Ignition is Frantic Assembly’s FREE, nationwide talent development programme for young people aged 18-24. Ignition seeks out underrepresented talent in unexpected places.

Since 2008 Ignition has worked with over 10,000 young people across the UK between the ages of 16 and 24. The ambition in creating Ignition was to invite young people from diverse backgrounds into the Arts, to find their voices and their creativity. Even more than that, we wanted to show that the Arts as a vocation was possible, was welcoming and was, with the right level of support, inspiration, and collaboration, within their reach.

Ignition has had a profound effect but is currently without funding. Ignition graduates have gone on to work in theatre and television, on stage and screen, working as performers, directors, writers, choreographers, designers and many more roles within the creative industries. Many of them have taken the importance of creative thinking, work ethic and generous collaboration and applied it to their world beyond the Arts. They continually demonstrate that Ignition works!

Their presence and influence continues to grow. They inspire other young people from similar backgrounds to aspire, get involved, be seen, be heard.

This is why we are fighting to save Ignition.

The programme costs £85,000 a year to run and despite its success is not currently funded. Without financial support we cannot continue to run it.

Please consider making a donation to keep Ignition alight.

We welcome all donations, of any amount. Below are some ideas of how your money can help support young people to realise their potential through Ignition:

£1500 enables one young person to participate in the week long Ignition intensive in London. (This covers all of their training, pastoral support, travel, food and accommodation. They work for a week with a professional director and creative team to produce a performance for a public audience).

£500 helps support our year round graduates' talent development programme.

£100 enables a young person to attend a workshop day with a guest industry expert (including travel costs from their home base).

£30 enables a young person who has little or no access to the arts to take part in a free Ignition taster workshop in their home region

If you are interested in a making a major donation to support Ignition please contact Kerry Whelan, Executive Director at [email protected]

How does it work?

Throughout the Autumn we travel across the UK to deliver FREE Taster and Trial workshops in association with 13 regional partners. These high energy workshops are facilitated for young people who face barriers to accessing the arts; we visit both theatre and non-theatre spaces to let young people know that the arts can be for them.

From the Trial workshops we select 24 young people to join us for an Intensive week during the October Half Term to devise TWO original performances that are performed to a public audience at Brixton House Theatre. All aspects of the Intensive are paid for by Frantic Assembly, thereby removing financial barriers to participation.

Ignition also includes a year-round access programme which continues to train, mentor and signpost training and career opportunities both with Frantic Assembly and our partners throughout the UK.

The film below documents last year's Ignition Intensive week. Filmed and edited by Adi Detemo, Ignition graduate 2022.