The group got off to a powerful start with its production of Too Fast by Douglas Maxwell in the Mermaid Theatre, sweeping the boards at the 2017 Bray One Act Festival where they won all the awards in the Youth Section - Best Production, Best Actor, Best Actress - an achievement mirrored in 2020 when the Senior Youth Theatre performed Ceasefire Babies by Fiona Doyle.Since 2018, Mr. Sands has taken
part in Connections, the annual festival of youth drama run by the National Theatre in London, which sees youth theatres throughout Britain and Ireland produce and perform a series of new plays written by established writers. Productions have included - "The Changing Room" by Chris Bush (2018), "Flesh" by Rob Drummond (2019) and "The It" by Vivienne Franzmann (2020) with packed out performances taking place in Mr. Sands' home theatre, The Mermaid, and also The Lyric Theatre in Belfast.Members of Mr. Sands have also devised and scripted their own short film, "Upon The Shore". Shot in Bray and filmed in association with Bear Print Media and grand-aided by The Arts Council, the film also features the cast singing the song, Déja Vu, which was written by members of the group. The film premiered in The Mermaid before going on release on the festival circuit and is the basis of a series of Su***de Awareness workshops for secondary schools. Sands is a member of Youth Theatre Ireland (YTI) and prides itself on maintaining strong links with its parent organization. Members have been selected to take part in YTI’s Playshare and Young Critics Programmes and its annual Festival of Youth Theatre in Kilkenny. A number of our members have also been selected to join the prestigious National Youth Theatre.Our aim at Mr. Sands is to develop a strong, skilled ensemble of young people with a hunger to learn a wide range of performance and production skills and a burning passion for presenting their work - be it plays, short films or devised pieces - to a wide audience. In everything we do, we strive to make Mr. Sands a safe, non-judgmental, fun space where friendships are forged and lasting memories are made. Respect and teamwork are at the core of all we do.MR SANDS YT operates an open-door policy and welcomes second level students from First Year upwards.OUR WEEKLY WORKSHOPS COVER A WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES including: -theatre games- warm-ups- team-building exercises- improvisation- story-telling- role-play- devising for stage and screen- script-reading- voice-work WEDNESDAY is MR. SANDS DAY when we meet in Wolfe Tone Youth Club, Vevay Road, Bray, 6.30 - 9.00pm. We are currently operating online via Zoom due to Covid 19 restrictions.Our annual sub is €30 and members pay €10 per workshop attended..Mr. Sands YT is a member of Youth Theatre Ireland and a registered charity - no. 20159603. Charitable Status - 22179FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Email: [email protected]
