National Youth Theatre to Bring Trio of Shows to Finborough Theatre

For the first time in its history, the National Youth Theatre (NYT) will present a season of new writing at London's Finborough Theatre throughout August. The season is to include three world premiere productions: Olivier Award-nominated James Fritz will present The Fall, a new play looking at how young people come to terms with an ageing society, Olivier Award-winner Bola Agbaje's Bitches will explore the joys and challenges of being young, female and black in her new play about vlogging and the first ever stage production of Mohsin Hamid's Man Booker Shortlisted The Reluctant Fundamentalist will examine the ironies of prejudice and representation in a post 9/11 New York and Pakistan. The programme of work is part of the NYT's 60th anniversary celebrations this year and runs 9 - 27 August.

Written by James Fritz (Four Minutes Twelve Seconds, Ross & Rachel) The Fall runs 9 - 13 August and will be directed by Matt Harrison (NYT REP Bryan Forbes Bursary Director 2014). The play will be a miniature epic spanning a lifetime, taking a candid look at young people's relationship with the old and confronting the frightening prospect of ageing in a country undergoing a crisis of care.

From 16 - 20 August Bola Agbaje (Gone Too Far!) will give the world premiere of her witty and topical new play Bitches, following two young female vloggers talking racial political and popular culture in an unforgiving online world. In the year that Beyoncé broke the internet getting political and Azealia Banks was banned from Twitter amid accusations of homophobia and racism, Bitches is set to explore online trolling, cultural appropriation, the intersectionality between sexism and racism and the joys and challenges of being young, female and black. An energetic and human cliffhanger about young people, the production will be directed by NYT REP 2013 Assistant Director Valentina Ceschi.

The final production, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, will run between 23 - 27 August and will be the first ever stage production of Mohsin Hamid's Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel and Hollywood blockbuster film. The production will look at the ironies of prejudice and representation in a post 9/11 New York and Pakistan following Pakistani native Changez's disenchantment with the West and his journey back to Lahore. The production has been adapted for stage by Stephanie Street (Sisters) and will be directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah (Moth).

The NYT 60th anniversary programme will continue throughout the year. From September they will present a fourth West End REP season at the Ambassadors Theatre, giving two West End premieres including an adaptation Man Booker shortlisted novel Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman, inspired by the tragic killing of DamiLola Taylor, looking at the harsh reality of adulthood in modern Britain and William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet in post war London with Teddy girls and Teddy boys running amok. The NYT have also announced plans for a one-off anniversary gala 'Story of our Youth at 60' in the West End's Shaftesbury Theatre on 18 September 2016. The performance, which will celebrate 60 years of the NYT, will star over 80 members of the company alongside 40 renowned alumni. Other plans to mark the anniversary include two new commissions outside of theatre. Award-winning filmmaker Martin Stirling, known for his socially committed TV advertising such as Greenpeace's LEGO: Everything is NOT Awesome, will create a filmed portrait of NYT which will be released later in the year. Alongside Stirling current NYT member and celebrated artist Conor Collins has been commissioned to create a series of portraits of NYT alumni. Collins exhibits primarily through social media and is renowned for his 2014 portrait of Tom Daley and 2016 portrait of Donald Trump, both of which were reprinted across the globe.

Founded in 1956 the NYT is the pioneering force for youth theatre around the world and is recognised as the leading provider of free alternatives to formal theatre training, with alumni including Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Chiwetel Ejiofor CBE and Sir Daniel Day Lewis. Since being founded the world's leading youth arts charity has nurtured the talent of over 100,000 young people.

To post a comment, you must register and login.