Hundreds of young people to take over the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn

More than 500 young performers are preparing to take over the Tricyle for this year's 'paradise' season (Image: Photo by Mark Douet)

Hundreds of young performers, including young migrants from the theatre’s ‘Minding the gap’ project, will come together at the playhouse in Kilburn High Road for a fortnight of screenings, original performances and creative masterclasses from March 13.

This year, the theatre is offering its first ‘ticket to paradise’, which allows unlimited access to every event during the takeover. The third annual ‘takeover’ season will feature more than fifty events including a series of performances based on themes and characters from Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland staged by 180 recently arrived migrants from secondary schools in Brent who attend weekly drama sessions to boost their confidence and English language skills.

Indhu Rubasingham, artistic director of the Tricycle Theatre, said: “Over the last three years, Takeover has established itself as one of the Tricycle’s annual theatrical highlights.

“It’s an integral part of our artistic programme and I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the Tricycle Young Company performing on our main stage, in addition to young performers from across the capital.”

The season will be headlined by new show Bred, which has been devised by young people to explore attitudes towards sexual relationships and the difficulties of discussing these with parents and family.

Tom Bowtell, director of the Young Company, which led the Bred project, added: “I’m astonished by the energy and creativity of all 60 members of the Young Company. I believe that the untrammelled minds of young people have the potential to create theatre no-one else could make and I’m in no doubt that the itchy, complicated, vibrant version of Paradise they’ll make during the Takeover will be unusual and extraordinary.”

For more information and tickets visit tricycle.co.uk.