Central is pleased to announce its support of a new pilot scheme which has been launched to provide mentoring support to British East and South East Asian theatremakers.

The Tidal Rising Mentorship Scheme has been established by a new collective of artists of British East and South East Asian (BESEA) heritage working in the performance arts.  The cross-disciplinary collective includes artists working across a range of different media; Central alumni are amongst the collective’s founding members, including actor Jules Chan and director Ng Choon Ping.  The collective also includes actors Jeremy Ang Jones and Leo Wan, theatremaker Mei Mac, and designer Gillian Tan.

The aim of the Scheme is to provide people of British East and South East Asian heritage who have recently entered the performing arts industry with the opportunity to be mentored by people from their community, who will understand the specific barriers and obstacles faced by people of BESEA heritage, and to build a supportive community of BESEA artists.

The free 1-to-1 mentoring scheme will run for six months, between March and September 2021. Mentor pairs will meet for at least an hour every month to skill share, set goals and work towards achieving them.  Tidal Rising will provide free training for both mentors and mentees so that they are able to make the most of mentorship.  Alongside this, they will host panels and discussions to empower, educate and support both emerging and established members of the BESEA community.

Actor Benedict Wong, Patron of Tidal Rising, said of the Scheme:

“Throughout my early career, opportunities for guidance were limited.  It’s an honour to  be a patron of the Tidal Rising Mentoring Scheme where ESEA artists can share their  collective experience, and together as a community we can grow, nurture ad elevate.”

Alongside Central, the Mentorship Scheme is supported by Arts Council England, New Earth Theatre, the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, East 15 Acting School, the London School of Musical Theatre, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, the Musical Theatre Academy, New Earth Theatre, the Oxford School of Drama and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.  The Advisory Committee is comprised of Kumiko Mendl, the Artistic Director of New Earth Theatre, and Mel Purves, the Director of Technical Training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Applications for the Tidal Rising Mentorship Scheme close on 15 February.  Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the Tidal Rising website to find out more information and to submit their application.  The website also includes information about supporting the Scheme including details on applying to be a mentor.