The second of Music Theatre International's UK Junior Theatre Celebrations took place on 3 June, held again at Leicester's Curve Theatre. But, successful as it was, the event will be moving to Birmingham's International Conference Centre for 2019.
Groups from around the UK and Ireland each perform a ten-minute showcase of a Broadway Junior musical, in front of their peers and professional adjudicators.
Participants also took part in a Q&A session with special guests George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (Mary Poppins, Half a Sixpence, Honk!), and took part in workshops presented by teaching artists from the West End productions of Disney's Aladdin, Mamma Mia! and Shrek the Musical. The day was rounded off with an evening concert performed by Rachel Tucker.
‘For us, the event was a complete success,’ says Sean Gray, managing director of MTI Europe. ‘The young performers had an inspiring day, worked hard, learned from professional practitioners and went home on a cloud with heightened enthusiasm and determination.
‘The first two Junior Theatre Celebrations have gone so well that we will definitely continue, and next year the event will double in size and happen at the ICC in Birmingham. Half of the groups who attended have already booked to come to Birmingham, which feels like a vote of confidence.
George Stiles (left) takes part in a Q&A session
‘It feels as though there is a clear appetite and need for a Junior Theatre Festival. Right now, many state schools are struggling to cope with reduced budgets, and arts subjects are the first targets to be cut. It's the perfect time to launch the festival, to not only give the schools who are committed to doing musicals an opportunity to come together and celebrate their passion, but also as a showcase for the art and what it can do for children individually and collectively, instilling self-confidence, bringing people together in a positive, supportive and relatively non-competitive environment. Witnessing the excitement and happiness of the children during and at the end of their day in Leicester would convert anyone to the educational benefits of taking part in musical theatre.’
Ruth Wareham
Drama & Speech teacher, Alconbury Middle High School, RAF Alconbury
As we eagerly stepped off the bus with the impressive Curve Theatre in view, I could feel it was going to be a magical day! A sea of yellow shirts was spotted and I felt relief that we were heading in the right direction. As we waited outside for registration to open, you could feel the energy building amongst all of the young performers. We were guided inside and promptly greeted with smiles and a helpful staff. The day we had been preparing for was finally kicking off.
We glanced through the programme and my students and I quickly noticed that we were possibly the only academic school in attendance; the list of Drama and Theatre schools quickly caused anxiety and doubt within our group. However, once we were in the opening ceremony those fears shifted to excitement and the supportive environment was uplifting. We were all there to celebrate one another and learn new skills to add to our actor's toolbox. We wished each other an impressive ‘Break a leg!’ and split into our pods.
The adjudication went well. Positive and constructive feedback was given to the performers, and the professionals experimented with helpful exercises tailored for each group. It was wonderful to see the students’ faces as they absorbed all they could and the look of accomplishment was so rewarding.
The afternoon workshops were extremely beneficial to students, chaperones, and teachers. We all walked away with experiences to help us and our programs. As teachers, we often get set in our ways of running rehearsals and producing shows. It was nice to be the student for the afternoon and get fresh ideas to take back to try. Even though I was nervous about performing in the closing ceremony, my students were thrilled to see me on stage and, I have to admit, it was fun to be back on stage under the lights (it's been well over a decade since I last performed).When reflecting with my students and chaperones, they all said that we HAVE to return next year! It was a terrific day and I'm not surprised to learn that we'll be moving to a larger venue next year to accommodate even more groups. It's an event that is not to be missed. So while my school year may be winding down, the excitement is building over what we'll do next year.
Kimberly Holden
Founder and Musical Director, Manchester Musical Youth
We enjoyed meeting lots of other like-minded musical theatre people, who were very friendly and keen to make links with us. The networking aspect was a definite plus. Meeting Stiles and Drewe was very special, especially listening to the Q&A session. Spending some real quality time with the children was also lovely – making memories!
The children specifically enjoyed performing at such a big venue, and loved the fact that the composers of the show they were doing were there. They loved having feedback from people who really know what they're doing as leaders in the industry, from both sides of the Atlantic, and parents they were ‘buzzing’ when they got back, despite the long day. One of our children particularly enjoyed the Mamma Mia workshop, feeling very inspired by the West End choreographer. All the children felt that they had built up even better relationships with the people in their own theatre company after spending this time together, as well as making lots of new friends on social media from the companies.
The scale of the event is huge, so we got to meet people from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It's like a Comic-Con for musical theatre! I think also it's more of a celebration than a competition. Sometimes the competitive element can spoil things, but I thought the balance at JTC was just right.
My favourite moments included meeting Stiles and Drewe, watching the children take direction well from our adjudicators, and seeing how grateful the children were for their feedback.
