Buds Youth Theatre provides free theatre skills training to young people aged 16 - 25 who share an interest in the performing arts. Members receive training in practical aspects of theatre making and take part in our theatre productions. We rehearse on Sundays at The Substation from 11.30am to 2pm.

Buds Youth Theatre is a programme for young people aged 13 – 25 years who share an interest in the performing arts. It was started in November 2001, providing free theatre skills training to young people. Participation is absolutely free and on an informal basis – interested parties are encouraged to just drop in to take a look at the activities going on.

Apart from acting, participants also learn about stagecraft and backstage work such as lighting, sound, set and costume design, production crew and administrative duties. The long-term aim of Buds Youth Theatre is to inculcate a love and appreciation of the arts in young people, and nurture a new generation of audiences as well as people working in the arts.

Buds does not aim to be solely a theatre performance group; the emphasis is on the theatre arts as a whole. Most importantly, the philosophy of Buds is to give an opportunity to young people from different backgrounds to learn about theatre in an encouraging environment, and enable them to be creative and express themselves. All that is necessary for participation is enthusiasm and interest in theatre arts. No prior experience in theatre is required, and no auditions are conducted for entry to Buds!

The seeds of Buds lay in an earlier programme based at Asia in Theatre Research Centre. In 2001, Claire Devine and Elizabeth de Roza re-started it at The Substation. In 2002, Tan Cheng Hung joined Buds as a facilitator.

All Buds’ performances are open to the public. Their first show was Electra in 2002, and more recently, they presented a devised play, Lost, at The Substation’s Dance Studio and 3 Fat Virgins Unassembled at The Arts House. In 2004 they were chosen to take part in the Esplanade's Sparks project.

If you’d like to know more about Buds Youth Theatre, and if you’d like to join us, please contact Claire at 9751 8034.