central youth theatre 2015
TRANSCRIPT
CENTRALYOUTHTHEATREWOLVERHAMPTON
Inspiring youngpeople in theatre artssince 1983.
Tel: 01902 572091www.centralyouththeatre.org
We aren’t a stage school following a prescribed formula, or a performing arts academy with Ofsted
targets. Our individual members and their needs are at the heart of what we do. Each year
CYT’s artistic projects are different and unique because we choose work that develops the
particular talents of each year’s cohort of members.
There is no formulaic answer to developing talent - it is as individual as the people
who possess it. As an organisation, CYT strives to offer different possibilities for
its members, allowing them to experiment and find their niche. So whether
it’s performing comedy, working backstage, operating lighting or working on
costumes, the opportunities are there for young people to try.
Our open door policy and strong desire to be accessible to all keeps us
going, and as a registered charity (No 1130961) we annually strive to raise
funds to keep our pricing structure as affordable as possible.
CENTRAL YOUTH THEATREOver the years thousands of young people have passed through our youth theatre and taken part in productions,
specialist workshops, summer schools and international projects. The skills they have learned have taken our members
into many different careers, including working professionally in acting, technical theatre, film and television.
Salt ‘n’ Malt, comedy short film 2013
HOW TO JOIN CYT Contact Jane Ward on: [email protected]
or call: 01902 572091www.centralyouththeatre.org
Follow us onTwitter@CYT_Wolves
Like us onFacebookCentral YouthTheatre
WHO WE DO ITWITHCYT provides opportunities for youngpeople aged 8-25 to learn a broadrange of skills associated with thedramatic arts.
We pride ourselves in the way we workwith a wide range of young people toimprove confidence and self-esteemthrough performance.
We work in an inclusive way and youngpeople with disabilities are fullyintegrated into the CYT experienceperforming alongside other groupmembers.
Young people do not need to haveprevious experience of performing tojoin CYT. Everyone is welcome to comealong and take part in this vibrant andinclusive group.
WHATOPPORTUNITIESWE OFFER
Weekly group sessions
Perform in productions which are staged
throughout the year.
Learn skills in film-making
Summer Schools
Tour to international festivals
One-off workshops led by specialist
tutors
Young leadership roles
Work experience placements for school,
college and university students
International placements abroad
Careers guidance in the performing arts
including private lessons and audition
support
WHEN WE DO ITMost of our weekly group sessions take
place on a Sunday and we have a number of
time slots for different ages. Young people
joining aged 8-12 enter our junior group,
and those aged 13 upwards become senior
members. We operate mainly within school
term dates. Our summer schools and other
special activities are optional extras for
current and non-members to take part in.
HOW MUCH IT COSTSAs a registered charity our membership fees
are considerably less than stage schools. We
have a sliding scale of discounts and
subsidies including reductions if more than
one child from the same family attends, or
where families are in receipt of benefit. To
find out more about current charges please
contact us.
AIMS &OBJECTIVES
Stage theatre productions ofthe highest possiblestandard.
Expand young peoples’flexibility through groupwork.
Integrate young people fromdifferent culturalbackgrounds and those withadditional needs.
Promote interest in, andknowledge of, differenttheatre forms.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights, at Held inTyrol, International Festival, Austria 2009
OUR WORKIN 30 YEARS WE HAVE:
Staged more than 200 productions.
Performed at more than 40 internationalfestivals and visited 15 countries.
Made a television film for Channel 4.
Engaged young people in writing,directing, filming and performing inmany short films.
Employed many local, national andinternational tutors to pass onspecialists skills to youth theatremembers.
Given apprentice and work experienceopportunities.
INTERNATIONALWORKCYT has pioneered the spirit of
‘adventurous youth theatre’ taking
young people to the furthest corners
of Europe to represent their city.
Along the way members have
absorbed the cultures of the many
nationalities they have worked with and
these unique experiences have forged
three generations of international
friendships that have changed lives
forever.
From a pioneering trip across the Iron
Curtain to perform in Moscow and the Baltic states,
to singing their way down the Danube river and
watching the sunrise over the roofs of Vilnius, CYT
has created some very special memories for those who
have been lucky enough to be part of its international
artistic projects.
CYT’s proudest international achievement to date
was representing the UK at the 2013 World Amateur
Theatre Festival in Monaco where our members
joined groups from 24 countries from across five
continents. The trip culminated in two performances
in the stunning Salle Garnier Opera House in
Monte Carlo.
CYT’s director is a board member of the UK Branch
of International Theatre Exchange (AIATA) which
encourages more theatre groups to work
internationally.
RANGE OF THEATRICALPERFORMANCES & VENUESFrom text-based classics to contemporary comedies,
tragedies and devised performance work, CYT stages
an eclectic range of shows that stretch young people
in very different ways. These have included: Scully,Blood Brothers, Look Back in Anger, Macbeth, They Shoot
Horses Don’t They, Archangels Don’t Play Pinball,Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Anna Karenina,Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Alice inWonderland, The Bar Mitzvah Boy, One FlewOver the Cuckoo’s Nest, Charlie & TheChocolate Factory, Cyrano De Bergerac, DaisyPulls it Off, Ptang Yang Kipperbang, TheSnow Queen & Stags & Hens.
PERFORMANCEVENUESCYT stages shows at many different
sized venues including the
Newhampton Arts Centre,
Wolverhampton University Arena
Theatre and the Grand Theatre.
Additionally performances are
staged in local schools,
community venues and site-
specific locations.
The countries we have performed in
Some of our current and
previous funders
CELEBRATING THE HERITAGEOF OUR CITYOver the years CYT has delivered large scale, site-
specific projects, often highlighting the City’s
heritage. From
the history of
bicycles to dance
halls, CYT has
researched and
developed
projects which
have enabled
young people to
become apprentice writers, designers, directors,
historians, stage managers and technicians.
In 2011 CYT staged its largest ever project, funded
by the Cultural Olympiad and other lottery partners,
transforming the old Low Level Railway station into a
dance hall and bringing to life local people’s
memories of social dance through the decades. Once
more, CYT welcomed European friends from six
countries to the city, creating a festival of
performances to be proud of.
FILM & TV WORKFrom 1985, when CYT was selected from 500 groups
across the UK to make a half hour drama to
represent England in the C4 International Film
Series “Its Our World” shown internationally, we have
gone on to embed film-making as a key part of what
we do.
CYT has produced more than 12 short
documentaries and drama films, some of
which have been commissioned by First
Light Films and can be seen on our
Central Youth Theatre You Tube
Channel.
Film and TV companies
frequently contact CYT and
members have been appeared
in Raised by Wolves, Crimewatch,Jupiter Moon, The Bill, ThePeople’s Millions and Merchant
Ivory’s film The Feast of July.
Travels with Morris, comedy shortfilms 2012
Burnt by the Sun, World AmateurTheatre Festival, Monaco 2013
Low Level Station
MORE THAN JUST A YOUTH THEATREOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY OFFER
INCREASING YOUNG PEOPLE’SEMPLOYABILITY
At CYT we believe that our creative, enjoyable activitieshelp young people develop their own skills and interests. Inaddition to regular drama sessions, we offer workexperience placements to young people from local schoolsand colleges.
We also offer personal careers guidance and support tomembers and strive to link young people with relevantnetworks to help maximise their chances of securing workand further study.
ADULT LEARNING COURSESCYT runs creative courses for adults in the local area,helping improve practical skills and increase confidence,employability and future prospects. Recently we have runprogrammes through the European Social Fund and thegovernment’s Community Learning Programme which haveincluded topics such as costume design, arts marketing,technical theatre and local heritage.
Our adult activities change over time, so please get in touchto find about what we currently have on offer.
VOLUNTEERINGAs a registered charity we rely on regular support throughvolunteering to help maintain our services and our offer to
local people. Volunteering with us helps continue our workand offers rewarding experiences for those who give uptheir time and contribute skills.
Volunteers find CYT to be a friendly, creative and rewarding
environment and we value the contributions made by
people in areas of expertise, such as fundraising, office
administration, helping operate our costume hire service
‘The Actor’s Wardrobe’ and becoming a trustee.
OUTREACH WORK FOR SCHOOLSCYT has an experienced team of workshop leaders whocan offer a bespoke workshop service to both primary andsecondary schools. We can tailor workshops to yourcurriculum requirements or provide drama activities thatsupport particular celebratory activities e.g. significantanniversaries such as The Queen’s Jubilee, First World Waror the celebration of particular authors such as BeatrixPotter. All our workshop leaders have full DBS certificates.
CONTRIBUTING TO THE CITY’SCULTURAL OFFER
Wolverhampton is a city diverse in its culture, local historyand artistic activity. CYT has contributed to this offer since1983 and we continue to strive to make our city aninspiring place to live. Our regular performance workfeatures an emphasis on local history with past projectsfeaturing the stories of local manufacturing firm Sunbeam,social dancing and shopping in the city. Our performances
are staged across the city as well as site-specifically inoutdoor and non-theatre venues. We continue to work withmany different local organisations on varied projects andenjoy thinking ‘outside the box’!
ACTORS WARDROBE COSTUME HIRE &OTHER RESOURCES
We have built up an extraordinary collection of more than10,000 theatrical costumes which we hire out to individuals,schools, drama groups and film & TV companies. (See ourback page advert).
Other resources we hire out include:
Portable lighting rigs and operating board
PA and sound desk
Theatrical props
EX-MEMBERS HELP CYT PLAN ABRIGHT FUTURE.
Over recent years our former members have become a
strong collective group who support CYT in many ways
including writing, directing and designing shows, as well as
fundraising and championing our organisation.
We operate a “Friends of CYT” membership scheme to
enable former members and other friends to provide
ongoing support for us.
Apprentices working on Everybody Dance Now,Festival 2011
Examples of our costume hire
Research Shop forOral Memories
WHAT SOME OF OUR EX-MEMBERS ARE DOING TODAY
Tim Routledge – Freelance LightingDesigner/Programmer.Programmed the Opening & Closing Ceremonies ofthe London 2012 Olympics & the Queen’s DiamondJubilee Concert. Designer for the 2014Commonwealth Games Ceremonies.
Ian Connop – Stage Manager at the NationalTheatre. Shows include War Horse & The CuriousIncident of the Dog in the Night Time.
Liz Griffiths – Set Decorator.Films include About Timedirected by Richard Curtis, Pride,Spooks & Shaun of the Dead.
Ed O’Driscoll – Theatre Producer.Touring stage productions include: Shaun theSheep, Morse & ‘Ello, ‘Ello.
Stephen Abbiss – FreelanceLighting Designer.Working with music artists suchas Fat Boy Slim, Beverley Knight& Stereophonics.
Alys Cummings – Assistant Producer for BBCCurrent Affairs programmes.
Claire Pearson – Production and EventManagement. Working with recording artists suchas One Direction, Boyzone & Beyonce.
Ben Clark and TomParry are two thirds ofPappy's - Britain’sbest live sketchgroup. They write andstar in their ownBBC3 sitcom‘Badults’ andproduce awardwinning podcasts.
Beverly Knight – Award winning singer, songwriter and recordproducer with performances in West End shows including TheBodyguard and Memphis.
”“
FundraisingAs a charity, part of our engagement ethos with members and parentsis encouraging them to support our on-going fundraising programme.Each year we plan a varied range of fundraising events and activities,some of which are supported by local partners such as local retailers,Rotary clubs etc. By supporting our work in this area our members andparents realise they are keeping our organisation accessible for all,and enabling young people to participate in life-changingopportunities such as trips abroad and unique arts projects.
CYT Angels & Community PartnersWe actively seek out local businesses and community partners whocan support us through sponsorship, advertising or volunteering (e.gmost recently several companies helped us to renovate our currentcostume hire premises).
If you are interested in supporting a local charity that has a high profileand touches on the lives of so many young people in the city pleasecontact us for more information on how you can help us.
Please email Jane Ward on: [email protected] or call: 01902 572091Brochure design and artwork donated by Sizzle Tel: 0121 569 7785
Central Youth Theatre is a registered charity No. 6264703, and we work hard to generatefunds to support our activities and to keep them accessible for all young people
CENTRAL YOUTH THEATREInspiring young people in theatre arts since 1983.Jack’s Story
When I was 18, in the final year of college, I really had no directionin my life. I was at a college I hated, studying subjects I didn’t likewith teachers who didn’t like me. So I would get up each morning, siton my phone through lessons and after college, head home to playvideo games. Like most teenagers, I had no desire to change.
One day my sister came to me, pleading for me to help her with someacting because one of the boys had dropped out very close to the showdate. So that Sunday I came to the Newhampton Arts Centre andacted. Acting! What was I doing acting? After I had helped out I wenton Job Seekers Allowance lacking all motivation to get a job.
Three years later I was in Monaco with Central Youth Theatre,playing the lead character. Without CYT I don’t know what I would bedoing. These experiences, these impossible, invaluable experiences,simply would never have existed. I would be stuck in a dead end job –I owe CYT for my future, my happiness and my determination.
Jack [email protected]
From Sukhy Gill
Sixteen months ago I was afraid of the world andall the people who inhabited it. I had no confidenceand I felt that I didn’t belong anywhere. Then, bychance, my mom heard about CYT and, though Iwas reluctant, she made me sign up to join. I did so,and I can honestly say that it was the best thing thathas ever happened to me. In just 16 months, my lifehas changed immeasurably. I owe this to CYT.
Sukhy [email protected]
Lindsey Büster
During my time at CYT, I not only increased inconfidence (without which future as a lecturer andacademic would have been virtually impossible), butI made life-long friendships and lasting memories.
Lindsey Post-doctoral Researcher inArchaeology, University of Bradford
From Joe Hancock
My name is Joe Hancock. I am a freelance theatredirector from Wolverhampton and the currentDirector-in-Residence at Eton College, Berkshire.
From the age of 12 I attended CYT, the place thatprovided me with all the experience that set me onthe path to where I am today.
From Susan Barrow
CYT clearly gives its members skills that are not justuseful to jobseekers, but that the current market saysthey are not seeing enough of. CYT gives itsmembers, the young people of Wolverhampton, theskills that can be the difference between remainingunemployed or not.
Susan Head of Digital, Finlay James Assoc.