Poetry in Action – Educating young minds through performance

If you love art, you will most certainly love what Poetry in Action is bringing to Australian schools and the youth of Australia. Founded in 2006 and run by the talented CEO and Artistic Director, Bryce Youngman, Poetry in Action (PIA) is a dynamic theatre company delivering professionally produced performances for young people that are both inspiring and entertaining. PIA performances are more than just artistic expression, the performances are linked to the curriculum and encourage a greater appreciation of literature and poetry.

For more than 15 years PIA has been delivering intense, high-energy performance-based programs to schools around Australia and beyond. Loved by thousands of schools, teachers and students, the PIA following continues to grow stronger year on year. 

Bryce Youngman – Co-founder, CEO/Artistic Director of Poetry in Action

We had the pleasure of speaking to Bryce Youngman, who told us a little bit about the world of Poetry in Action.

“Poetry in Action (PIA) is a theatre company dedicated to bringing poetry to life through performance.

“We take a vast array of Australian and international poetry that would otherwise sit unread in books and turn them into engaging professional theatre productions. Over the last 15 years, we have supported dozens of artists in their careers and created over 30 original theatrical works,” Bryce commented.

Bryce went on to say, “Since 2006, we have performed over 4,000 individual poetry-based theatre shows to more than 700,000 young people aged 12-18, and we have been changing attitudes to poetry all around the world.

“We can perform practically everywhere and have engaged audiences in venues as diverse as halls, lecture auditoriums, state-of-the-art theatres, or basketball courts. This makes PIA performances accessible to all areas regardless of location.”

Over the past year, the growth PIA has seen is astounding and they are fast becoming one of the top choices for schools to not only educate, but also entertain their students.

Teachers can’t stop raving about this phenomenal way of teaching and comments like this one from Paul Zebrowski of The Lakes South Morang College in Victoria are extremely common, “After a performance by Poetry In Action, our students realise that what their teachers have been saying is true: life can be vibrant, dynamic and life changing. As an adjunct to teaching students these truths, PIA’s performances are only just short of epiphany.”

What’s next for Poetry in Action?

The PIA community is growing stronger every year with the addition of new talent and exceptional shows performed across Australia and Internationally. It is clear that PIA is well on track towards its vision of contributing to an increasingly articulate, creative and expressive Australia, as well as its mission to “unlock the power of words for everyone”. They aim to reach 100,000 students per year by 2025, which we believe they will achieve hands down!

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