Young Homotopia
We’re nurturing the next generation of queer creatives and audience members through our work with LGBTQIA+ young people aged 16 – 25 years old.
Led by Homotopia’s Associate Artist Ashleigh Owen, Young Homotopia has performed at the Unity Theatre and even on the main stage at Liverpool Pride. This is a partnership project with YPAS – GYRO.
Young Homotopia runs workshops, rehearsals and performances with a creative collective of young LGBTQIA people who are interested in self-expression through creativity and performance. Ashleigh Owen and a number of visiting practitioners, support and direct the performances and facilitate development workshops. The programme also builds a community and peer-support for like-minded young people.
Calling the next generation of queer creatives!
Are you aged between 16-25 and passionate about expressing yourself through creativity and performance? If so,
Young Homotopia is your space to connect, create, and shine.
Led by the incredible Ashleigh Owen and other guest artists, Young Homotopia is a vibrant collective where young
LGBTQIA+ people explore performance, storytelling, and self-expression in a safe, empowering, and exciting
workshop environment.
What to expect when you join:
● Take part in inspiring workshops and rehearsals
● Perform at amazing venues like the Unity Theatre and Liverpool Pride
● Build confidence, friendships, and a creative community
● Work with professional artists who celebrate you
Ready to be part of something bold, exciting, and unapologetically you but not sure you have enough experience?
No problem, just bring yourself, your creativity, and your voice. We’re looking forward to sharing involvement opportunities in 2026 – watch this space!
This is a partnership with YPAS – GYRO, creating a welcoming and supportive space for queer young people.
Support our Young People:
Young Homotopia’s Summer Cabaret
This summer, the incredible young people at Young Homotopia devised a summer cabaret alongside course leader Ashleigh Owen with support from Claire Beerjeraz and the team at GYRO. The cabaret was a bold, devised performance inspired by the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ young people navigating mental health and identity.
The cabaret featured a whirlwind of sketches, songs, poetry, and dancing – all wrapped in the fierce, funny, and fabulously queer spirit of resistance and resilience. The young people shared huge moments of heartfelt honesty and true artistic flair. From laugh-out-loud moments to moving reflections, the cabaret was a celebration of what it means to thrive with joy, pride, and love.
Young Homotopia is creative programme ran by Homotopia in partnership with YPAS – GYRO. It is free to join and provides opportunities for LGBTQIA+ teenagers and young adults to explore their identities through performance.
Young Homotopia at Homotopia Festival 2025
We came together for a one-of-a-kind evening where boundary-pushing art met joyful community celebration, as Young Homotopia partnered with our QueerCore participants for a night of exciting and beautiful performance.
The evening opened with bold new work from our 2025 QueerCore artists, Claire Beerjeraz, Laura Bee Jones, Em Willzy and H.R.H. Aphrodite. Through performances and presentations, audiences were given a glimpse into what the artists created during the programme. The night featured aliens, a mysterious murder, lesbian puppets, and an invitation to embrace radical rest.
After a short interval, the Young Homotopia Panto returned with a fabulous Queer retelling of Alice in Wonderland, where difference was celebrated, nonsense made perfect sense, and Queer joy ruled the stage.
QueerCore is Homotopia’s six-month talent development programme for early-career LGBTQIA+ artists in the Liverpool City Region, offering tailored support to help artists grow, build connections and develop new ideas. Homotopia would like to thank Converse for supporting QueerCore and making this work possible.
