EPK Components
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Music industry EPK elements
Contents of an EPK depend on the industry and target audience. For instance, an EPK in the music industry might contain this:
0.biography
0.music clips (with accompanying lyrics)
0.high resolution press photos
0.tour dates
0.promotional videos
0.offline website or website links
0.press reviews and interviews, etc.
0."RIYL" or "Recommended If You Like" list: a listing of artists of similar styles or genres
0.High resolution photos or images of key executives, the company logo, products, etc.
contact information
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson[1] based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of AIDS.
The musical was first seen in a limited three-week Workshop production at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1994. This same New York City off-Broadway theatre was also the musical's initial home following its official January 25, 1996, opening. The show's creator, Jonathan Larson, died suddenly the night before the off-Broadway premiere. The show won a Pulitzer Prize, and the production was a hit. The musical moved to Broadway's larger Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996.[2]
On Broadway, Rent gained critical acclaim and won a Tony Award for Best Musical among other awards. The musical is largely responsible for helping to increase the popularity of musical theater amongst the younger generation.[3] The Broadway production closed on September 7, 2008, after a 12-year run and 5,124 performances, making it the eighth-longest-running Broadway show, eight years behind The Phantom of the Opera. The production grossed over $280 million.[4]
The success of the show led to several national tours and numerous foreign productions, and in 2005, it was also adapted into a motion picture that features most of the original cast members
Youth Music Theatre UK (often known as YMT) is the United Kingdom's biggest provider of music theatre projects for young people.[citation needed] It is one of nine recognised National Youth Music Organisations (NYMOs).[1]
At the core of YMT's activity are its residential projects, which usually take place during the summer. Young people from around the country audition for eight new pieces of musical theatre which are then developed, rehearsed and staged in professional theatres. The young people have a hand in creating and devising original pieces, supported by theatre professionals. The company also runs non-audition courses, called The Studio, and operates a successful outreach programme, working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. All of the company's projects are specially commissioned and often developed over two or more summers. Productions often transfer into larger venues during the autumn and spring.
The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Battersea, London. It also has a regional office in Edinburgh. Its executive producer is Jon Bromwich.[2]
Summer 2009 productions include A Winter's Tale by Howard Goodall and Nick Stimson at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, Loserville - The Musical by James Bourne and Elliot Davis at the South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell with Mamma Mia Musical Director Martin Lowe and director Steven Dexter. Second year developments of Marie Jones' The Chosen Room in Belfast and Peter Pan at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. YMT will also be commissioning four new musicals called Fool's Gold and According to Brian Haw... at the Barbican, Plymouth,The Watchers at the Bradford Playhouse and EIGHT at Casterton in Cumbria.
| The company's 2008 productions included new adaptations of Great Expectations in Bracknell, Terry Pratchett's Mort in Guildford, Peter Pan in Plymouth, and Missing Mel at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and new shows by EastEnders director Steve Keyworth in Leeds and by Marie Jones (The Chosen Room) in Belfast. |
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Notable former members of the YMT
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Productions
2004
Amy's Wedding - written by Syd Ralph and the company
Amy’s Wedding asked 30 young performers to consider the Puritan emigration from the UK to the New World in 17th and 18th centuries. What conditions at home rendered the potential dangers of a sea crossing preferable to staying put? What sort of people chose to risk everything for the promise of a new and better life? And what was that life like when they got there?
Amy’s Wedding focused on a small New England community, bound together by its own beliefs and customs and set within a closed, male-dominated, religious environment. It is the story of the preparations, the hopes and the dreams of one young woman in the community who is about to be married to the young man that her family has chosen for her.
In these communities female chatter was not encouraged unless accompanied by work… “the devil makes work for idle hands”…The making of Amy’s ”wedding quilt” however, allows for the piece to eavesdrop on what each patch represents to the women and girls and allows the “untellable” to be told. What elements lie hidden in these women’s memories?
Amy’s wedding ceremony is to be performed by a visiting cleric whose arrival upsets the apparent tranquillity of their lives. Does Amy fall in love with him or does he take advantage of her? The whole community is thrown into complete disarray by the very beliefs and faith that have held them together.
Stylistically, the company created a piece that derives its strengths from almost exclusively female portrayals and performances. The audience learned about the men in the community through the eyes of the women. Musically and choreographically it draws on a rich legacy of existing folk songs and dances that derive from the era.
Over the Edge - devised by the company
Over the Edge was a theatrical and musical exploration of what we find terrifying. Most of us harbour some fear or phobia. Most of us have been scared by something or someone, or have terrified someone else. Some fears are rational, and some are irrational. This project deliberately set out on a safe and supervised journey into the unknown, encouraging participants to explore the nature of terror, to go beyond the known and familiar--to go ‘over the edge’.
