General:

Who can apply for New Earth Academy and New Earth Academy Plus?
Any East and South East Asians* (ESEA) aged 18+ resident in the UK who are interested in developing their performance skills and engagement with live theatre.

* We welcome those who identify as East Asian or Southeast Asian living and working in the UK aged 18+. East and Southeast Asian descent includes: Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and their Diasporas.

Why is New Earth Academy for  East and South East Asians only?
As a company, Our mission is to establish the voices, stories and creativity of ESEA artists as an integral part of British society.

New Earth Academy plays a key role in addressing the under representation of ESEA artists on UK stages and screens, both on and off stage, by providing a safe and supportive environment to gain access to professional training, develop new skills, join creative networks and engage with industry professionals.

I am not a British citizen. Can I still apply?
Yes - as long as you live and/or work in the UK.

Can I apply if I don’t live or work in the UK?
Due to the requirements of our principal funders, this opportunity is only open to East Asian or South East Asian living and working in the UK.

How much do I need to pay to attend New Earth Academy and New Earth Academy Plus?
NOTHING - it’s completely free. We aim to keep all our New Earth Academy and New Earth Academy Plus free at the point of access to reduce financial barriers for participants.

We also offer travel bursary places for participants in need of financial support. If you'd like to apply for the travel bursary, please tell us why in your application  and the amount you'd like to apply for.

How can I make a donation to support New Earth Academy and New Earth Academy Plus?
You can make a one-off or monthly donation to our Pay It Forward Campaign by visiting www.easydonate.org/ACADEMY

Alternatively, you can donate by text using the following codes. Texts cost the donation amount plus one standard rate message, UK networks only. Follow the text instructions if you would like to set up a monthly donation.

To donate £5, text ACADEMY to 70970

To donate £10, text ACADEMY to 70191

Please remember to Gift Aid your donation if you can. As a registered charity, New Earth Theatre can claim Gift Aid on donations. If you are a UK taxpayer, for every £1 you donate to the New Earth Theatre, we can claim an additional 25p from HMRC at no extra cost to you. So, for example, if you donate £100, this will be worth £125 with Gift Aid.

Application Process and Eligibility:

Do you have language requirements for the courses?
All applications must be submitted in English. All courses will be taught in English. To get the most out of the courses, applicants must feel confident speaking and reading English to a conversational level.

If you attend the Performers Academy and/or Performers Academy Plus, you will be expected to work on texts/scripts. If you apply for Writers Academy Plus, you will be asked to submit a full length script or screenplay written in English.

If English is not my first language, can I still apply?
Yes!

Can I apply for New Earth Academy if I attended academy courses before?
If you attended an in-person or online New Earth Performers Academy or Writers Academy  before, the structure and content of the course will be similar and it’s not necessary to attend the academy again.

If you previously attended the week long Performers Academy and would like to build on your existing skills and experience you are welcome to apply for Performers Academy Plus

If you attended Writers or Off Stage Academy before and want to try acting, yes you are very welcome to apply for Performers Academy this year.

Can I apply for multiple Academy courses at the same time?
You can but we encourage you to focus on the opportunities that suit you best. 

For example, if you feel you have enough performing experience and would be more suitable for Performers Academy Plus, you don’t need to apply for the other Performers Academy courses.

I need to book time off work if I am accepted into any of the Academy or Academy Plus courses. When will I know if I am accepted?
We will notify applicants via email no later than Friday 31st May so you can have enough time to book annual leave and arrange your schedule.

Performers Academy courses in London are heavily oversubscribed, and we ask everyone on the London course to respect the space and the rest of the group by committing to the course since we have to turn away a lot of people every year.

I’m based in Bristol and there’s no Performers Academy courses in my city. Can you open a Performer Academy here?
Our aim is to reach more participants across the country, especially those outside of London. Running the academy courses in certain areas requires local partnership, funding and sufficient team capacity. Due to those limitations, there are only a limited number of academy courses available every year. However, we are planning to open more academy courses in the future.

If you are able to travel and find accommodation, please consider applying for the academy courses in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Leeds.

New Earth Academy Plus:

What is the difference between New Earth Performer Academy and New Earth Performer Academy Plus?
New Earth Performer Academy (one-week intensive training) is suitable for any British East and South East Asians aged 18+ who are interested in developing their skills and engagement in the performing arts and may not have much experience in theatre and/or performing. Previous experience is not necessary - rest assured. It will be an introduction course to movement, voice, ensemble work, stage combat and more. You can pick up a new hobby, try new things, learn new skills and make new friends and join the academy family!

New Earth Performers Academy Plus (two-week intensive training) is suitable for British East and South East Asians who have had some experience in theatre making and/or performing and are looking to move to the next stage of their career.

Can I apply for New Earth Academy Plus if I didn’t attend any academy courses before?
Yes - please note that New Earth Academy Plus is open to artists and creatives who have had experiences or training working in the creative industry rather than those who had little or no experience.