in residence Adam Donaldson with a production expected to happen in future.
Alongside the study blocks, the ‘Create! Season in Rep’ programme allows actors in training to work with professional artists and directors to develop performances of varying scales performed in our newly refurbished Studio Theatre.
Newcastle Theatre Royal has produced 11 Project A productions since the programme began in 2015. Among them is: 13, by Mike Bartlett; Road, by Jim Cartwright; Herons, by Simon Stephens; and How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found, by Fin Kennedy.
For its 10th Anniversary year, Project A will be presenting The Skriker, by Caryl Churchill in the Studio Theatre on Tue 8-Fri 11 Jul 2025.
As a not-for-profit training programme, fees cover the cost of delivering the Project A programme. Bursary places are available for people who demonstrate a need for further financial assistance with fees.
Enrolment is now open for the 2025-26 year. To find out more, visit www.theatreroyal.co.uk/project-a/