It sounds intense, and it was! But it was also great fun. The aim was to form a strong ensemble to create the right atmosphere of trust to enable intensive exploration of oneself and others. Together we generated ideas and contributions which were included in a 'work in progress' presentation in October.
Quantum 2 - directed by Ed Woodall
Our week in Birmingham was an investigation into music theatre. The group went back to basics, rediscovering the impulses behind the form. Starting with improvisations based on observable things; from the flight of a deflating balloon, the impact that a joke has or even to the story of how we got to Quantum, we devised scenes of comedy and drama and through the stylisation of music we explored how our theatre is enhanced by song, movement and choreography.
Quantum 3 - directed by Jaki McCarrick
Working around a prepared libretto, the team that brought 'Fridge', a hilarious and zany musical piece, to the parting shots of the National Student Drama Festival in April, workshop and stage their brand new work. Belfast participants will be involved in the theatre making process from start to finish. There will be skills enhancement in song writing, lyric writing, musical theatre performance, choreography and movement, and in drama (Stanislavski based, scene-work and improvisation). It promises to be a rigorous, exciting week.
2005
Goblin Market - adapted by Kath Burlinson from the poem by Christina Rosetti composed by Conor Mitchell
The Edinburgh Festival run of Goblin Market finished on 28th August 2005 after a 21 performance run lasting over a month. The production received many 4 and 5 star reviews and was seen by over 2,500 people.
Opera, fairytale, musical theatre combine in this spectacular production originally produced at the Lyric Theatre Belfast. Goblin Market is an 75 minute chamber opera charting the story of two sisters who are ‘tempted’ by goblin merchant men. The poem has been controversial since it was first written in 1862 but this production has been hailed by press and public alike as a huge success, the production setting new standards of excellence in youth theatre. The young cast members are drawn largely from Northern Ireland as well as from mainland Britain.
The Imagineers - directed by Andrew Panton
The Imagineers are all around us from when we are very young. Normally unseen, they facilitate our flights of fancy, our daydreams and our best ideas when we are asleep. They look after us when we’re scared and help to take us to less dangerous places in our sub-conscious in times of stress or unhappiness.
We may tend to use the Imagineers less and less as we get older, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there, just that we think we don’t have as much need for them. Of course, because we are totally unaware of the Imagineers, we take them for granted. We presume that we have the ability to escape our boring lives from time to time……until one day……they’re not there any more. Then it becomes clear just how much we need them…….Ewan is unhappy. OK, he’s always understood that when humans grow up, they get so absorbed in their ‘oh-so-important’ lives that they forget to use their imagination. They think they don’t need people like him anymore. But Ewan can’t understand why Una and all her friends at school seem to have stopped imagining - they’ve stopped dreaming. They’re too busy on their playstations or texting to need the Imagiuneers.
Ewan decides to do something about it. He gathers all the Imnagineers together to make a decision. Are they going to let this happen? The answer is no. And that’s the day the Imagineers decide to go on strike……….
Missing Melanie - a devised work
Previously known as Over the Edge, Missing Melanie was a further development of a full length book musical with a strong rock/pop score that reflects young people's experiences; a dynamic piece that, unlike many other 'teen' musicals, does not sacrifice emotional depth or musical complexity for easy entertainment value. The narrative follows the disappearance of an 18-year-old girl, Melanie. Set over a period of 3 days, the musical charts the effect of Mel's disappearance on her school community and explores how the relationships between various friends, siblings and peer groups are affected and transformed. Conor Mitchell, composer, received the Arts Foundations 2004 Award for Musical Composition as a result of his composition of the chamber opera Goblin Market and will team up again with director Kath Burlinson to remount Missing Melanie for a work in progress at the Edinburgh Festival during British Council week.
Monte Cristo - adapted by Leon Parris and Jon Smith from the novel Alexandre Dumas
Monte Cristo is an adaptation of the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Jon Smith and Leon Parris have succeeded in adapting the 875-page epic into a jaw-dropping-fast-paced-roller-coaster-ride full of excitement, revenge and intrigue. Compressed into a two-hour show, this thought-provoking musical brings to life 19th Century France through the trials and tribulations of Edmond Dantes; a sailor wrongfully accused of a crime he didn't commit. Escaping solitary confinement, Dantes explores and redefines the art of revenge in its most tantalising and dangerous forms. The project will aim to workshop the production for a ten-day period and to explore the text in relation to the novel. Leon Parris won The Vivian Ellis Award for Best Musical; Jon Smith writes fiction for both adults and children, and non-fiction books. Director Stephen Jameson is a regular director at LAMDA and is developing this piece for a showing at Warwick School and Birmingham Hippodrome Patrick Centre.
