Do you have a student who adores musicals but doesn’t get the chance to perform in them? A student who’s an outstanding singer and is looking to gain more dance experience? An instrumentalist who’s quickly outgrowing the capabilities of the local youth orchestra and wants to try something new? If so, a British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT) production might be for them. Now in its 20th year, BYMT is the leading music theatre company for young people aged 11–21 across the UK, and soon we’ll be launching auditions for our summer 2025 programme.
My own BYMT experience as a musician led me to where I am now: working for BYMT as a music coordinator, and freelance as a sound designer, having graduated from a master’s programme at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. BYMT gave me an insight into what I enjoyed doing, where I might fit into the theatre world, and the confidence boost I needed to apply for a music degree. Would I recommend it? Absolutely.
Who are we looking for?
As a musical theatre organisation, we are looking primarily for performers – young singers and dancers who are eager to be challenged and are looking at performance as a future career. We value young people who are willing to contribute to an ensemble piece and push themselves beyond what they are able to achieve in a familiar school or drama club environment. We’re looking for instrumentalists who want to develop their capabilities in accompanying performance, and particularly anyone who is interested in the process of putting on a production or looking to gain an insight into how it all works behind the scenes.
Routes and pathways
For young singers and dancers, BYMT offers camps and productions. Both are residential, with the camps typically taking place over a week, and the production residential projects lasting two weeks, culminating in a performance at a regional theatre. All our musicals are directed, composed and choreographed by industry professionals, and each production is written specifically for BYMT – young people will be performing music that they won’t have heard before. The schedule can be demanding, and for many participants it will be their first time staying away from home with people they don’t already know. But many of them relish the challenge and the opportunity to make friends from across the country. The process starts with an audition – for performers this is either online or in-person at one of our audition weekends. Participants take part in a three-hour workshop audition – with singing, movement and acting, which are evaluated by our team. If successful, auditionees are assigned to a show. There may be a further round of auditions to determine who would be best for a particular role.
For young musicians, the process is a little different; they can audition in-person, which is a meeting with a musical director, or they can submit a filmed performance. We would expect them to be around Grade 7 standard, with some experience of playing in ensembles and an interest in musical theatre. For musicians, the project will last one week, including technical rehearsals and performances, and they’ll join the residential course when everyone’s ready to rehearse with a live band. Rehearsals can be intense, but they are also focused, and offer the opportunity to hone sight-reading skills while learning more about playing in a pit band – very different to an orchestra!
All young people involved in the shows gain a Grade 8 qualification in Musical Theatre from Trinity College. For our older young people, and those already focused on a career in musical theatre, we offer Creative Work Placements. These are residential (assisting) placements on our productions for aspiring music directors, stage managers and designers, with the opportunity to gain experience in putting on a production and, potentially, put this towards the requirements of a degree or drama school course.
Benefits of participation
For anyone considering a career in theatre, BYMT provides a window into professional rehearsals and productions. For big fish in small ponds, it offers an environment where everyone is on the same level. Most importantly, it gives young people the chance to form friendships with others who share their passion for theatre, or who are from parts of the UK they may never have visited.
To book an audition with BYMT, please go to britishyouthmusictheatre.org/take-part/auditions
