“I wouldn’t be in the position I am now without what I learned at Canberra Youth Theatre”
Liv Hewson is one of Canberra’s most successful artistic exports, best known for Yellowjackets (Paramount+ with Showtime), and appearing in the Australian comedy crime mystery He Had It Coming. Now based in the USA, Liv credits Canberra Youth Theatre as the foundation of their creative career and is “paying it back” with a philanthropic gift of $100,000 over five years to directly subsidise programs and opportunities for emerging artists.
Liv’s story reminds us how important supporting the young artists of today is, for the arts sector of tomorrow.
This is Liv’s Story:
I didn’t go to university, I went to Canberra Youth Theatre. I was taught a lot of theory, and theatrical technique, but always in an environment that encouraged myself and my peers to put what we were learning to practical use. We were empowered to learn by doing. We were given tools and trusted that we could use them. The work we were doing was woven into the arts scene of the city. As artists, we were taken seriously.
The experiences and opportunities I had at Canberra Youth Theatre form the baseline of my professional training. Being able to provide some support to the company now, with resources that I’ve accrued through work as an actor, is quite full circle and very important to me. In 2013, I was part of a CYT production that toured to Sydney and Melbourne. It was my first touring theatrical experience, and an incredibly formative professional one. It’s an honour to bolster the kind of programming now that I benefited from in my personal and professional development.
Youth arts programs are an integral part of the arts culture in their cities, and they’re an integral part of the arts culture in Australia at large. We use the term ‘emerging artists’ a lot — artists emerge from where they’re trained, and they emerge by making art. That training and those opportunities need to be available.
When I was young, hungry and had no idea where to start, there was a theatre company in my hometown that was made for people just like me. I would not be where I am today without the training I received at Canberra Youth Theatre. It’s only fair that I use the position I’m in now to help look after the place that I came from. There are young people like me in Canberra now who need it. Where do we expect the artists of the future to emerge from if we don’t support their development now?
Liv Hewson
2025
