The Middle East Theatre Academy (META) and The Kevin Spacey Foundation (KSF) has announced that applications are closing for the “Home Grown” programme which is being held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, and organised by META and KSF.  
According to the Academy, young people age 18-25 living in the Middle East and North Africa region should apply online at http://middleeasttheatreacademy.org/ by December 15th to participate.
Home Grown, which will be inaugurated through the Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts, is an unparalleled opportunity offered on a philanthropic basis to youth across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to develop their performance skills. The programme will train youth representing up to seventeen different countries from the MENA region, supporting those who have potential and passion for the performing arts. This programme will encourage self-belief and expand horizons, developing the capacity of youth and providing them with everyday life skills to help their development and personal growth.
Kevin Spacey will be present at times throughout the project and will lead expert classes for participants in addition to observing rehearsals. The opening performance will take place in Sharjah in the UAE on the 25th of January 2015 at the Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts. Participants in the programme will have an opportunity to gain insight in the areas of physicality, movement, voice, characterisation, staging, and stagecraft.
The intensive theatre training programme will run at the Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts and will take place between the 10th and 27th of January 2015 to be offered completely free of charge to 35 youths from across the region. The programme will culminate in the production of a new play in Arabic and English with a regional theme that will be publicly performed in the UAE and elsewhere.
The program is open to young people age 18-25, who apply online at the META’s website: www.middleeasttheatre.org. After receiving applications, the online audition phase will start, and will be followed by personal interviews with candidates to select first group of participants in the programme.    
META was launched in 2011 and aims to offer a vast range of creative opportunities for emerging artists throughout the Middle East and North Africa, specifically encouraging underprivileged youth. META aims to build a community, provide a prosperous environment and advance the society of the Arab World through theater.