In with the new

Since its inception in 2003, British Youth Music Theatre has created over 100 new productions, taking one of them to an Olivier Nomination in the West End, and has brought over 8,000 teenagers to the stage. Previously known as Youth Music Theatre UK, it is celebrating its 15th Birthday with a new name, a new head office location and a new website.

From the beginning, British Youth Music Theatre set out to do something different. It would avoid repertoire Musical Theatre and work on productions that would be exclusively British, from current writers. The company would focus on devising and putting young performers right at the heart of the artistic process and this has led to a diverse body of work that mirrors the talents and concerns of the company members. That focus side-steps the traditional problem for youth theatre casting – with 75% of GCSE Drama students identifying as female and only 35% of theatre roles written for women – and BYMT have created productions such as 2017's Wild, with female cast members, a female creative team and any male company members excluded from some rehearsals. They have had strong commercial success as well, with Loserville the Musical Co-Written by BYMT Patron and one-time band member of Busted, James Bourne. It transferred to the Garrick Theatre in the West End in 2012 and garnered an Olivier Award Nomination for Best New Musical.