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WOS Adopts Masterclass as 2010 Awards Charity

Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass has been chosen as the adopted charity for the 2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards, the “theatregoers’ choice”. The four-month campaign for this year’s tenth annual Awards – including the two star-studded events which top and tail audience voting – will be held in aid of Masterclass, which gives young people the chance to learn from and be inspired by leading artists.

Set up by the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1998, the hugely successful Masterclass programme has now welcomed over 40,000 people aged 17-30. Events are given free of charge and occur at least one Friday a month throughout the year, focusing on all aspects of theatre from acting and directing to writing and producing.

In 2008, to coincide with the launch of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Company, Masterclass created and ran a new Apprentice Scheme for young people to work alongside artistic director Jonathan Kent and his production team on the launch season. The initiative proved very successful with nine apprentices taking on directing, acting, design and technical roles, many of them going on to positions elsewhere in the industry. The Apprentice Scheme continues with the current Theatre Royal Haymarket Company season.

Nominations open for the 2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards at the beginning of November. The shortlists are announced at the Awards Launch Party held on 4 December 2009 at Café de Paris. Online voting then commences to decide the eventual winners, which will be announced on Sunday 14 February 2010 at the Winners’ Concert, held on Sunday 14 February 2010 at the West End’s Prince of Wales Theatre, where trophies will be presented.

Commenting on Masterclass’ involvement with the Awards, programme director Holly Whytock said: “It means a great deal to us to be chosen by Whatsonstage.com as the Awards give Masterclass a platform to encourage those within the industry to take part in our activities for young people and also an opportunity to highlight the importance of providing much needed professional advice and guidance to the next generation of theatre-makers. The awards are so vital as they acknowledge the talent and dedication of performers and creatives alike - Masterclass is delighted to be part of this.”

Terri Paddock, editorial director of Whatsonstage.com, added: “Masterclass does a phenomenal job of educating and inspiring up-and-coming young actors, playwrights, directors, designers and producers. And theatregoers, of course, reap the benefit of attracting the best and the brightest to the art form. We’re delighted to be working with such an important and prestigious arts charity, particularly as we celebrate the tenth birthday of the Whatsonstage.com Awards.”

Though Masterclass events are designed for those at the start of their careers, theatregoers and others, of whatever age, are also welcome. The Masterclass Benefactors scheme (priced £55 per annum) has been set up for this purpose. It includes: access to over 12 events a year, an annual friends’ party and special ticket offers for Theatre Royal Haymarket productions.

Each year, Whatsonstage.com selects one arts-related charity as part of the Whatsonstage.com Awards campaign. In addition to the association with the best of British theatre and proceeds received from the two Awards events, the charity benefits from exposure on Whatsonstage.com and our dedicated awards website as well as in our sister print title What’s On Stage Magazine and gains a valuable platform to directly address both the theatre industry and the theatregoing public. Previous Awards charities have included TheatreMAD, Mousetrap Theatre Projects, SAFE (Sponsored Arts for Education), Sophie’s Silver Lining Fund and the Drake Music Project.

For more information on Masterclass, visit www.masterclass.org.uk.

About the Whatsonstage.com Awards
All professional productions – from West End to Fringe - opened in London between 1 December 2008 and 30 November 2009 are eligible for nomination in the next Awards. Voting takes place online and is strictly monitored, with only one vote accepted per person. Over 35,000 people voted in the last Awards, which culminated with the star-studded Winners’ Concert at the West End’s Prince of Wales Theatre on 15 February 2009, co-hosted once again by James Corden and Sheridan Smith. For full results and coverage from previous years, visit awards.whatsonstage.com.

For the tenth annual Awards, we are making a limited number of sponsorship packages – normally reserved for corporate partners – available to private theatregoers. These include tickets to the invitation-only, industry-attended launch party at Café de Paris (not normally open to the public) as well as VIP passes to the Winners’ Concert next February. For more information on Theatregoer Sponsorship, click here.

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	Whatsontage.com Awards microsite
	Year of the Producer content
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