The Open Door - a devised project
A door opens. A voice is heard. A song is sung. One story unfolds. Then another. Each one an invitation to adventure, love, terror or wonder. Some are old, others new. All brought to life using songs and the simplest of props - pieces of wood, sheets, anything and everything - to create rich, powerful theatre. The OPEN DOOR project was a playful yet challenging, devised project using improvisation, games, puppetry, choral and rhythm work to release creative expression, play and spontaneity. This was focused to create strong characters and atmospheres on a stage rich in honest emotion and comedy. Gerry Flanagan is an actor, director and teacher. He has lived and worked in Italy for two years where he performed as IL CALVONE. Gerry was well known for his work with Commotion Theatre Company, which developed a reputation for its highly inventive, clown theatre. He has performed with Theatre de Complicité, David Glass Ensemble and Clown Selvaggio. For the last ten years he has taught Clown and related subjects at the City Literary Institute, the Circus Space in London and many universities and schools.
Please Look at Me Now - a devised project
A piece of music theatre about the need for attention, the love of conflict, the pleasure of watching and the fun of pretending to be 'truthful'.
A 'JUNK OPERA' that looks with warmth and humour at the loneliness of spectator culture and the seductive power of reality TV and the new celebrity. A sort of 'Big Brother - The Musical'! The production will be developed in Scotland and draw largely on Scottish young people. Peta Lily has an international reputation for her physical theatre work, especially with David Glass. Composer Jimmy Jewell has worked extensively in music theatre (currently composing NHS-The Musical for Plymouth Theatre Royal) as well as popular music, touring with Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, Billy Preston and Kele Le Roc. Andy Howitt is the Artistic Director of Scotland's Youth dance agency, YDance. The piece will be shown as a work in progress at the Edinburgh Festival.
Red Hunter - a devised project
Exploring the world of Joe McCarthy, the beat generation, music after Miles Davis and John Coltrane, the storylines weave around a lone dancer attracted to a black trumpet player, the relationship between a staff member of the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) and a demobbed GI, blackmail and a drugs raid. Developed in a ten-day workshop in Newcastle in 2004, the project will undertake a further 2-week development period in Manchester at Chetham's School of Music. Composer Tim Sutton and director Vernon Mound have previously collaborated on jazz projects The Late Sleepers and Such Sweet Thunder. Clare Russ is the Artistic Director of the Clare Russ Ensemble and writer Jane Bodie teaches on the Royal Court Young Writer's Scheme and has a new play opening at Hampstead Theatre in May 2005.
The Stones are Hatching - adapted by Toby Davies, Jennifer Toksgiv and Alexander Rudd from the novel by Geraldine McCaughrean
"Phelim was the only one, they said, the only one who could save the world from the Hatchlings of the Stoor Worm. The Stoor Worm, who had been asleep for aeons, was beginning to waken. The dreadful sounds of war had roused it, and now its Hatchlings were abroad, terrorizing the people who had forgotten all about them, forgotten all the ancient magics. As Phelim leaves his home and sets out on his quest, the words ring in his ears: 'You are the one. To stop the Worm waking. To do what must be done.'" This project aims to start development of a new musical adaptation of this extraordinary book, using puppetry as well as conventional musical theatre. Toby Davies has worked on a number of YMT: UK projects (most recently the Studio Tunbridge Wells) as well as for numerous other youth theatre groups, Jenifer Toksvig is a writer and graduate of the Tisch School of Musical Theatre in New York and Alexander Rudd was winner of the 1997 National Young Composer of the Year award. Geraldine McCaughrean is a multiple-award-winning author of fiction for children.
2006
Frankenstein - adapted by Nick Stimson from the novel by Mary Shelley
"When I placed my head upon my pillow, I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think. . . . I saw - with shut eyes, but acute mental vision - I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous Creator of the world."
Mary Shelley, from her introduction to the third edition of Frankenstein
Frankenstein’s monster is the greatest creation of all horror stories. Written by the 18-year old Mary in 1816 it tells the tale of Victor Frankenstein, a young student, who creates a living monster with no name, who wreaks terrible vengeance on his creator when rejected by a cruel world. Vivid, dramatic, terrifying and very moving, this new adaptation will explore the dark heart of horror.
Missing Melanie - written by Kath Burlinson composed by Conor Mitchell
At a large inner city comprehensive, Melanie goes missing at the beginning of her first term in the sixth form. The resulting impact on her friends, classmates and sisters is dramatic, scary and funny in turns.
Missing Melanie was originally developed from an improvised project in Belfast in summer 2004 and was later shown at the Belfast Festival in October 2004 under the title Over the Edge. A one act version of Missing Melanie was then created by the Goblin Market company during rehearsals at the Edinburgh Festival in 2005 and performed for 2 performnances at the George Square Theatre. For full details of that production and Edinburgh reviews see the Missing Melanie 2005 page in the Archive.
