Learn more about MTGS's history

Making Theatre Gaining Skills C.I.C. was established in 2013 to build on projects delivered by Hilary Strong across Hampshire and Sussex.

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A unique and innovative learning programme.

Fourteen years of training and skill building:

In 2011 a new enterprise was set up by Hilary Strong, former Director of the Edinburgh Fringe, following a number of years developing cultural training projects at Greenwich Theatre. The plan was to offer a new approach to solving unemployment that helped jobless people build their confidence and learn new skills.

Her work has influenced other education specialists, some of whom have developed similar programmes in arts centres across the country and she is regularly invited to help develop learning strategies. However, the combination of professional standard theatre work experience with the delivery of rigorous employment skills training is still remarkably rare.

We aren’t aware of any other initiative that plans to take your outlined approach, and as such consider your model to be unique with the potential to inspire others to adopt and implement similar models of delivery.
Dr Simon Dancey, CEO Creative & Cultural Skills Council

Both highly practical and purposeful.

Hilary’s knowledge of theatre production provides a unique perspective and has ensured that the programme is both highly practical and purposeful; it’s much easier to engage people and challenge them to work to a higher standard if they can see the point of what they are doing.

During the period in charge of Greenwich Theatre, she became progressively interested in the provision of education and training, especially for young people from disadvantaged areas of South London.

Between 2000 and 2007, Hilary re-branded Greenwich Theatre as a theatre focused entirely on learning and participation and secured funding from the European Social Fund of nearly £1 million to support a range of training programmes.

The Making Theatre Gaining Skills training programme was developed in 2011 with investment from Arts Council England, the Learning & Skills Improvement Service and UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs.

The aim was to provide a unique learning programme for young people offering practical experience of a range of technical, craft and production roles combined with employment skills.

Hilary receiving the Learning Organisation of the Year 2025 award on behalf of Making Theatre Gaining Skills.

The first course (run in Portsmouth!)

The first programme was run in Portsmouth in July 2011 and 12 young people aged 15-19 took part. They worked together on the creation of a new theatre piece for children utilising a specially-designed mini theatre.

The participants gained technical and craft skills in set construction, prop and costume making, lighting and sound design and stage management.

In 2013 a new Community Interest Company was formed so that the benefits of the training programme can be rolled out at a local regional and national level.

In 2014 the company was formally constituted as a community interest company and settled in West Sussex where programmes are run in partnership with the DWP, WSCC, local schools and community centres.

Our Team