A £2.3 million funding injection will see young disabled and neurodivergent people undergo practical work experience at The Lowry Theatre.
The Salford-based theatre will be one of six venues supporting National Youth Theatre’s flagship inclusion programme, Assemble.
A grant from the National Lottery’s community fund will enable 810 young people who are D/deaf, disabled, learning disabled or neurodivergent to gain training and placement with theatres and arts centres across the UK.
The scheme will provide a direct route into employment for 270 young creatives who will be trained and offered roles working across 18 dedicated cultural employers.
This is the first time the UK Fund is supporting a children and youth voice project that engages disabled and neurodivergent young people in arts and culture.
The landmark £2,365,914 grant over 3 years also represents the largest grant in the history of the National Youth Theatre and provides a welcome impact boost ahead of its 70th anniversary in 2026.
National Youth Theatre, NYT, is a UK-based youth arts charity renowned for nurturing creative talent in thousands of young people.
95% of participants in a pilot scheme highlighted that they were unaware of creative career paths before taking part, with 90% keen to pursue a creative career after engaging with the programme.
According to a study carried out by ONS in 2024, half of disabled people in the UK do not have a paid job, more than double the rate of the rest of the working-age population.
This disabled-led, youth-led and locally led programme will provide inclusive practice training for cultural employers and unlock cultural visits, work experience and new creative employment progression opportunities in mainstream cultural spaces.
Assemble has committed to establishing long-term cross-sector partnerships between 18 educational providers, 18 cultural venues and creative employers, and community organisations, foregrounding disabled young voices in challenging entrenched inequality and discrimination.
Charity organisers say they are aiming to build on the creative sector’s potential as an employment sector for D/deaf people – referring to ‘Deaf’ people who lost their hearing before acquiring a spoken language and whose primary language is signed, and ‘deaf’ people who lost hearing later in life and communicate through speech.
Building on existing work in Salford, South Wales and London, the Assemble project will expand into Exeter, Sheffield, and Southampton to work with seven times more young people and five times more volunteers thanks to the fund.
The expanded programme will be delivered with six flagship cultural venue partners around the UK: Chapter Arts Centre; Exeter Northcott Theatre; Lowry; Mayflower, Southampton; National Youth Theatre and Sheffield Theatres.
NYT will collaborate with inclusion and disabled-led companies across the UK to support and evaluate the programme to ensure it complements existing work across the sector.
It is hoped that the project will lay the groundwork for many more disabled and neurodivergent young people to access sustainable creative careers in future as indirect beneficiaries by introducing new, inclusive and scalable creative career pipelines with and for learning disabled and neurodivergent young people that can be replicated nationally.
Samira Ahmed, current NYT member, Assemble Assistant and Deaf performer said: “It’s so important that disabled people have access to theatre, because how can we have a truly representative society if we’re not hearing from them?
“Joining Assemble made me realise how powerful inclusion can be. For the first time, I walked into a space and didn’t have to hide who I was. For me, being a disabled young person in a leadership role shows our participants that if I can do it, so can they.
“Assemble made me realise how vital it is to create spaces where access isn’t an afterthought, it’s built in from the start. That’s how we make theatre, and society truly inclusive.”
Samantha Baines, NYT alumna and deaf performer and broadcaster said: “Championing disabled talent and disabled young people is more important than ever. This is an incredible initiative from the National Youth Theatre, who are leading the way in supporting our future leaders in the arts.”
Paul Roseby OBE, CEO and Artistic Director of National Youth Theatre, said: “Making theatre more accessible, dismantling barriers faced by D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent and working in partnerships for a more equitable future for our creative industries is at the heart of our 70th anniversary plans.
“We’re proud to be working with theatres and non-mainstream colleges around the country to make this big ambitious three-year change-making project possible, and I’m grateful to Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Exeter Northcott Theatre, Lowry, Salford, Mayflower, Southampton, and Sheffield Theatres for collaborating with us on Assemble.
Jenny Riding Director of Learning & Engagement at Lowry said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be partnering with the National Youth Theatre on the NYT Assemble project over the next three years.
“At The Lowry, we’re deeply committed to supporting neurodiverse young people and those with learning disabilities to explore pathways into the creative industries.
“This programme will help to build their confidence, expand their knowledge and skills, and support their progression into fulfilling careers. It also supports practitioners and volunteers through high-quality CPD, enabling more people to gain experience and thrive through the arts.”
More information about the Assemble programme can be found here.
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