National Youth Theatre to Launch New Projects for 70th Anniversary with Netflix and StudioCanal
Chris Bush, Miriam Battye, and Netflix back NYT's STORYFEST and LETTERS TO MY YOUNGER FUTURE SELF.
National Youth Theatre (NYT), the world's first youth theatre, will continue its 70th anniversary celebrations in 2026 with a host of new events.
The Big Play is a new year-long creative conversation with thousands of National Youth Theatre members from across the breadth of the UK, leading to a new play written by playwright Chris Bush (Standing at the Sky's Edge). The project is estimated to see more participants contribute to the creation of a new play than ever before in the UK. Young people's creative ideas will be gathered at a series of scratch nights, workshops and masterclasses around the country, continuing NYT's commitment to be a nationwide access point for young people. A short film scripted by Chris Bush, directed by Jack Cooper Stimpson to mark the launch can be viewed here. The Big Play will be staged at a major venue to be announced in summer 2027 and is supported by Arts Council England.
One of the glittering highlights and evenings of celebration to mark the NYT's 70th anniversary will be Letters to My Younger Future Self (20 Sep) at London's Royal Festival Hall supported by Netflix. Stars of stage and screen will return to their NYT roots alongside current generations of young talent to animate letters to their future and younger selves. A dazzling array of creatives representing seven generations of stand-out talent will gather under the creative direction of CEO and Artistic Director Paul Roseby OBE for a truly unique evening of entertainment. Tickets are on sale now at nyt.org.uk/letters
Returning for its third year, NYT's headline new writing festival StoryFest (07 - 25 July) will feature ten new plays with support from STUDIOCANAL and Urban Myth Films. New commissions as part of the festival include Nail Bar by Afsaneh Gray (lead writer & creator) & Kelly Jones (co writer & creator), performed in a previously empty retail unit on the Holloway Road in North London; The Trial by Mohamed-Zain Dada, after Franz Kafka, directed by Ameera Conrad; Mankind Forever by James Fritz, directed by Matt Harrison and Richard Weinman, developed as part of the NYT's Epic Stages summer course with new members in summer 2025 and I Am Asking You To Touch Me by Eleanor Tindall, directed by Sammy J Glover. Alongside the four new commissions, six plays by current NYT members will also receive work-in-progress performances. All tickets are Pay What You Decide and on sale now at www.nyt.org.uk/storyfest
Previous StoryFest commissions include My Brother's a Genius,created by Debris Stevenson, which has just completed a tour co-produced by NYT, Theatre Centre and Sheffield Theatres; F*cking White Boys by Gracie Oddie-James who recently won The London Standard Emerging Talent Theatre Award and Blue Kimera by Omar Khan which will run for 3-weeks at The Omnibus this year. The 2025 festival was sponsored by STUDIOCANAL and Urban Myth Films, whose support enabled over 100 young creatives to have their voices heard.
Succession writer Miriam Battye's Electricity will be performed by the NYT's Playing Up company at the NYT Workshop Theatre (2 - 4 July). The play was first commissioned by the NYT and premiered at the Arcola Theatre back in 2015. With over 700k young people unemployed in a five year high, Playing Up aims to provide a route back into work and training for young people. Playing Up is part of a series of free accredited programmes offered by the charity, which also includes a free Script School launched in 2025 and Stepping Up, a free performance and creative leadership short course. All tickets are Pay What You Decide and on sale now at www.nyt.org.uk/electricty
Paul Roseby OBE, National Youth Theatre's CEO and Artistic Director said: “After all the turmoil and Westminster noise, it's time to hear from young voices. We'll be amplifying them around the country as we build a new creative consensus, ending in a big new play by the brilliant Chris Bush. In our 70th year we're asking big questions from ‘who wants to live forever' to ‘is hope dead' and handing the stage to young people to start the story. Part 3 of our 70th celebrations will also see the return of StoryFest, proving that storytelling can be a solution to filling empty spaces on our high streets, and giving a platform to 10 new plays. Thank you to STUDIOCANAL, Urban Myth Films, the Cockayne Foundation and Arts Council for supporting this work, and to the 10,000 young people and audience members who've already taken part this year. Without you there is no story.”
Paul Gilbert, Senior Vice President, English-Language Series at STUDIOCANAL said: “We are incredibly excited to continue our partnership with the National Youth Theatre and StoryFest following such a rewarding first year together. What struck us immediately was the sheer originality, ambition and emotional honesty of the work and the extraordinary calibre of young creative voices emerging through the programme.”
“At STUDIOCANAL, we are passionate about discovering and championing the next generation of bold, distinctive storytellers, and there are few organisations with a track record as inspiring as NYT when it comes to nurturing world-class talent. As we continue to build stories for future audiences, this partnership gives us a meaningful connection to the voices, perspectives and ideas shaping the future of scripted storytelling.”
“We see StoryFest not only as an important cultural initiative, but as a vital creative space where new talent can take risks, find confidence and develop work that feels urgent, contemporary and globally resonant. We're proud to deepen our support and excited about what we can build together in the years ahead.”
These announcements follow on from a busy start to the charity's 70th anniversary celebrations with highlights including the critically acclaimed Let the Right One In currently playing at Underbelly Boulevard Soho, new musical Handel and Hendrix, the NYT REP Company's Dracula and a national touring co-production of My Brother's a Genius with Sheffield Theatres and Theatre Centre.
Headline programmes alongside these productions include IGNITE, Assemble and Storytellers Start Here. IGNITE Your Creativity in partnership with Netflix has been taking place across Glasgow, North Somerset and Coventry with a mission to inspire the next generation of behind-the-scenes professionals on stage and screen. ASSEMBLE is a three-year project to create systemic change in the recruitment of young disabled creative talent in partnership with Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff; Exeter Northcott Theatre; Lowry, Salford; Mayflower, Southampton; National Youth Theatre; and Sheffield Theatres. Storytellers Start Here brings the NYT archive to life for a new generation and celebrating 70 years of storytelling with young talent on stage, and auditions have taken place in over 100 locations around the UK.
Videos
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L.A Guns at O2 Academy Islington - London O2 Academy Islington (10/30-10/30) |
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Count Arthur Strong - And Its Goodnight From Me! Floral Pavilion Theatre (5/21-5/21) |
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Burn the Floor: Supernova De Montfort Hall (7/04-7/04) |
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The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain at Union Chapel - London Union Chapel (6/20-6/20) |
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Count Arthur Strong - And Its Goodnight From Me! Northumbria Students Union (5/06-5/06) |
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As You Like It Libra Theatre Cafe (6/27-6/28) |
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Purcell, The Musical OSO The Theatre on Barnes Pond (5/19-5/22) |
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Dead Guilty Tabard Theatre (6/10-6/27) |
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Trainspotting the Musical Southend Cliffs Pavilion (2/01-2/06) |
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The Scarlet Pimpernel - Torquay Royal Lyceum Theatre - period drama Torquay Royal Lyceum Theatre (7/18-7/18) |
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