Get involved!
Five reasons to join Youth Theatre
- Great value! Just £6 per session (£3 concession)
- Run by friendly and experienced theatre tutors
- No auditions
- See shows at Half Moon and visit other London theatres in addition to your sessions
- Perform for friends and family on the Half Moon stage at the end of each term
Young people from Tower Hamlets and across East London attend our Youth Theatres. All of our Youth Theatres are open to young people with disabilities and our venue is fully accessible.
We also run Solar – a specialist drama group for disabled teenagers in East London on Monday evenings.
All of our tutors and staff at Half Moon have an Enhanced DBS Certificate.
For Younger Age Groups
Is your child currently too young for our Youth Theatres? You may be interested in our Creative Play programme.
Half Moon’s Youth Theatres
All our Youth Theatres are currently full. To add your child to our waiting list, fill in the online registration form below, or call us on 020 7709 8901. We will then contact you as soon as a place becomes available.
If you have heard from us that your child already has a confirmed place in one of our Youth Theatres you can make a payment for the full term by clicking the button below.
Make a Youth Theatre paymentSchool Years 1–3
Comets | Saturdays, 10am-11am
Sunbeams | Saturdays, 11.15am-12.15pm
Moonbeams | Saturdays, 12.45pm-1.45pm
Autumn Term 2023
Saturday 23 September – Saturday 2 December (no session Saturday 28 October)
Spring Term 2024
Saturday 13 January – Saturday 23 March (no session Saturday 17 February)
These groups take place in the autumn and spring terms only.
School Years 4–6
Eclipse | Tuesdays, 4pm–5.45pm
Equinox | Wednesdays, 4pm–5.45pm
Autumn Term 2023
Eclipse: Tuesday 26 September – Tuesday 5 December (no session Tuesday 24 October)
Equinox: Wednesday 27 September – Wednesday 6 December (no session Wednesday 25 October)
Spring Term 2024
Eclipse: Tuesday 9 January – Tuesday 19 March (no session Tuesday 13 February)
Equinox: Wednesday 10 January – Wednesday 20 March (no session Wednesday 14 February)
Summer Term 2024
Eclipse: Tuesday 29 April – Tuesday 9 July (no session Tuesday 28 May)
Equinox: Wednesday 1 May – Wednesday 10 July (no session Wednesday 29 May)
School Years 7–9
Lunar | Tuesdays, 6.30pm-8.30pm
Autumn Term 2023
Tuesday 26 September – Tuesday 5 December (no session Tuesday 24 October)
Spring Term 2024
Tuesday 9 January – Tuesday 19 March (no session Tuesday 13 February)
Summer Term 2024
Tuesday 29 April – Tuesday 9 July (no session Tuesday 28 May)
We also run free after school drama clubs in four community centres in Tower Hamlets for young people in School Years 7-9. For more information email Androulla: youth@halfmoon.org.uk
School Years 10-13
Orbit | Wednesdays, 6.30pm-8.30pm
Autumn Term 2023
Wednesday 27 September – Wednesday 6 December (no session Wednesday 25 October)
Spring Term 2024
Wednesday 10 January – Wednesday 20 March (no session Wednesday 14 February)
Summer Term 2024
Wednesday 1 May – Wednesday 10 July (no session Wednesday 29 May)
Please note: you can only join Orbit Youth Theatre up until you are in Year 10 – Year 12.
You can continue in the group when you are in Year 13 but you cannot join when you are already in Year 13.
Teenagers with disabilities (specialist group)
Solar | Mondays, 6.30pm-8.30pm
Autumn Term 2023
Monday 25 September – Monday 4 December (no session Monday 23 October)
Spring Term 2024
Monday 8 January – Monday 18 March (no session Monday 12 February)
Summer Term 2024
Monday 28 April – Monday 15 July (no session Monday 6th May and Monday 28 May)
“Thank you to everyone who has worked with Indra down the years, for the wonderful tuition and care she has been shown. We have been able to see clearly the positive impact Half Moon has had in her life, especially in her confidence and creativity, and you’ve helped set her on a path that she’ll continue to travel down, I’m sure.”
Youth Theatre News
To read the Youth Theatre newsletters, click below:
Download Autumn 2022 Newsletter Download Spring 2023 Newsletter Download Summer 2023 NewsletterSharings
Every group normally has a sharing performance on the last session of each term where we welcome parents, carers, friends and families. All sharings take place in the main theatre space. There is no charge for adults or other children attending these performances and we encourage as many people as possible to come and support the young people by seeing their hard work performed.
View photo galleries on FlickR View the sharings archive1990 | 2020 Youth Theatre Showcase
In March 2020 Half Moon celebrated its 30th birthday as a young people’s theatre. Our planned celebrations – including a festival of new Youth Theatre shows and a photography exhibition – were quickly postponed when COVD-19 forced the country into a national lockdown.
Over a year later, in July 2021, we are proud that we were able to mark our 30th birthday appropriately with a virtual showcase of digital content that celebrates not only the history of Half Moon as a young people’s theatre, but also the resilience and creativity of our young people.
Find out more about the projectHow do I join?
Theatre for Everyone
Youth Theatre at Half Moon is open to everyone. All groups are inclusive and we will provide access assistance for neurodiverse young people and any young people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, sensory impairments and mental health conditions wanting to join a group and who require additional support (thanks to support from BBC Children in Need).
We meet with all participants with additional access needs before they join a Youth Theatre to decide together how we can best meet and support those needs. There are no auditions; all we ask for is enthusiasm and commitment.
Alongside Half Moon’s inclusive Youth Theatre groups is Solar, a group exclusively for disabled teenagers who feel their needs are better met in a specialist setting with smaller numbers and a higher adult to young person ratio.
We will happily discuss access requirements and provide communicators and access workers as appropriate. We fund transport for disabled members who live in Tower Hamlets if necessary. The group is extremely creative and demanding for members.
Half Moon views disability in terms of the social model of disability and we are constantly striving to grow and expand on our inclusive policy. Access underpins all of our work.
We strive to provide inclusive working practice for artists and staff, and an accessible theatrical and participatory experience for all our audiences.
Learn more about Access at Half Moon