ST MARY'S YOUTH THEATRE: March 2007

Friday, 9 March 2007

A YEAR AND A DAY

A YEAR AND A DAY
by Christina Reid
SATURDAY MAY 12th
STEPHEN JOSEPH THEATRE, SCARBOROUGH
A traveling Storyteller and a Girl meet in a land devastated by war and famine. The Storyteller remembers and conjures a long-long-ago land of peace and plenty – a beautiful garden inhabited by The Kritters of the land, the trees and the water. And then the humans come to the garden – Two tribes who worship different Gods. The Storyteller’s tale of the corruption and loss of the ancient garden is a love story that becomes a never-ending story of old ghosts who still haunt the earth.

Many thanks to everyone concerned (cast, crew and chaperones) for making the production a great success!

WE WILL ROCK YOU 2007

SCHOOLS WE WILL ROCK YOU
Coming soon to the Carriageworks Theatre.
The amateur production of WE WILL ROCK YOU
NOVEMBER 28th - DECEMBER 1st 2007
7.30pm
The Carriageworks
Millennium Square
LEEDS

Workshops at Green Lane Primary School have now begun. If you are interested in being in the show then get in touch for details- steve.archdale@btinternet.com

LEEDS CIVIC ARTS AWARDS 2005

At the Leeds Civic Arts Awards night held at the carriageworks theatre on Saturday 12th November 2005, SMYT were awarded the Best Visual Production along with the Best Musical Award for their production of Les Miserables. There were also nominations for Gareth Yearsley for his performance of Jean Valjean ( Best Actor ) and Steven Liddell for his performance as Enjolras ( Best Support ). Well done to everyone, Cast and Crew.

WHO ARE WE

St. Mary's Youth Theatre was formed in August 1993 by Steve Archdale who was concerned about the increasing problems of alcohol and drug abuse in the teenage community of Garforth. With so little for the youngsters to do, especially in the field of theatre arts and drama, the idea of creating a youth theatre seemed appropriate.

A cast of 60+ with ages ranging from 8 to 22 auditioned for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, all were successful, no one was turned away. The show was rehearsed and performed in 8 weeks to thunderous acclaim in a church hall converted into a Pharaoh's tomb by a local artist. The following week they returned eager to find out what they were doing next. What began as a one-off production became the start of many shows to come.

A disastrous fire in 1995 wrecked their headquarters, destroying costumes, props and sets. This could easily have been the end of SMYT but as a result they have pulled together and grown stronger gradually replacing their losses. As members of the Leeds Civic Arts Guild they perform at the new, Leeds Carriageworks theatre which is in the Millenium Square, mainly musicals (i.e., Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Fame, Children of Eden, etc.). The National Theatre Connections scheme gives the group the chance to perform new plays written by the very best writers. In 2002 they were fortunate to perform at the Royal National Theatre itself…what an experience! Their latest productions include Little Shop of Horrors, Honk, 17, Feather Boy,The Musicians,We Will Rock You, Rent, Our House, Les Miserables, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, The Passion, Our Cousin Flo, Scrooge, Peter Pan, Whistle Down The Wind and Annie.

SMYT are now based, rehearse and perform at Green Lane Academy and St Mary's Church, Garforth, Leeds and charge a yearly subscription fee of £40.