Stage set for Perth Youth Theatre Festival

Jun 3 2011 Perthshire Advertiser Friday

THE young people are in charge in Perth Theatre in June as the 160 members of Horsecross Arts’ Perth Youth Theatre take over the Fair City venue for their annual festival.

The month-long Perth Youth Theatre Festival opens on a comic note next Friday and Saturday (June 10 and 11) when the 16 to 19 year-olds of PYT Seniors 1 Company present Porcelain Dolls. Directed by Colin Bradie, Tim Primrose’s fast-moving play uses the familiar social setting of a school toilet to chart the morning after the night before (and the night before the morning after) for 13 teenage girls, a couple of token ‘lads’ and a rat called Rudiger.

Youth theatre co-ordinator Barry Henderson directs PYT Seniors 2 Company (aged 17-25) in It Snows... by Bryony Lavery, Steven Hoggat and Scott Graham on Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18. This rarely staged production for youth theatre tells the story of a magical day when the ordinary turns in to the extraordinary and, for a short time the world becomes a more fun place to be.

The rich imaginations of the playwrights of the future are unleashed in the New Writing Showcase by the 12-25 year-olds of PYT Young Playwrights on Monday, June 20. Susan McClymont facilitates this always popular event in Perth Studio Theatre.

PYT Beginners (aged 12-14) steer through Rough Seas on Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, in Perth Theatre taking the audience on a journey into a wonderful world of characters and stories, directed by Amy Watt.

Gemma Petrie directs PYT Intermediates in Pictures Never Tell The Full Story on Friday and Saturday, July 1 and 2. The 14 to 16 year-olds present two very different takes on the impact of pictures.

And, in an addition to the programme, Horsecross Arts’ youth theatre co-ordinator Barry Henderson will direct The Gods are Watching in Perth Theatre on Tuesday, June 21. This specially commissioned piece by local writer John McCann is part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Five Minute Theatre project.

The short play for one female actor is based on the legend of the Perth Theatre ghost and, turning convention on its head, will place the audience on the stage and the actor in the auditorium.

Inviting locals to come and check out the wealth of young talent on their doorstep, Barry Henderson said: “I am constantly amazed by the hard work and the fantastic performances our young people put in. It’s a tricky time of year for them with exams and other pressures, but they give their all to Perth Youth Theatre and it shows in the quality of their productions.”

For tickets and information contact Horsecross Arts box office on 01738 621031 visit www.horsecross.co.uk