National Youth Music Theatre
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The National Youth Music Theatre or NYMT is a UK organization for young people in the field of musical theatre, based in London. It runs acting auditions, workshops, drama courses and music theatre productions. It is constituted as a company and registered charity under English law, formally named Children's Music Theatre Limited.[1]
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[edit] Recent events
Although the NYMT was highly successful from its foundation in 1976, the organisation had problems and suspended activities in 2003.[citation needed] Unhappy with the events that had taken place, half of NYMT's Board of Directors decided to set up a new musical theatre company called Youth Music Theatre: UK focussing on producing and commissioning original material. Following closure, the organisation was given indications early in 2004 that it would receive financial backing from the Arts Council. However, in the spring of 2005 it was announced that no funding would be forthcoming.[2][3] In the meantime, under the Chairmanship of Maggie Semple, the NYMT had put its finances in order and, thanks to goodwill and support from many sources, was able to announce a re-launch in 2006 with a production of The Dreaming in Tonbridge.[4] This was followed in 2007 with performances of Fiddler on the Roof at the Bridewell Theatre in April and Little Me at the Bloomsbury Theatre in August. In 2008, the NYMT presented to critical acclaim a new production of Richard Taylor and Russell Labey’s version of Whistle Down the Wind at the Greenwich Theatre.[5] In the summer of 2009, the NYMT produced a new production the Howard Goodall and Melvynn Bragg's 'The Hired Man' - also receiving critical acclaim. The same production will perform in a charity gala concert for the Lord Mayor's Appeal at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, in early september 2009.
[edit] History
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Founded in 1976 by Jeremy James Taylor, the National Youth Music Theatre’s beginnings were at Belmont, the Mill Hill Junior School. Here, under Jeremy’s direction and inspired by Ben Jonson’s moving epitaph on an actor who died very young, an 11-13 cast created and invented The Ballad of Salomon Pavey. Following its school performance, an adventurous and enlightened headmaster allowed his ambitious director to take the whole thing to the Edinburgh Fringe where it won fine reviews, excellent audiences, a Fringe First Award and an invitation to bring it to London as part of Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations. (The visit by a school company also started the ‘trend’ for schools and youth groups to take shows to the Edinburgh Fringe - a development which has grown to mammoth proportions over the years).
The company quickly became “The Children’s Music Theatre”, using young performers auditioned and selected from schools throughout the UK, creating a centre of excellence with many new productions, rave reviews, awards and plaudits which meant a high profile in the arts. With this profile, which by now included invitations to perform at The National Theatre and to create new music theatre works for the BBC and Granada Television, came the opportunity to inspire and educate young people through preparing for and presenting performance at the highest level. The NYMT was, as always, rich in all but funds and moved from strength to strength.
In 1985 there was a change of name and, in the same year, the first residential workshops took place, producing strong casts for summer productions. In 1984 Frank Dunlop, the new Artistic Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, invited the company to present an opera on the Festival programme. Such was thew success of this that in 1986, he presented two more NYMT productions whichbraised the profile of the company to new heights. Then, in 1987 Richard Stilgoe offered NYMT the opportunity to premier his new musical, Bodywork and, as a result, Edinburgh 1987 was, in Jeremy’s words, “crazy, hilarious and fantastical”. Huge audiences and rave reviews were followed by a Royal Gala Performance with HRH The Prince Edward in the audience and, emboldened by prestigious new associations, Jeremy invited HRH to become President of NYMT. In the same year, 1988, NYMT found a new sponsor and moved to Sadlers Wells, providing an annual 3-week “season” and an office with a telephone. Success indeed!
An excellent first season at Sadlers Wells led to the BBC broadcast of The Ragged Child the following Christmas, a host of productions across the UK and others as far afield as Tokyo., Norway, Greece and New York. During this time NYMT’s new President attended at least one performance of every single production; an astute, honest and perceptive critic, who contributed hugely to NYMT’s development during these busy years.
In 1992 the company was bursting out of Sadlers Wells and it moved its offices to The Royal Opera House.The President informed the company that Andrew Lloyd Webber would support NYMT, which move coincided with invitations to New York, Hong Kong, Toronto and New York’s Broadway. In 1996, NYMT was at last recognised by the DfEE with a 3-year grant.
The following busy years saw NYMT spread its workshops into Northern Ireland, the North East and East Anglia and, during this time, Howard Goodall and Charles Hart gave NYMT The Kissing Dance, which enjoyed a Christmas season at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre and followed this with The Dreaming.
Over 30 years NYMT has had a huge cast. It has also, as well as staging some of the great classics of musical theatre, created a considerable and important body of new music theatre works for performance by young people. Some of the brilliant and inspirational young performers have gone on to enrich the professional stage whilst others have decided upon other careers. All have taken with them exceptional skills, memories and a drive to support education in the arts which bodes well for our country’s development.
[edit] Former members
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009) |
[edit] Past productions
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[edit] Past accolades
- The Scotsman Fringe First Award (Numerous Occasions)
- Radio Forth Award for Outstanding Musical Production
- Edinburgh Festival Hamada Award
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ , Registered Charity no. 281159 at the Charity Commission
- ^ "No NYMT Funding from ACE" BritishTheatreGuide.info, 20 March 2005
- ^ "Funding threat to youth music" Timesonline.co.uk, 19 March 2005
- ^ Smith, Alistair, "Revived NYMT to stage West End return in 2006" TheStage.co.uk, 11 October 2005
- ^ Marlowe, Sam, "Whistle Down the Wind at Greenwich Theatre, SE10" TimesOnline.co.uk, 15 August 2008
