Youth Board

As a continued part of The Dukes’ investment in developing community impact and youth leadership, our change-making youth advisory board has been running since 2020 and has played a vital role in the organisation since launch. The Dukes Youth Board meet as a group bi-monthly to discuss and plan their ideas and are in dialogue with the senior management team and The Dukes’ board of trustees. Consisting of members aged 12-25, this advisory board is there to give young people the opportunity to develop as creatives, supporting the next generation of theatre artists.

New for 2025 we introduce Creative Futures Project, which offers opportunities for our Youth Board Members to produce and share their own personal creative projects in an annual showcase supported by our Creative Communities department!

From creative projects focussing on all art forms such as poetry, scriptwriting, film making, stand-up comedy and dance. Members will gain experience in and out of the spotlight roles supporting production, marketing, and the management of the showcase itself. In addition to this and industry professionals will deliver relevant masterclasses through the year. 

This Young Board project has been made possible and free of charge to local young people through the generous support from Banks Lyon Memorial Trust who have given £4995 to cover the delivery of Creative Futures for the next 3 academic years from September 2025. Members will also receive benefits such as invitation to in-house events, free access The Dukes’ inspiring programme of theatre and cinema (subject to availability) and sometimes even pizza!

James Shields (Creative Communities Coordinator) says: The aim of the Youth Board Creative Futures project is to offer local young people invaluable on the ground experience in the arts sector at the heart of Lancashire's only producing theatre. We'd like to thank the Banks Lyon Memorial Trust for the support which will allow us to help the young people participating develop the integral skills needed for future employment in the creative industries and give them the space, time and belief to become artists in their own right".

Want to develop your own creative project? Want to make the building a more inclusive and vibrant place for young people to visit and engage with? Want to showcase your work on one of our stages? Begin your Creative Futures and join the Dukes Youth Board!

Applications for Youth Board Creative Futures will open around August/September 2025, express your initial interest here: https://forms.gle/xstQpGPrxiof5PTF9