Jo Stead-Burgess, Group Head of Creative Learning, tells us all about the Summer Youth Project.

August is Summer Youth Project time with Trafalgar Theatres venues coming alive to the sounds of hundreds of participants working incredibly hard learning lines, rehearsing songs, dancing for hours, and learning new skills with an enthusiasm and dedication that is a delight to behold.

This year, eight venues delivered projects with lots to celebrate across the venues! New projects took to the stage and older ones celebrated big milestones.

Crewe Lyceum began their SYP journey with a mini-SYP of Oliver! JR. GLive took their project to the main stage for the first time with a production of Bugsy Malone, and Wycombe Swan SYP returned to the venue for the first time since 2019 with their production of Oliver!

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Wyvern Theatre & White Rock Theatre followed the yellow brick road with their productions of The Wizard of Oz, with Hastings celebrating 20 years of SYP!

The Beck went under the sea with their production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Southend and Dartford went head-to-head sticking it to the man with their productions of School of Rock!

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The projects are produced by our dedicated Creative Learning teams working as mini producing units alongside accomplished and experienced professionals to ensure production values are of a high standard. The aim is to raise aspirations amongst members, ensuring they gain as close to a professional experience as possible. The resulting performances are spectacular, given they are produced in such a short space of time.

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In total, the venues welcomed 731 participants (on and off stage) and 12,497 audience members. It really has been an incredible summer and plans for 2024 are already underway. Watch this space!