Born to perform

Edan Glennie, a 19-year-old student at the MGA Academy of Performing Arts in Edinburgh, loves British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT) so much that he has created and performed with the performing arts charity four times. His first time was in 2012 – BYMT was still called Youth Music Theatre UK at this time – when he starred in a production called Nikki and the Gang. Most recently, he was cast as professional boxer Lukey in Nick Stimson's Fight Like a Girl, in the summer of 2019.

‘When I was cast, I was surprised – and a little intimidated,’ Glennie says, ‘Lukey is a junior weight boxer and I had no experience or training in boxing.’ What he tells me next confirms what I was already getting a sense of from Glennie and the other BYMT performers I spoke to: that the programmes are intensive and require commitment. ‘A month before the rehearsals began, I did bodybuilding three times a week – and it's safe to say I looked convincing.’

The magic of theatre

Founded in 2003, BYMT's principal aim is to create the next generation of musical theatre professionals. It puts people aged 11 to 21 in the same room as leading industry professionals, training them in singing, acting, dancing and music – as well as stage technicians – to produce a new work. By 2019, BYMT had produced 127 productions of 101 new musicals, including Loserville which transferred to the West End in 2012 and was nominated for the Olivier Award for best new musical. Notable alumni include Ed Sheeran, Charlotte Ritchie and Sam Smith – and befitting of a programme that churns out high quality talent, the training is rigorous and realistically imitates life for a working performer.

Leeds-based Emeli Mumford, 18, has performed with BYMT three years in a row. ‘I went against the advice of the EBacc and took music, drama and art at GCSE, and then English language, music and drama at A level,’ she says; for her, the arts are a serious facet of her life. She found out about BYMT after her friend participated and loved it – and she describes the experience as amazing but very intensive – ‘like it would be in the industry’.

© LEANNE DIXON

As such, BYMT largely attracts young people who have hopes of long-term performance careers; Glennie wants to be a voice actor, but stresses that any and all skills learned at BYMT are valuable. Mumford concurs: ‘BYMT has shaped me as a person and made me more resilient, confident, professional and experienced in every aspect of musical theatre.’

© GAVIN KING
Emeli Mumford in BYMT's The Dickens Girls 

The charity has trained over 8,000 young people. The week-long summer camps for 11 to 17-year-olds provide creative training in musical theatre from nine in the morning until nine at night, with the week culminating in a final performance that is largely curated by the participants – and an accredited certificate from Trinity College London.

For people aged 17+, the boot camps last six days, and are designed to help drama school hopefuls excel in their budding careers, focusing on acting, singing and movement. Backstage courses are available for those aged 16 to 21, and see participants work as part of a professional team of stage and technical managers, designers and builders to create a production for one of the summer residentials. This year, BYMT will also be running its inaugural Easter camp.

How to get involved

Participating with BYMT costs around £625, but 17-year-old Myla Cole Newell reminds me that the charity is constantly pushing for people from all backgrounds to get involved, ‘through their bursary schemes – like I had – and by reaching out to schools’. Courses are heavily subsidised by Arts Council England funding and other supporters, and the fees cover 24-hour support, accommodation and food – not to mention training.

© LEANNE DIXON
Myla Newell in BYMT's Fight Like A Girl

Auditions for 2020 commence in February, and will be touring the UK and Ireland in search of talented young performers and musicians. No previous experience is necessary, and auditions consist of a three-hour workshop led by West End professionals; they combine singing, dancing and acting, in an inclusive, creative and friendly environment. If it sounds scary, Mumford has advice for hopefuls: ‘Take the leap. Even if you are not sure if you want to do it professionally, or you believe you're stronger in one or two areas more than others – I'm not a born dancer – go for it. I'm so proud of myself for crossing that initial hurdle and it's gained me a lead and a supporting lead role.’

Glennie adds: ‘Acting provides that escape from life, that adrenaline that gets the blood rushing.’ For him, it's about ‘the many other talented actors, directors, composers and choreographers that performers are able to meet and work with’, as well as the unmissable opportunity to create in a pastoral environment. ‘Go for it,’ he says. ‘It's a fun experience. As for the audition process: don't be afraid, never be too hard on yourself, be patient afterwards, and always have fun.’