The script and score were further rewritten during 2006 turning Missing Melanie into full length 2 hour show with interval.
This production performed at the Greenwood Theatre in London featured a new cast and was filmed for future DVD production and performance. The show has now been asked to perform at the House of Commons in February 2007 as part of an all party evening to raise awareness of missing and runaway children.
No Stone Unturned - book and lyrics by Dave Hudson composed by Denise Wright
The story of Jacob’s Pillow is a legend that extends back to biblical times. The stone is reputed to have originated in the desert with Jacob himself, travelled o Jerusalem, from there to Spain and eventually Ireland at the legendary Tara where kings who were crowned upon it were said to be assured of longer lives.
From Tara it was borrowed (or taken) around the year 600 AD to Scotland where it soon found a place of honour in Scone – and, once there, Scottish Kings were crowned upon it. In 1296, Edward the First conquered Scotland – and his greatest prize was the Stone of Scone – Jacob’s Pillow! A coronation throne was constructed to accommodate the stone (the British Monarch wouldn’t deign to actually sit on a rock itself). Jacob’s Pillow stayed in England for the next six hundred and fifty-plus years.
So – why is this history important? It is important to know the background of this 340 pound stone because it all the more remarkable that four teenage students from Scotland were able to walk into Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day in 1950 and return the stone to Scotland.
The Stone was discovered, nearly four months later, draped in a Scottish Flag on the altar at Arbroath Abbey (the sight of the signing of a Scot declaration of Independence in 1320). The four culprits (or Scots might say, Patriots) were discovered, but never prosecuted. They were set free for political reasons, the government at the time not wanting to glorify their cause any more. The stone was returned – on loan – to Scotland in 1996 and currently resides in Edinburgh Castle with the understanding that it will be available for the next coronation, be it Prince Charles or William.
Persona - devised by the company
Persona—a 10-day workshop in which we will create a new dance/music/theatre piece which may be performed outside if the weather permits!
This workshop will develop participants’ spontaneity and self-expression through dance, music and theatre. We all have a ‘persona’ – a social face which we present to the world, but which may not be who we truly feel we are. By encouraging participants to explore themselves honestly and openly, we may uncover a more authentic self and a more unique and expressive performer who feels free and confident. Finding the form for each person’s unique creativity is the purpose of the workshop. Be prepared to take a risk and go out on a limb - that’s where the fruit is!
The Girl in the Ashes - directed by Gerry Flanagan
The Girl in the Ashes will create a new piece of music theatre based on Cinderella themes created in a modern setting and using the skills and techniques of clowning, comedia del arte and puppetry. Some of the material will be drawn from the 2005 production of The Open Door.
The Last Tango - composed by Milos Matic
The changing world of middle Europe at the turn of the century ... a world of the dispossessed, of outsiders, of gypsies of artists and students, a changing political and social world. A group of young performers, existing on the edge of the world, create a phantasmagoria of changing traditions and experiences - perhaps a Last Balkan Tango!
This production will offer a rare chance for young people to work with Serbian composer Milos Matic who will be coming to work with the company.
Working with Milos will be theatre designer and puppeteer Nick Barnes. With his puppet company Blind Summit Nick has created some spectacular images and he will be helping young people to create and animate their own characters as well as looking at design concepts for the production.
There will be much research to do and the creative team and the young people will be working together to create a fabulous new show; Milos Matic's knowledge of the region and history will also be very important.
2007
Oh! Carol - devised and written by Syd Ralph and Mark Dougherty with songs by Neil Sedaka
'Oh! Carol' features the songs and music of Neil Sedaka whose first great hit was in 1959 and is still a prolific writer today.
Inspired by the huge repertoire of Sedaka's songs, our production follows the rehearsal period and tour of the new stage show, 'Oh! Carol'.
With Sedaka’s great songs, including 'Calendar Girl', 'Breaking Up Is Hard to Do', 'Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen' and 'Oh! Carol', high powered dance routines and feisty dialogue the show traces the emotional journeys of the director, cast and crew as they work together over a four month period.
Devised and written by director Syd Ralph and musical director Mark Dougherty, with choreography by award winning Debbie Maguire, this will be a high energy, rock 'n' roll show!
The preparations for the stage show take place in the present, while the action on stage is set in the 1960s. Two shows, two different styles, two sets of characters! A real challenge for the whole company.
Frankenstein - adapted by Nick Stimson from the novel by Mary Shelley composed by Jimmy Jewell
FRANKENSTEIN is the most famous of all horror stories. For two hundred years this classic tale has fascinated and intrigued readers.
FRANKENSTEIN is a full-length gothic horror musical, loosely adapted from the famous novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. The musical, set in the early part of the 19th century, reflects the high passions, ideals and fevered imagination of that glorious romantic age.
