ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE
Local kids shine in the National Youth Theatre
- New Zealand’s premier musical theatre training programme for young people
The National Youth Theatre (NYT) is New Zealand’s premier musical theatre training programme for young people aged 7-21, with many of our very own North Shore kids starring in its wonderful productions. What makes us different? NYT is all-access – no audition required. We use musical theatre to help young people ‘find their own voice’, developing interpersonal skills that impact every aspect of their lives, from home to school to workplace. What do we do? We inspire and develop a team of 275 young performers to work together and produce a spectacular 'OnStage' musical at the Aotea Centre, where since 2013 we have become the resident youth theatre at Auckland Live. We also run musical theatre school holiday programmes at The Rose Centre, Belmont and at Grey Lynn School. These popular courses are the perfect school holiday activity for theatre enthusiasts or beginners (aged 7 -16) who would like to give being on stage a go! For more information head to https://nyt.nz/allstars Why do we do it? Our professional theatre mentors provide unique opportunities for young performers to be part of a major theatrical production whilst inspiring them to have fun & build confidence. Our programmes can take our participants from shyly hiding at the back of the room to standing centre-stage. Our programmes change lives. About us: We have come a long way since we started in 2004, going from strength to strength impacting the lives of 60,000 young people (and counting!). We have gone on to run over 32 OnStage programmes, two each year, featuring well over 6,000 cast members to a combined audience of over 200,000. However, there is much more to NYT than just what you will see on stage. Through our Outreach programme, we not only NYT's 2021 production of Beauty and the Beast featured: Michael Read-Percival (16) from Torbay provide full scholarships who attends Long Bay College, played the Beast; for a large number of and Amelia Taite (16) from Takapuna who attends Kristin School, played Belle. deserving students to join
Credit: Ida Larsson White Lynx Photography. NYT's 2022 production of Oliver! features (left to right): Aidan Cruz (10) playing Charley Bates; Harry Brown (13) from Devonport who attends TGS playing one of Fagin's Gang; Māui Hitchins (15) from Narrow Neck who attends TGS playing Fagin; and Petra Wehrle (11) from Bayswater who attends BIS also playing Charley Bates.
the cast, but we also reach new audiences by presenting four school performances and partnering with deserving schools to fully fund their attendance at those shows. Recent reviews from our recent productions 'Keeping the Lights On' and 'Beauty and the Beast': – "The variety, the quality, the professionalism, the sheer entertainment factor were such a joy to experience." – "NYT does it again. Despite Covid lockdowns and other interruptions leaving little time for rehearsal, the huge cast of youngsters performed with verve, enthusiasm and talent. It was a great show." – "Can I just say, WOW! I was absolutely blown away!" To find out more about the National Youth Theatre, please visit nyt.nz or email info@nyt.nz
www.channelmag.co.nz Issue 127 - February 2022
19
