National Youth Theatre of Wales and Theatr Clwyd present, a brand-new comedy as part of exciting partnership

National Youth Theatre of Wales and Theatr Clwyd are co-producing their first full length production together, The In-Between. The show will open at Theatr Clwyd before heading to The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff. This brand-new comedy has been written by one of Wales’ leading playwrights Gary Owen (Iphigenia in Splott) and BAFTA-nominated actress and writer, Alexandria Riley (Pembrokshire Murderers, In My Skin).

A new comedy about growing up.

Fay is finished.

Her tutors at the music college are telling her she’s failing.

She’s giving everything she can – and it’s not enough.

Fay’s not going to fail.

She’s going to do the mature, grown-up thing.

She’s going to quit.

All she has to do is walk to college, hand in her letter and she’s free from the struggle and the worry. Can anything make Fay change her mind?

We’ll see.

National Youth Theatre of Wales brings together performers from all over the country, forming a talented and diverse company that showcases some of the best young talent. Rob Brydon, Rakie Ayola, Michael Sheen, Eve Myles, Russell T Davies and Ruth Jones make up just some of its esteemed alumni. The In-Between has been created specifically for the 24 performers, aged between just 16 and 22, highlighting their individual talents and strengths.

The project not only gives these young people a chance to perform on stage, but to also work at a professional level with the creative team including Director: Hannah Noone, Associate director: Juliette Manon Lewis, Designer: Jacob Hughes, Lighting Designer: Katy Morison and Choreographer Marcus Jarrell Willis, Sound Designer and Composer: Samuel Barnes from the band Boy Azooga.

Theatr Clwyd and National Youth Theatre of Wales are now in their 5th year of partnership together. Earlier this year, they successfully delivered pathways for professional training and development including a residential programme in Easter 2022. The training programme in both performance and backstage practices saw participants enjoy workshops and masterclasses with cast and creatives from the new musical Milky Peaks. During the covid pandemic the organisations co-produced a bilingual film Y Teimlad/That Feeling written by Hanna Jarman inspired by the ensemble cast. This vibrant, bilingual mash-up of film and theatre was streamed in August 2021. In a similar way, The In-Between will have bilingualism weaved naturally into the piece.

Gillian Mitchell, Chief Executive of National Youth Arts Wales, said:

It’s really wonderful for the National Youth Theatre of Wales to finally perform live for the first time since 2019 and we’re thrilled to be working once again in partnership with Theatr Clwyd on this exciting production. Getting a chance to work at this level within the professional setting of a major producing house is a huge benefit to our young members, as they develop skills and prepare to take the next steps in their career.

This script, written especially for the NYTW cast of 2022, is a snapshot of modern life in Wales today, with our members representing young people from all communities across the country. I can’t wait to see the work that they’ve done.

The In-Between will be performed at Theatr Clwyd from the 30th-31st August. The performance on the 31st August will be captioned, signed and audio described. The performance will take place in Theatr Mix with tickets from just £10. To book visit the website www.theatrclwyd.com or by calling 01352 344101. The piece will then tour to the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff from 2nd-3rd September.