The musical tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young, brilliant and driven scientist, who is obsessed with the desire to create human life out of dead matter - to bring the perfect human being into a world that is corrupt and far from perfect. Frankenstein assembles a Creature from body parts and brings the Creature alive. But the Creature is more than a collection of body parts and demands that his creator shows him love. Unable to do so, Frankenstein rejects the Creature and so begins a terrible story of betrayal and revenge.
One by one the creature murders all those who are closest to Frankenstein. When confronted he begs his creator to make him a mate, a female counterpart who will understand him and give him the love he so desperately seeks, promising that if he does this thing the Creature will leave him alone forever. When Frankenstein destroys the female he has made then the Creature seeks the ultimate retribution and murders Elizabeth, Victor's bride, on their wedding night. The last scene of the musical sees Frankenstein pursuing the Creature across the frozen icy wastes of the Arctic towards a final encounter and a shattering moment of truth.
Last summer YMT: UK presented the first act of FRANKENSTEIN - this year will see the premiere of the full version of this new musical. Murder, horror, loss of innocence and an unstoppable voyage into the darkest recesses of the human soul overwhelm all those involved. Experience the final desperate journey of Victor Frankenstein as he attempts to hunt down his nemesis in the frozen wastes of the far north.
FRANKENSTEIN is a true ensemble musical and will demand a great deal from each member of the company. There is a large cast of strange and wonderful characters. It requires big characterisation, strong singing and dancing.
Great Expectations - adapted by Gerry Flanagan from the novel by Charles Dickens composed by Annemarie Lewis-Thomas
This is GREAT EXPECTATIONS as you have never seen it before. One of Charles Dickens' most famous tales, retold with imagination and humour.
"We will create a show that is invigorating, comic and heart-breaking with an original blend of song, clowning and physical theatre in which members of the audience collaborate in the creation of Pip’s world. Together we will meet the eccentric Miss Haversham, have our hearts broken by the beautiful Estella, and speculate over the identity of our mysterious benefactor.
This production will play with Dickens’ ingredients yet remain faithful to the language, characterisation and emotion of the original work. The audience’s imagination will be awakened by the inventive use of simple props and costume. Dickens’ fantastic caricatures provide great platforms for comedy and satire. There will be irreverence but no parody, comedy but not pantomime. The result will be potent musical theatre."
Rare Dreams - devised by the company
"Our intention is to create a visually stunning, emotionally stirring and profoundly imaginative and uplifting piece of theatre that works to the highest artistic standards.
What we do best as a creative team is to create authentic, passionate theatre. We all have years of experience in improvisation and devising and finding form for people’s creativity. We are artists who like to experiment, so we are looking for young artists who are open and eager and willing to challenge themselves in new areas of performance. We guarantee you will find yourself doing things you could never have imagined…or dreamed.
Lots of ideas for ‘Rare Dreams’ are flying around between us and Sonum is already working on some music and songs. In this project you can expect to be amazingly stretched as a singer, actor, dancer, musician, writer or poet. And the way we work creates an atmosphere of trust and safety as well as fun and joy. It’s an incredible adventure for us all and we are looking forward to it already."
Force 9½ - devised by the company
"Force 9½ is a brand new piece of musical theatre about a boy whose life, to his growing horror, is turning into a musical!! This is a show which seeks to come to terms with the gap between our everyday world and the land where people sing and dance until the cows come home!!"
Grace Online - composed by Garth McConaghie
MySpace, Bebo, Youtube, how can we now survive without them? Is this the only way to express ourselves, to define who we really are? Are we succeeding?
Grace Online is the development of a new work: a postmodern operetta which blurs the lines between modernism and kitsch. It looks at how we strive for authentic individuality in a culture where we are apparently all communicating in the same way, all with the same set of rules: we are all the same!
Pushing the boundaries of modern performance and using multi-media environments, Grace Online will challenge your perspective on music, performance and interaction. We will therefore be looking at online identities, the manner of modern human communication, and the quest for true individuality.
Mort - adapted by Jennifer Toksgiv from the novel by Terry Pratchett with music by Dominic Haslam
Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job. After being assured that being dead was not compulsory, Mort accepted. However, he soon found that romantic longings did not mix easily with the responsibilities of being Death’s apprentice.
As 'Mort' starts, the titular teenager, whose picture is in the dictionary next to both "gangly" and "geek", has been dragged to the local job fair by his father to be shipped off as someone else's assistant. Mort and his father wait until the final stoke of midnight, when a tall and very thin gentlement -just bones, no skin- shows up with the offer of a lifetime: an opportunity to be Death's apprentice. Mort gets the job, but the opportunities for love are more interesting than the chances to deal death...
Terry Prachett's worldwide popularity as a fantasy and science fiction writer was recognised in 1998 when he received the OBE for services to literature. He has sold more than 50 million books to date, publishing his first work at the age of 15. His novels have since been adapted for TV, film, stage, comics, computer games and radio plays.
