TIKTOK AND NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE JOIN EFFORTS TO SUPPORT CREATIVITY AND INCLUSION IN THE PERFORMING ARTS

NEW HASHTAG CHALLENGE #NYTFINDYOURSTAGE WILL SEE NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE SCOUT NEW TALENT AND OFFER FREE AUDITIONS TO 120 HOPEFULS

London, 27th November 2019 - TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile video, is announcing a new partnership with world-leading youth arts organisation National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT), as part of the TikTok for Good initiative. Through this collaboration, TikTok is giving a voice and a platform to aspiring performing arts talent, offering them the chance to win one of 120 free highly coveted places on NYT’s nationwide auditions and interviews that take place across the country from November to March 2020. Participants don’t have to have any previous drama experience to apply and the challenge is designed to help young people struggling to find or afford a route into the creative industries.

To kick off the collaboration, NYT is launching a hashtag challenge, #NYTFindYourStage, inviting people to showcase their talent through storytelling, singing, acting and comedy. This type of content is native to the platform and many creators such as @idea.soup, @sonna or @shericebanton have been able to successfully share their talent and grow a global audience through content inherently related to performing arts. The NYT TikTok channel will feature original drama content, acting tips, production highlights and more.

A panel of NYT experts will select 120 candidates from all of the videos submitted to the TikTok hashtag challenge. These candidates will then have the opportunity to win one of the 800 places on the highly competitive NYT 2020 Summer Courses.

If they are successful at these auditions, the winners will also have access to a host of other creative opportunities, following in the footsteps of the charity’s illustrious alumni including , , , , , Daniel Day-Lewis, , , and .

Elizabeth Kanter, Director of Global Public Policy at TikTok said, ‘We are thrilled to be working with this world-leading youth arts charity and to give our users the opportunity to access these outstanding theatre auditions and masterclasses. This partnership is part of our TikTok for Good programme through which we support local talent and creativity by empowering everyone, independent of their background, to develop their talent and pursue their dreams as performing artists.’

Paul Roseby OBE, CEO and Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre said: ‘I’m looking forward to working with our talent to create platform native topical new micro dramas for TikTok about wellbeing and online safety that will inspire, entertain and educate. Given the damaging decline of arts education in schools, providing young people with access to high-quality arts opportunities is more important than ever. Through this new digital partnership, we want to reach beyond those already enjoying the huge benefits of exposure to theatre at an early age and reach talented creative young people where they’re at, on platforms like TikTok.

TikTok will continue to work closely with the National Youth Theatre, whose charitable remit is to give free and affordable opportunities both on stage and backstage to those aged 14- 25 from all corners of the UK. As part of this collaboration, in early 2020 the National Youth Theatre will commission exclusive and original short-form drama for TikTok, starring Britain’s best young theatrical talent and exploring themes related to digital wellbeing and online safety.

The TikTok for Good initiative wants to inspire and encourage individuals to have a positive impact and will continue to develop activities that foster TikTok’s joyful and positive community while creating a home for creativity and expression.

ENDS

Note How to apply to the NYT/TikTok Bursary place: 1. Enter the #NYTFindYourStage hashtag challenge on TikTok. 2. A panel from NYT will select the most promising 120 candidates from all the videos submitted. 3. The selected 120 candidates will then participate in the NYT’s nationwide auditions and interviews that take place across the country from November to March 2020 for a chance to win one of the 800 places on the highly competitive NYT 2020 Summer Courses More information and how to apply for an NYT TikTok Bursary place can be found at www.nyt.org.uk/TikTok.

More about TikTok TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire and enrich people’s lives by offering a home for creative expression and an experience that is genuine, joyful and positive. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, , Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. www.tiktok.com

More about National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain is a world-leading youth arts organisation. Established in 1956 as the world’s first youth theatre, we have nurtured the talent of hundreds of thousands of young people aged 14 to 25 and reached audiences of over 2 billion. We discover, inspire and showcase exceptional performers and theatre technicians from Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commissioning brave and relevant new writing and reinterpreting classic stories for our time.

We platform young talent on West End stages, at leading theatres around the UK, on screen and at iconic outdoor sites both home and abroad. We offer free alternative routes into the industry, develop young creative leaders and are a force for positive change through social inclusion in the UK and international cultural exchange around the world. We celebrate the diversity of Britain’s youth in all its forms and strive to improve access to the performing arts and break down any barriers that might prevent young people from participating in our work. Read more about this work, our Bursary Fund and free opportunities around the UK at www.nyt.org.uk/access. Our digital programme includes pioneering mixed reality work, original filmed drama, cheap digital auditions and digital storytelling courses.

Our world-renowned alumni include: Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Day-Lewis, David Oyelowo, Orlando Bloom, Andrea Riseborough, Gareth Pugh, Catherine Tate, Ben Kingsley, Ashley Jensen, Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville, David Harewood, Matthew Warchus, Matt Smith, Adeel Akhtar, Zawe Ashton, and many more. You can find out more about National Youth Theatre and how to apply for an audition, interview or creative opportunity at www.nyt.org.uk