This August, outgoing Hackney Empire Artistic Director Yamin Choudury will direct his final Artist Development Programme show, ‘A Long Goodbye’, which will be performed on Saturday 17 August 2024 on the Hackney Empire’s main stage.
Meet Nicky, they’ve just turned 18, and their life has changed forever. New job, new quadrant, new opportunities, but they’ve left Oli behind and suddenly things aren’t so simple anymore.
Here, turning 18 has big consequences, the deciders have intervened and now make all your choices for you. Peek in on the lives of a small group of friends as they desperately try to find the time to live their dreams, let someone know how much they mean to them, or simply be together, before they have to say goodbye to everything they once knew.
The Artist Development Programme is produced by Hackney Empire: Creative Futures; in just 10 days, a company of 50 artists and creatives, aged 14 – 19 years old, are mentored by industry experts to create and present an electrifying piece of new, original musical theatre.
Attendees can Choose What You Pay, and tickets are available for £5, £10 and £20. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/adp-a-long-goodbye or by calling 020 8985 2424.
Yamin Choudury said “ADP never fails to take my breath away. The tenacity, audacity, and courage of these generations of young people, to put their trust in this astounding team, and to create a brand-new piece of musical theatre in just 10 days, serves as a vital reminder of just how critical what we do and who we are as an organisation will always be.
I’ve seen the programme from all sides, initially as a designer (I wasn’t very good), then as a practitioner, then producer, and for the last 6 years as the director. And from any angle, ADP is a joyous, riotous and unapologetic celebration of young people’s ideas, energies and voices.
The programme, and all of the young people who have made it what it is today, continue to inspire me just as much as when I met them for the first time. And after all these years they are what I will miss most – they are, and always will be, the heart of Hackney Empire.”
Since the Artist Development Programme was first launched in 2002, Hackney Empire Creative Futures has used arts and creativity to break down barriers to accessing creative careers, build confidence and provide creative, professional and personal development for young people regardless of their background, education, income or experience.
