Middlesbrough Youth Theatre

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Middlesbrough Youth Theatre was an umbrella company consisting of Middlesbrough Junior Theatre, earlier known as MLT Juniors, together with a 'Kidstage' group of 7-10 year olds, and an older 'Youth Theatre' of 17 to 25 year olds.

The company performed in Middlesbrough Theatre, and ran for many years with many of its members continuing to work in drama and the performing arts. The group was a member of the National Association of Youth Theatres (NAYT). The company also took part in the Edinburgh Fringe, and was a regular at the Middlesbrough Youth Drama Festival.

1 Show History
2 The Group
3 The Leaders
4 Rehearsals & Performances
5 Middlesbrough Little Theatre Ltd.
6 Website
7 Internet Links

[edit] Show History

1997 - Bugsy Malone
1998 - Oh! What A Lovely War
1999 - Guys & Dolls
2000 - Peter Pan
2000 - Twelfth Night
2001 - Scrooge
2002 - Santa Claus: The Musical
2004 - Les Misérables
2005 - West Side Story

[edit] The Group

The “Kidstage” theatre group brought about a new beginning for MLT Ltd as it took on a separate group of up to 30 pre-secondary school children. The longest running section of the group itself was its "Juniors", MLT Juniors being the group's official name until 2002. The "Juniors" typically had a membership of around 100, ageing from around 13 to 16 (although this age limit often changed). The "Youth" group had around twenty members.

The company was managed by 'leaders', consisting of both professional and amateur actors, dancers and singers. As a company, there was also a director, administrator and treasurer. These members of staff were often the directors, musical directors or backstage crew of the productions. The backstage, costuming and rehearsal crew itself was usually made up of volunteers, with professional lighting and sound crews, and occasionally an orchestra, being the only part of each production that did not come from within the 'group'.

Some limited special effects were made use of during performances, including notably splurge guns during 'Bugsy Malone', indoor fireworks during 'Santa Claus: The Musical' and a flying sequence during 'Peter Pan'.

[edit] The Leaders

Here is a partial list of some of the leaders who worked with Middlesbrough Youth Theatre;

Ray Burton
Steve Catchpole
Steve Cockerline
Sylvia Cockerline
Mike Crooks
Darren Gamble
Bobbie Jameson
Jack McBride
Matthew McGuiness
Helen Roberts
Kenny Robinson

[edit] Rehearsals & Performances

The group rehearsed in many different venues in Middlesbrough, North East England, with productions staged in the town's 'Little Theatre'; now Middlesbrough Theatre. The theatre itself seats around 500 people, and was the first theatre to be built in Britain after World War Two.

[edit] Middlesbrough Little Theatre Ltd.

Middlesbrough Youth Theatre was affiliated with MLT Ltd., which was born in 1930, and whose productions, although sometimes directed by professionals, were performed almost always by amateurs. Their first play, "To What Red Hell", by Percy Robinson, was presented in November 1930 in the Church Hall of St. John's. The company occupied this stage for twenty-seven years, until in 1945 a new theatre was proposed using money from the Building Fund. Complications meant that, as well as the cost rising to three times the original estimate, the Middlesbrough Theatre did not open until 1955.

The theatre was opened by Sir John Gielgud, and its opening production was a lavish presentation of 'Caesar and Cleopatra'. The Theatre was handed over to the local authority in 1972 due to rising maintenance costs, but MLT Ltd, the resident amateur company, still resides there, staging around six shows each year.

[edit] Website

The company had several websites, the latest being www.mytlive.org. Now no longer functioning, there is no internet source for information, photos and memories of the company. The original message board from the company does, however, still exist, and can be found using this link: Original Middlesbrough Youth Theatre message board.