Academi Leeway

Leeway Productions, in partnership with Theatr Soar and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru are launching Academi Leeway, a grassroots musical theatre academy for 14-25 year olds.

Academi Leeway aims to be a laboratory for the development of new musicals in Wales, providing training and inspiring young people using brand new material from Wales.

Academi Leeway will give young people the opportunity to bring local stories and histories to the stage and create new musical theatre with deep roots in Wales. Working alongside experts from the arts, Academi Leeway will motivate and inspire young participants and offer them clear pathways into the future.

An opportunity for young people who want to develop their creative skills, who are interested in creating or performing musical theatre and are willing to push the boundaries. Singers, musicians, composers, writers, designers, poets, beat boxers… artists or performers of any kind.

If you have any questions about Academi Leeway, please contact Angharad Lee: leewayprods@gmail.com

Academi Leeway 2021

Following an open call-out, Leeway Productions, in partnership with Theatr Soar along with us at Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, are delighted to announce the names of the artists who will be a part of Academi Leeway’s first year.

The artists are: Deryn Allen-Dyer; Mia Cradle; Kira Davies; Rhydian Edbow; Sion Elfyn; Catrin England; Emily Harker; Lowri James; Eleri Lewis-Payne; Ffion Lowe; Lili Mohammad; Grace Rogerson; Elis Myers Sleight; Tomos Stokes; Zak Sutcliff; Dafydd Veck; Lloyd Williams; Chloe Teresa Wilson and Ellie Wyatt. All the young artists come from a wide area of South East Wales – Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Caerphilly, Bridgend, Cardiff and Neath Port Talbot – and they bring a range of different specialisms to the group, including singing, acting, illustrating and playing instruments.

In weekly online sessions, members of the Academi will work under the leadership of Angharad Lee and with three experienced composers, namely Kizzy Crawford, Lynwen Haf Roberts and James Williams. The group is working on three pieces under the title Rhyfeloedd y ’Rona (‘The ’Rona Wars’) that have been inspired by the Coronavirus crisis, and the public’s response to the news from day to day on social media. As part of this work, the young people will have an opportunity to create a story and characters, and to compose and perform.

To read more about the 2021 Academi Leeway artists, click here.