The UK’s leading new musical theatre company for young people 11-21 years old has announced their 2023 season of Easter & Summer performances led by new Chief Executive and Creative Director Emily Gray, who has ensured the voices and ideas of BYMT’s Young Company Panel are at the heart of the programme choices. This new season is filled with brand new musicals, returning BYMT favourites, and dance led work.
Following prior popularity, Angry Salmon, a fin-tastic new show set in an underwater world of both farmed and wild fish returns for a second year, led by writers Jordan Clarke & Ali James (Showstoppers). Other season highlights include the first creation of a grime musical, written by the pioneering Thabo Stuck, with music producers including Dark Star; telling a historical story of a successful women’s football team with Our Girls Our Game; a dystopian future retelling of Hansel and Gretel by NMTA Award Winner Lewis Cornay; an exploration of a dance led piece with an integrated company of disabled and non-disabled young people led by Candoco artists; and for the first time, Romeo and Juliet will be played, and sung, by six female and non-binary young people, set in an English seaside town.
The BYMT programme was curated with the Young Company, staff team, and freelance artists…and will cover Shakespeare, the British Civil Wars, the early twentieth century Orphan Trains and a glimpse of our future planet. Following a debate on young people taking control and working together against all odds, the Young Company panel agreed that what connects these shows is the power and potential of the current younger generation to unite and accomplish positive change.
Chief Executive and Creative Director Emily Gray said “We are delighted to announce this 2023 season, with wonderful venue partners including Birmingham Hippodrome, who are passionate about new musicals, and our first ever show at Dundee Rep. When we asked our Young Company Panel what should be in the new season, they suggested epic stories and challenging themes being taken through the unique BYMT collaborative process. We have brought together fantastic teams of professional creatives to work alongside our diverse 2023 Company and bring these music theatre ideas, from historical happenings to future imaginings, to life across the UK.”
British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT) is the leading new musical theatre company for young people, working across the UK and Ireland with West End professionals to offer unique opportunities and high-quality training. Since 2003 they have trained over 15,000 young people, with alumni including Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Lauren Samuels, Charlotte Ritchie, Jack Bence, Lucy Griffiths, Luke McCall, and Bradley Jaden. BYMT’s mission is to create opportunities for young people and early career creatives from all backgrounds to develop theatre skills and enhance wellbeing, through the collaborative and inclusive process of making original music theatre. Their vision is to transform perceptions of musical theatre, be the leading voice in youth music theatre and be internationally recognised as the UK’s most prolific creator of new musicals.
Listings:
Our Girls Our Game
The Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome | April 14th – 15th 2023
The story of the Dick, Kerr Ladies Football Club and their WW1 and post war success, up to the FA ban in 1921.
Creative Team: Composer & Musical Supervisor Vikki Stone, Writer Victoria Saxton, Director Charlie Westenra, Choreographer Jane McMurtrie, Musical Director Rachel Wells, Costume Designer Abeda Begum, Set Designer Anna Kelsey
www.britishyouthmusictheatre.org/shows/our-girls-our-game-0
Angry Salmon
The Bridewell, London | August 4th – 6th 2023
The Di Carprio family of salmon, led by their daughter Leo, need to break free, outswim the fish farmers and deal with their own anger.
Creative Team: Composer/Co-writer/Musical Director Jordan Clark, Director/Co-Writer Ali James, Choreographer Jocelyn Prah
www.britishyouthmusictheatre.org/shows/angry-salmon-0
Harry & Greta
New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich | August 4th – 5th 2023
After escaping the witch, how will Harry & Greta survive in the eco disaster that the adults have left behind for the children to clear up?
Creative Team: Composer & Writer Lewis Cornay, Director Franny Rafferty, Choreographer Christopher Tendai, Musical Director Matthew Herbert, Designer Verity Johnson
www.britishyouthmusictheatre.org/shows/harry-greta
Romeo & Juliet
The Drum Plymouth Theatre Royal | August 11th – 13th 2023
Shakespeare in an English seaside town with contemporary songs and the protagonists played by six female and non-binary performers.
Creative team: Composer Joel Hall, Writer/Director Victoria Gartner, Choreographer Katherine Moran, Designer Lu Herbert
www.britishyouthmusictheatre.org/shows/romeo-juliet
The Naughty Carriage on the Orphan Train
Dundee Rep Theatre | August 25th – 26th 2023
What happened to the young people who didn’t get picked from the Orphan Trains and had to use their creativity and resilience to create families of their own?
Creative team: Composer Luke Saydon, Writer Carl Miller, Director Emily Gray, Choreographer Ash Mukherjee.
www.britishyouthmusictheatre.org/shows/naughty-carriage-orphan-train
#50Days
The Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome | September 1st – 3rd 2023
A grime musical about a divided nation, told through the story of the 50 day build up to the 17thcentury British Civil Wars
Writer Thabo Stuck, Music by Dark Star & Duramaney Kamara, Director Nyasha Gudo, Musical Directors Nadine-Rose Johnson & Kevin Sable, Choreographer Melody Sinclair