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Turning the talent tide

A team of frustrated actors are set to unveil a new drop in centre for the region’s budding creatives in attempt to stem the steady flow of talent leaving the North East.

Launching in September, Floor Four, based in Newcastle, will open its doors for the first time and is hoping to galvanise the creative arts sector by giving out of work artists, actors and musicians the chance to network and showcase their work.

Sam Neale, founder of Floor Four, said: “The centre will be a new creative hub where people of the artistic field can come together to perform and create new projects.

“The organisation was set up by three actors who were fed up of having to keep forking out on expensive trips to London for auditions. Although there is an amazing amount of talent in the region, the facilities aren’t always there, so we thought we’d take matters into our own hands.”

Situated on the site of a former art gallery in Newcastle, organisers of Floor Four are hoping to encourage the artistic community of the region to come along to a series of events penned for September and will visit schools and colleges over the coming weeks to encourage would be actors and musicians to follow their dreams.

Ms Neale added: “I think it’s too easy for lots of people to leave the region. More needs to be done to keep creative people here.

“We’re a centre for arts and culture but I find myself sick from travelling to London once a month trying and find work. If Newcastle or anywhere else we’re ever going make another culture bid, it would be nice to have something to show for it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .