After 25 years, the band is back together.
For one week next summer, the team behind The Selfish Giant, Skool and Crossbones and Pandemonium will make a brand-new piece of theatre with young people aged 7 and over. It will be written by Jenifer Toksvig and David Perkins, rehearsed from scratch in seven days, and shared in a 30-minute showcase at the end of the week.
One week. One company. One new piece.
This is a single, focused block of time rather than a long rehearsal period. It is non-residential, there is no audition, and there will be a minimal fee to cover costs. Young people arrive on Monday not knowing the piece, and by the end of the week they have made it their own.
| Day | Call | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Jul – Sun 1 Aug | Team prep | Creative team and volunteers set up the space. No young people on site. |
| Mon 2 Aug | Company call | Meet the company, warm up together and read the new piece for the first time. |
| Tue 3 – Wed 4 Aug | Make it | Scenes, songs and staging, built with the young people in the room. |
| Thu 5 Aug | Put it together | Running sections with the band, and first stumble-through. |
| Fri 6 Aug | Tech | Lights, sound and live music added in the studio. |
| Sat 7 Aug | Dress | Full runs in costume. |
| Sun 8 Aug | Showcase | A 30-minute showcase for family, friends and the youth theatre community. |
Day-by-day plan is indicative and will be confirmed with families. Showcase timing to be announced.
The creative team.
In the late 90s, a serendipitous meeting of four creative forces sparked a run of work that saw the youth theatre grow from around 100 young people to more than 300. Twenty-five years on, they are making something together again, joined by Nikki Plowman, Director of Drama at King Edward's School.
Andrew Tilling
Then Andrew Charles. Produces the week and pulls it all together.
Jules Black
Then Julia Burgess. Directs the week, and owns the motto: no drama, just theatre.
Jenifer Toksvig
Writer and lyricist, and one half of the partnership behind the youth theatre's original musicals.
David Perkins
Composer and musical director, and the other half of Toksvig & Perkins.
Nikki Plowman
Then Nikki Lockwood. Director of Drama at King Edward's School, Witley, where the company will make and share the work.
Some of you will know these by heart.
None of it happened on its own. It was made by young people, musicians, crew, youth leaders, costume-makers, parents and volunteers. It belonged to the community, and this week is for that community too.
Have you got any photos you can share? Or are you in one of these and wish it wasn’t here? Email andrewtilling@gmail.com and we’ll see what we can do.
Three ways in.
Take part
For children and young people aged 7 and over. No audition and no experience needed.
- Around 20 places in the company
- Daily, non-residential, 2–8 August
- Minimal fee to cover costs, details to follow
- Some places offered to King Edward's pupils
Help make it
If you were part of it then, there is a role for you now.
- Supporting rehearsals
- Crew and production
- Costume and wardrobe
- Set build
- Playing in the band
Reconnect
Can't be there? We would still love to hear what you are doing now and what you remember. Pass this on to anyone you made your own youth theatre memories with.
An intimate studio, a live band.
The week takes place in the Studio Theatre at King Edward's School, Witley, Surrey, generously offered by the school. It is a flexible studio with a full LED lighting rig and sound support, close enough that every young person on stage will be seen and heard. Music is played live.
The podcast
Former youth theatre members Siobhán Dodd and Jonathan Griffiths, both podcasters now, are sitting down with the team to talk about what the youth theatre meant and what happens next.
Episodes will appear here.
Register your interest.
Registering is not a commitment. It tells us who is out there, how many young people might take part and who would like to help. We will follow up with an online call to share the plan and answer questions.
Register your interestIs this a full-length show?
No. It is a week of making theatre together, ending in a 30-minute showcase of what the company has created.
Is this a Yvonne Arnaud initiative?
No. It is an independent, one-off reunion of people who care about making something meaningful together.
What about safeguarding?
We are working to the school's requirements. Every adult involved will need a DBS check, and we will guide volunteers through it.
No drama. Just theatre.