National Youth Theatre's West End Rep to Close, Dec. 4

Having been seen by over 10,000 people the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain's West End Season at the Ambassadors Theatre London, must end on 4 December 2015.

The season marks the latest success for the NYT's West End REP residency, now in its third year. The season, instilling companys of the NYT's very best actors into West End theatres, gives members a chance to train by performing in front of paying audiences. The majority of the sixteen company members have already been signed by leading talent agents including Markham Froggatt and Irwin, Independent Talent and United Agents.

The three shows in this year's West End rep season include: Consensual - a brand new and acclaimed play exploring issues and experiences around sexting, young people and sexual consent written by Evan Placey and directed by Pia Furtado which was documented in development as part of a new collaboration with Sky Arts; Wuthering Heights, in a new adaptation of Emily Brontë's novel by Stephanie Street directed by Emily Lim and The Merchant of Venice - Shakespeare's play abridged especially for schools by Tom Stoppard, directed by NYT Associate Director Anna Niland.

Written by Writer's Guild Award winner Evan Placey (Girls Like That, Holloway Jones), Consensual is directed by Pia Furtardo (Dirty Great Love Story at Soho Theatre and L'Elisir D'Amore at Opera Holland Park). Exploring teenage testosterone, teacher pupil relationships and the age of consent in the UK, Consensual examines the relationship between PSHE teacher Diane and her class, specifically fifteen year-old Freddie. "Think of Sexual Relationship Education as a war zone and you're the journalist. Give the facts, show the photos, but don't get too close unless you want your head blown off".

Wuthering Heights is adapted by Stephanie Street (Sisters) from the Gothic novel by Emily Brontë and directed by Emily Lim (Brainstorm, The Kilburn Passion and The Wardrobe). When Heathcliff, a mysterious child is rescued and brought to Wuthering Heights, he develops an inseparable bond to Cathy, a friendship which soon develops into a passionate and iconic love spanning generations and ending with tragedy.

NYT Associate Anna Niland directs Tom Stoppard's abridged version of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Stoppard's version, originally abridged especially for the NYT to perform at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing and the subject of a BBC documentary, is a 90 minute whirlwind which has delighted audiences and schools alike for the past decade.

More information at www.nyt.org.uk

-ENDS-

Press contact
Maisie Lawrence at The Corner Shop PR - 020 7831 7657 / Maisie@thecornershoppr.com

LISTINGS
Ambassadors Theatre, WC2H 9ND
Until 4 December 2015

Consensual
No matinee performances
Evening performances (7:30pm):
18, 24 November; 2 December

Wuthering Heights
Matinee performances (2:30pm):
24, 27 November; 1, 4 December
Evening performances (7:30pm):
27, October; 17, 25 November;

The Merchant of Venice
Matinee performances (2:30pm):
17, 18, 25 November; 2 December
Evening performances (7:30pm):
1 December

Box Office
www.theambassadorstheatre.co.uk
08448 112 334
or
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
020 7452 3000

Notes to Editors

Biographies

Pia Furtado is a director and dramaturg working across theatre, musical theatre and opera. She is Artistic Director ofThe Theory of Everything and most recently worked as a dramaturg for the Almeida production of Carmen Disruption. Her recent theatre credits include Dirty Great Love Story (Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh, Soho Theatre and 59359, New York), Sat it with Flowers (Sherman Cymru) and TimePlays 500 (Hampton Court Palace). Her opera credits include And the Crowd (Tête à Tête), L'Elisir D'Amore (Opera Holland Park) and Cautionary Tales (Opera North).

Emily Lim's directing credits include: Brainstorm (co-director) (Park Theatre); The Kilburn Passion and The Wardrobe (Tricycle Theatre); Another Fine Mess (Bristol Old Vic Studio) and winner of the Better Bankside Shakespeare Award Henry V (Southwark Playhouse). Assistant directing credits include Rufus Norris' recent productions of Everymanand Behind the Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre). She works extensively with marginalised communities and is an Associate Artist of Islington Community Theatre and HighTide Festival Theatre. She was Young Company Director at the Tricycle Theatre from 2013-14 and a participant on the 2013 NT Studio directors' course. This summer she will co-direct a revival of Brainstorm for Islington Community Theatre at the National Theatre's Temporary Theatre.

Anna Niland is the Associate Director of National Youth Theatre and oversees their courses; NYT REP Company and flagship social inclusion course Playing Up. She trained with the National Youth Theatre and at Rose Bruford College and worked extensively as an actor on stage, screen and radio. Recent directing credits include: You Can by Luke Barnes (Ambassadors Theatre); Red Riding Hood (Latitude Festival); NYT's 2013 Season Highlights (Buckingham Palace); SLICK(Sheffield Park Hill Estate) and Tits Teeth by Michael Wynne (Soho Theatre).

Evan Placey recently won a Writers' Guild Award for Best Play for Young Audiences for Girls Like That (Unicorn Theatre). His other plays include: Mother of Him (Courtyard Theatre; King's Cross Award for New Writing, UK; RBC National Playwriting Competition, Canada; and the Samuel French Canadian Play Contest, USA); Pronoun (National Theatre Connections); Banana Boys (Hampstead Theatre); How Was It For You? (Unicorn Theatre); Little Criminals (Polka/ York Theatre Royal/ Plymouth Theatre Royal) and Holloway Jones (Synergy Theatre Project, schools tour & Unicorn Theatre) which won the Brian Way Award 2012 for Best Play for Young People and was nominated for a Writers' Guild Award.

Stephanie Street is an actor, writer, Literary Associate of HighTide festival and founder member of The Act for Change Project. Street most recently appeared in Rufus Norris' production Behind the Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre). Other theatre credits include: King James Bible, Nightwatchman (National Theatre); Rough Cuts, Shades (both Royal Court Theatre), Sweet Cider (Arcola), Not the End of the World (Bristol Old Vic) Too Close to Home (Lyric Theatre) andThe Vagina Monologues (UK Tour). Her TV credits include: Silk, Lewis, Apparitions and Primeval. Her writing credits include Sisters, a verbatim piece which re-opened the Sheffield Crucible Studio in March 2010. Street is currently developing a new play about the London riots in conjunction with Alan Lane of slunglow. She has written numerous short films and radio plays.

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