Scottish Youth Theatre is Scotland's national youth theatre company for ages 3–25. It was established in 1976 and has provided theatre training to young people. The company has a free-to-participate National Artistic Programme that covers ages 14–25 and provides opportunities to take part in theatre throughout Scotland. The Scottish Youth Theatre has headquarters in the Old Sheriff Court in Glasgow but it works throughout Scotland. It has dedicated theatres, rehearsal spaces and offices for arts organisations.

History

First Minister at Scottish Youth Theatre (6172344846)

The Scottish Youth Theatre started in Edinburgh in December 1976. It moved to the Old Sheriff Court in Wilson Street, Glasgow in 2006. Mary McCluskey was the theatre's artistic director for 26 years before she retired in 2018. Following a decision by Creative Scotland to end its funding, and the Scottish Youth Theatre being unable to cover the deficit in their budget, the theatre announced it would cease trading in July 2018. Scottish Youth Theatre was then saved by a decision by the Scottish Government to fund it directly, and by extensive private sponsorship and donations. Summer Festival takes place during the school holidays in various locations around Scotland and involves theatrical training for two, three or five weeks. Alumni of the theatre include

Karen Gillan Karen Sheila Gillan (; born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction seri ...

(''Dr Who''),

Jack Lowden Jack Andrew Lowden (born 2 June 1990) is a Scottish actor. Following a four-year stage career, his first major international onscreen success was in the 2016 BBC miniseries '' War & Peace'', which led to starring roles in feature films. Lowden s ...

(''Dunkirk''),

Jamie Parker Jamie Parker (born 14 August 1979) is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Harry Potter in the original cast for the West End play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', for which he received a Laurence Olivier Award ...

(''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'') and GLOW's

Gayle Rankin Gayle Rankin is a Scottish actress, best known as Sheila the She-Wolf in the TV series '' GLOW''. She also played the role of Queen Victoria in ''The Greatest Showman'' and Emily Dodson in HBO's ''Perry Mason''. Early life Rankin trained at the ...

Patrons

Patrons of Scottish Youth Theatre include: * Brian Cox (after whom the Brian Cox Theatre within the Scottish Youth Theatre building is named) *

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

* Blythe Duff * Phyllida Law * Liz Lochhead * Colin McCredie * John Michie * Bill Paterson * Paul Riley * David Rintoul * Elaine C Smith * Emma Thompson * Richard Wilson

Past Productions

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

(2009) * Hidden Treasures (2009) * Hamlet (2009) * Geordie (Summer 2008) *

Oh! What A Lovely War ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British comedy musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivie ...

(Summer 2008) * Hero (Summer 2008) *

When A Star Falls ''When a Star Falls'' is an adventure module for the first edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by TSR, Inc. in 1984. It was written by Graeme Morris and is intended for 6–10 player characters between levels 3� ...

(2007–2008) * His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman Trilogy) (2007) * Wee MacGreegor (2006) * Man of the Crowd (2006) * Tales From The Arabian Nights (2006) * Geordie (2006) * The Snow Queen (2005) * The Ugly Ducking (2005) * Into The Light (2005) *Dying For It (2004–2005) *

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all the ...

(2004) * Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2004) *

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

(2003) *Born Bad * The Wizard of Oz (2001) * Hamlet * Macbeth (2000) *The Threepenny Opera (1992) (Dundee Rep) * Tam o' Shanter (1991) (The People's Palace) * Nicholas Nickleby (1991) (The Old Athenaeum) * The Human Cannon (1990) (The Old Athenaeum) *

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amo ...

(1990) (The Burrell Collection) *The Dragon (1988) (Aberdeen University) *

(1988) (RSAMD Theatre)

References

External links

Official Website

Facebook Page
{{authority control Theatre companies in Scotland Youth organisations based in Scotland Youth theatre companies Organisations supported by the Scottish Government