National Youth Theatre announces summer plans for first NYT Rep Company National Tour
Photo credit: Helen Murray/Graphic Design: October Associates
National Youth Theatre have revealed plans for their REP Company’s first National tour this summer, which will include two new productions of Animal Farm and Othello.
Co-produced by Royal & Derngate, the shows will premiere in Northampton as part of their Made in Northampton season from 17-29 May, with further performances added at the NYT’s new Workshop Theatre from 2-12 June.
Following the success of The Last Harvest last year, the NYT REP will return to the agricultural setting of Soulton Hall in Shropshire with Animal Farm from 16-19 June'; then English Heritage’s medieval fortress Bolsover Castle will host performances of Othello from 23-26 June. This builds on NYT’s wider partnership with English Heritage, which includes 2019 UK Heritage Award-winner Our House and a new play at Portchester Castle this summer exploring the site’s heritage including untold stories of 18th century Caribbean uprisings and Black Prisoners of War.
The REP Season will round off with new play Ordinary Miracle, written and directed by the 2020 NYT REP Bryan Forbes Director Bursary winner Masha Kevinovna, and devised with the NYT REP. It will play from 2-4 July at the NYT Workshop Theatre and is a devised multidisciplinary play with songs exploring the connection between dementia, music and fairy tales.
Othello sees the National Youth Theatre REP Company explore themes of love, jealousy, systemic racism and misogyny through the lens of crime and power. In a gender swapping casting move, the title role will be played by Francesca Amewudah-Rivers who is one of the 12 winners of the Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund in association with TikTok and National Youth Theatre.
Set against the early 90s rave scene, with electrifying music and movement, the retelling of this cautionary tale will be directed by Olivier Award-winning Miranda Cromwell (Death of a Salesman, West End) with Associate Director Mumba Dodwell (2019 NYT REP Bryan Forbes Bursary) and abridged by multi-disciplinary artist and dramatist Dzifa Benson (Creative Producer at The Water Replies for Estuary 2021 Festival.) Othello will feature original music by Ivor Novello award-winning composer Renell Shaw.
George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm has been adapted by award-winning playwright Tatty Hennessy (A Hundred Words for Snow, F*Off) as an allegory for our own times exploring themes of revolution, the price of sovereignty and power with humour and sharp wit.
Directed by Ed Stambollouian (Pinter at the Pinter), this Made in Northampton production, in association with Mike Shepherd (Kneehigh), will star Britain’s best young performing talent from the 2020 National Youth Theatre REP Company.
CEO and Artistic Director of NYT, Paul Roseby OBE, said: “To be opening two world premieres with some of the UK's best creatives both on and off stage on the very same day as theatres can finally open their doors is a thrilling moment for us all. In a post-lockdown world, our national recovery must be led by culture and young people and thanks to Arts Council England and the Culture Recovery Fund we are thrilled to be playing our part. During these challenging dark months, my heartfelt admiration goes to all the freelance creatives whose bold and brilliant approach in reinventing these classic tales has made them so poignant for our time. These shows will be made even more urgent by the new audiences we are reaching in towns, rural communities and in our home borough in Islington as we celebrate the opening of our new and fully accessible Workshop Theatre”.
Tickets go on sale at the Workshop Theatre and Soulton Hall today and tickets at Bolsover Castle and for Ordinary Miracle will go on sale in May here. Digital versions of the production will also be released later in the year.