YMT: UK are proud to be developing Part 1 of Terry Prachett's novel Mort and look forward to working on Part 2 in 2008.
The Time of Our Freedom - composed by Conor Mitchell book and lyrics by Matthew Hurt
"The vanity and pride of their leader costs a nation dearly – they pay the price with the lives of countless young men."
Taking one of the bloodiest stories from the Old Testament, composer Conor Mitchell and playwright Matthew Hurt will be re-imagining it in a contemporary light and examining its relevance to today. Why should young people suffer because of where they’re born? Or because of the family they’re born into? Is the mass slaughter of innocents ever justified? Through a groundbreaking mix of physical theatre, dance, orchestral music, song and the spoken word, this provocative story will be told in an excitingly theatrical style."
Conor Mitchell is a native of Northern Ireland, born in Lurgan and living in both London and Belfast. He won the Arts Foundation Award 2004 for his work in music theatre including Goblin Market recently performed at the Edinburgh Festival for YMT: UK and Have a Nice Life at the New York Theatre Festival.
2008
Mort - adapted by Jennifer Toksgiv from the novel by Terry Pratchett with music by Dominic Haslam
Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job…
Meet Mortimer. An awkward, unemployable young man. Soon, however, he gets an offer he can’t refuse – free room, free board, and all for a business that will never be short of customers.
He doesn’t even need to be dead to take the position.
Being Death’s apprentice, however, comes with great responsibilities. Death is a difficult boss to work for and, understandably, Mort begins to make mistakes. Coupled with the fact he’s fallen in love with a Princess who should be dead, will Mort regret his unique career choice?
Wildly witty and inventive, this new musical adaptation based on Terry Pratchett’s classic Discworld novel has been developed for the last two years, and is a ‘dead funny’ treat for all ages.
Endangered - directed by Peta Lily
International artists Peta Lily and Jonathan Cooper join YMT: UK to create a new piece of work on the lives of Engangered species.
Jonathan has worked extensively for the David Glass Ensemble both in Europe and South East Asia while Peta works across Europe and Asia as a director, clown and facilitator.
This looks set to be an extraordinary and unusual new show!
Peter Pan - adapted by Nick Stimson from the novel by J.M. Barrie
A new production in development by award-winning team who co-wrote both Frankenstein and Queen of the Underground for YMT: UK.
This new musical version will return the story of Peter Pan to its powerful and magical roots and re-invent it for the 21st century - not a pantomime or bedtime story but an unforgettable adventure that takes us from the ordinary to the extraordinary. A story of fear and enchantment discovering a place that time has forgotten.
Missing Mel - book by Kath Burlinson music and lyrics by Conor Mitchell
New term. Day 1. Mel's missing.
This extraordinary new show charts the impact on a group of teenagers returning to school to find that the unexpected has happened.
Mel's gone. What happened? Where is she? All will be revealed in this altogether different high school musical, by the award-winning Youth Music Theatre: UK.
Dead Heat - written by Steven Keyworth composed by Alexander Bermange
Hot is the celebrity magazine – the only publication to read if you want to know who dated who, and who drank, wore or stole what.
The journalists at Hot are the best in their glittering field. No-one gets a reality TV star like Hot. No-one else nails that relationship break-up before it happens. The Hot office is a wise-cracking, deal-making, scandal factory and the reporters who work there truly do hold the keys to the fairytale castle.
Orson however, wants out. She’s always dreamed of writing that big life-changing news story about murder and corruption - but instead finds her talents wasted writing gossip for women to read in hairdressers. When Orson’s assignments reach a new low – trailing reality TV contestants to the opening of an envelope – she resolves to go out in a blaze of glory and to take Hot magazine’s reputation with her. She joins up with a mysterious young party-crasher and together they create Jayne, the ultimate model-slash-actress-slash-what-does-she-do-again? Soon Jayne is front page news and all the fans want to be her. But then things turn ugly and out of control. Now that Orson and Jayne have found fame will they be able give it up? And what lengths will journalists go to in the deadly serious world of trivial magazines?
Dead Heat is a fast-paced musical comedy thriller, packed with love, revenge, jealousy and murder. Stephen Keyworth has written for EastEnders, Radio 4 and the Royal Exchange Theatre, and worked for some years as a stand-up comedian. Composer Alexander Bermange’s has written for twelve musicals in the UK, Europe and US, and he’s comedy song-writer in residence for Radio 4’s Broadcasting house.
Great Expectations - written by Gerry Flanagan with lyrics and composed by Annemarie Lewis-Thomas based on the novel by Charles Dickens
This is Great Expectations as you have never seen it before.
A show that is invigorating, comic and heart-breaking with an original blend of song, clowning and physical storytelling theatre in which members of the audience become collaborators in the creation of Pip’s world.
