One of Cardiff’s most exciting theatre companies, Fio, is offering new opportunities to young people. Two plays are being produced by their new youth theatre company, Fio Futures, and auditions open on 28 and 29 January. 

Fio, which was founded in Cardiff by Abdul Shayek in 2015, aims to create diverse theatre which tackles pressing social issues. 

The company has been producing a piece for the upcoming RawFfest, to be held at the Wales Millennium Centre in April. 

The team came up with two amazing ideas for plays. It was tough but in the end they decided to go with something with a veneer of topicality…

The play is “Fear and Misery of the Third Reich”, which focuses on the everyday story of the German citizen living under the Nazi regime in the 1930s. It’s a very heavy piece of drama- the “adult” Fio’s stock in trade- and one that might be interesting given the political climate. How do we know when we are living in a state that has gone wrong? What does it look like on the street level?

The best part about the Fio Futures program is that everyone has a chance to get involved. Auditions to be a founding member of the company open on the 28th and 29th of January at Splott’s Old Library. After this, regular weekly sessions will take place from the 31 Jan onwards to the performance.

Fio’s work is primarily concerned with the individual and the story they can tell. Previous work with professional actors includes The Island, which tells the story of Nelson Mandela’s incarceration. 

Fio Futures represents a new arrow in Fio’s bow, as the company seeks to find and nurture young acting talent. The summer school was launched in August, and Youth Theatre Director, Duncan, along with Youth Theatre Producer, Selena, did an amazing job. The drama school was launched from that, with a plan to eventually hand over the whole Fio Futures program to the control of the young people involved in it.

For more information, email Jasmine on jasmine@wearefio.co.uk.