Young creatives encouraged to apply for free Future Makers programme

Young people with a passion for performing arts are being encouraged to apply for a free programme taking them behind the scenes at the Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival.

Future Makers will give about 15 rangatahi aged 15 to 18 the opportunity to attend shows, meet artists and technicians, and explore creative career pathways during the October 8–18 festival.

Applications close on Friday, with all activities held outside school hours.

Toitoi Producer – community outreach Sarah Terry said the programme, now in its second year, aimed to help young people see themselves in the creative arts industry.

“Future Makers is all about igniting a sense of creativity in rangatahi.”

Alongside attending performances, participants will take a technical tour and join question-and-answer sessions with touring artists.

Terry said the festival offered access to visiting artists and larger-scale productions that were not consistently available in Hawke’s Bay throughout the year.

For Woodford House student Mia Hardie, who participated in last year’s inaugural programme, meeting the people behind the productions was a highlight.

The 16-year-old told Hawke’s Bay News she applied after asking her drama teacher to let her know about opportunities to pursue her interest in performing arts.

“I enjoyed meeting a lot of new people who also had the same interests as me. I thought that was really cool.”

While she enjoyed watching the shows, hearing directly from their creators added another dimension.

“I loved meeting the directors and getting an insight to the plays and why they made the plays and what inspired them for it all.”

The programme introduced Hardie to performances she had not known were happening locally and showed her the range of roles involved in bringing a production to life.

“So it wasn’t just if you wanted to be an actor, it was also about if you wanted to do tech, or music or writing or scripting or anything like that, they had something for everyone.

“And everyone just felt included in that there was something for them there, which I thought was really amazing, too.”

Hardie said the experience offered a different perspective from taking part in a production herself.

“I feel like there’s such a difference from being in a play to learning how a play works almost and what inspired the play and how it goes on, which I think is also really amazing, too.”

She is interested in pursuing acting, drama or news broadcasting, and is keen to apply again with a friend this year.

Terry said the skills developed through performing arts could complement work in other industries, allowing young people to pursue their creative interests alongside other careers.

“If someone’s passionate about performing arts, it should be a part of their lives.”

Future Makers participants are also invited to attend the Performing Arts Exchange, a separate one-day event bringing local arts practitioners together to share knowledge and explore ways of working together.

Hardie attended last year’s exchange as well as the youth programme and encouraged other rangatahi to apply.

“It was great. I really enjoyed it.”

More information and application details are available on the Toitoi website.