The Chosen Room - directed by Syd Ralph written by Marie Jones and Mark Dougherty
Marie Jones (Stones in His Pockets, A Night in November) joins Riverdance Musical Director Mark Dougherty to create this unique new show, set on the high seas of cyberspace...
You have just logged on to the world's biggest stage Where you can play whoever you want Or be yourself Do you know who is real and who is not? Does anyone?
In The Chosen Room only ten people will be invited to enter. Do you have what it takes to be ‘chosen’? One click and you can be selected One click and you can be deleted...
The Silver Bough - directed by Kath Burlinson written by Iain Finlay MacLeod based on the books by F. Marian McNeill
A silver branch of the mystic apple tree, laden with fruit, is your passport to the Otherworld....
Based on the books by F Marian McNeil, Scottish composer Gerard McBurney, Creative Director of Chicago Symphony Orchestra and composer for Théâtre de Complicité, creates a work celebrating and exploring Scotland's long association with pagan festivals and creatures.
From banshees to kelpies, changelings to witches, the Horned God to the Cailleach, the one-eyed genius of winter, this fascinating and innovative production begins its development with Youth Music Theatre: UK featuring 40 of the finest young actors and musicians from across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Fabulous physical ensemble work, fantastical characters, and a cycle of extraordinary songs will transport the audience into a world of moon magic, spells and rites, rituals and Otherworlds that promise to be irresistibly enchanting....
2009
Loserville: The Musical - by James Bourne and Elliot Davis
Michael Dork is 17. They call him nerd, geek, slacker. Socially marginalised by the entire school and constantly picked on by Eddie, the coolest boy in school, Michael is desperate to find his ticket outta Loserville. But when stunning new girl Holly arrives, Michael is introduced to a whole new world of cool.
This bold and brilliant new rock musical - performed by 35 of the UK’s most talented young performers and created by James Bourne and Elliot Davis - is a colourful and catchy ride through the life of the underdog. An original anti-hero tale, Loserville: the Musical is a story for those who feel they never quite fit in!
As part of the bands Busted and Son of Dork, James Bourne has had eighteen consecutive Top 3 singles, and has written for many other artists including McFly and Boyzone. His albums have sold over six million copies.
Presented in association with South Hill Park Arts Centre.
A Winter's Tale - music and lyrics by Howard Goodall book by Nick Stimson based on the play by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's classic with a modern twist...
Shakespeare’s classic tale of jealousy, loss, love and reconciliation is given a magical reworking by YMT this summer. Set in the contrasting locations of the stark northern climate of an old-style Soviet state and the relaxed warmth of the Mediterranean, comedy and tragedy walk hand in hand towards the most extraordinary and unexpected of conclusions. With music by award-winning composer and broadcaster Howard Goodall and directed by Nick Stimson, Associate Director at the Theatre Royal Plymouth.
Howard Goodall is one of Britain’s most distinguished and versatile composers. He’s the man behind the music for some of the best known TV theme tunes (The Vicar of Dibley, Blackadder and Red Dwarf to name but a few) as well as musicals such as The Hired Man and Two Cities. He is England’s first ever National Ambassador for Singing and Classic FM's Composer-in-Residence for 2009.
The Chosen Room - directed by Syd Ralph written by Marie Jones and Mark Dougherty
Will you be Chosen?
In a world filled with facebook, myspace, bebo and twitter we’re all wondering the same thing – just who is Vicki Green?
Set in a futuristic social networking fantasy world, the mysterious Vicki selects the ten most eccentric companions for her Chosen Room. But who is the tall dark handsome stranger walking through her virtual door? This summer, perhaps YMT will let us in on the secret…
Writer Marie Jones is best known for her huge West End hit Stones in His Pockets and for her recent successes A Night in November and Women on the Verge of HRT. Composer and Musical Director Mark Dougherty was the musical director on the international hit dance musical Riverdance and is currently touring America with the hugely successful Celtic Thunder with two hit singles simultaneously in the American charts.
Developed in 2008, The Chosen Room returns in 2009 to further explore the high seas of Cyberspace...
Peter Pan - adapted by Nick Stimson from the novel by J.M. Barrie
An awfully big adventure...
A story of fear and enchantment, discovering a place that time has forgotten…
YMT bring their exhilarating musical version of Peter Pan - first developed in 2008 in Plymouth - to Aberdeen, returning this classic story to its powerful and magical roots and re-inventing it for the 21st century. Not a pantomime or bedtime story, but an unforgettable adventure that takes us from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Nick Stimson is a regular Director with YMT and has written and directed extensively for the Plymouth Theatre Royal, The Northcott Exeter and for numerous youth theatres around the country. Jimmy Jewell has worked in fifteen countries as a composer, arranger, orchestrator and conductor; he has appeared at the Radio City Music Hall, the Albert Hall and the Sydney Superdrome amongst many other venues.
The performance will be presented at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, a celebration of youthful creativity and innovation. The Festival attracts an astonishing array of talent from across the world and offers young people an unmissable chance to experience a range of high quality and diverse performances.
According to Brian Haw... - directed by Eddie Latter
A permanent protest and the man behind the headlines...
This brand new musical delves into a world of politics and protests, looking beyond the headlines to discover the impact of war on young people across the Globe.
For over seven years, Brian Haw has remained a permanent thorn in the side of the British Government, camped out in Parliament Square opposite the House of Commons, protesting against war and foreign policy. Despite the government’s best efforts, Brian has kept his 24-hour vigil and is still there to this day…
This thought-provoking production is directed by Eddie Latter, Associate Director of the highly successful Oldham Theatre Workshop, renowned for producing some of the finest young acting talent.
Fool's Gold - directed by Gerry Flanagan
All that glisters is not gold...
YMT brings an enchanting show fueled by envy, jealousy, love, hunger, passion and greed to the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth. With its boisterous and exciting Commedia dell'Arte style, Fool's Gold tells the tale of a father trying to marry off his wayward daughter, an inventor attempting to become an alchemist and a bitter servant plotting revenge.
Directed by Gerry Flanagan, an experience practitioners in clowning, who has worked with Theatre de Complicite and the David Glass ensemble, and composed by Annemarie Lewis Thomas, Principle of the Music Theatre Academy in London, this frenzied and fun-filled show promises to be one not to miss.
The Watchers - directed by Claire Penton
Whitby, August 2009. A hot sultry night and the town is uneasy – people are going missing night after night. In the heat of summer madness, there is a sense of unease underlying the seeming jollity of the holiday makers eating their fish and chips on the pier, and young lovers fighting over sticks of candy floss. But tonight The Watchers have appeared earlier this evening than usual, and there is the smell of trouble in the air.
A young girl, Dawn, returns to Whitby with her mother for a holiday but Whitby is no longer the carefree seaside resort of her childhood memories. The Watchers impose a midnight curfew, and the town is jittery. In the heat and madness of this hot summer night, Dawn falls immediately for Jude, who she meets on the cliffs and a romance of sorts is born out of shared grief – Jude’s sister is also one of the missing persons.
Join Dawn as she has a dramatic and life changing 24 hours when she clashes with the Watchers, falls in love for the first time, discovers who she really is after a close encounter with a 250 year old vampire and uncovers the dark secret of the missing people. It’s the holiday romance from hell. A 24 hour whirlwind you wouldn’t want to be trapped in. Or would you?
Eight - devised by Kath Burlinson
A lot can happen in eight years...
This summer YMT is embarking on an innovative and exciting project in rural Cumbria. 36 unique performers aged 16-20 will be asking the question:
Where will I be in the future?
Using creative, expressive performance the all-female cast will question their lives, the world they inhabit now and forecast their futures…and in eight years time they will return to see just how accurate their predictions were. An ambitious and thought-provoking artistic experiment which begins in 2009... and ends in 2017!
Before Rent, composer/lyricist/librettist Jonathan Larson had composed another musical called Superbia, a rock monologue tick, tick ... BOOM!, and a variety of songs for children including songs for "Sesame Street." Nothing, however, would compare to the success of his final musical composition.
Based on Puccini's La Bohème, Rent is the story of love and loyalty among starving artists in New York's East Village. In Puccini's version, his Parisian bohemians are afflicted with tuberculosis--the entire opera takes place under the spectre of this ghastly illness. For Larson, the modern equivalent was clearly AIDS, a disease which had struck down several of his closest friends. But Larson refused to let his story be overcome by the hopelessness and despair often associated with the disease. There is a wonderful moment in which Roger, a struggling rock musician, and Mimi, a heroin addict and S&M dancer, are having a lover's quarrel when their beepers go off and each takes out a bottle of pills. It's the signal for an "AZT break," and suddenly they realize that they're both HIV-positive. What's next? You guessed it--a love duet!
Rent opened at the Nederlander Theatre on the 100th anniversary of the original La Bohème. Unfortunately, Jonathan Larson died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm the night of the show's final preview. But his creation would go on to become one of the biggest Broadway success stories of the decade. It would sweep all the major theatre awards of 1996 including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Obie Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, four Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards, and in the process, it would single-handedly reinvigorate Broadway with a much needed shot in the arm.
Event times for "Rent"October 2009
| Event | Date | Location | Tickets |
| Rent | Wed 21 Oct | 01383 740384 £tbc | |
| Rent | Thu 22 Oct | 01383 740384 £tbc | |
| Rent | Fri 23 Oct | 01383 740384 £tbc |
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