The Birmingham Youth Theatre was founded in 1971 in Birmingham, England by local teachers Derek Nicholls and Ray Speakman, and was based at the Midlands Arts Centre and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. From 1984 it was also run by teacher and director Malcolm Cleland, who also ran the Central Junior Television Workshop in Birmingham.
The company was funded by Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Arts for the purpose of giving 16- to 23-year-olds from the wider local community access to drama and the theatre arts. Many successful actors and actresses began their careers in the youth theatre, most notably:
Andrew Tiernan
Adrian Lester
Lorna Laidlaw, Doctors (2000 TV series)
Joe Dixon (actor)
As of 2009, Derek Nicholls is now the chief executive of Qdos Entertainment plc's HQ Theatres division.[1]
Due to problems with funding, the company ceased to exist in 1987. The unrelated BMOS Youtheatre was set up in Birmingham in 1987, and renamed "Birmingham Youth Theatre" in 2013; it is a registered charity.[2]
The BirminghamYouthTheatre was founded in 1971 in Birmingham, England by local teachers Derek Nicholls and Ray Speakman, and was based at the Midlands...
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England....
institutions – the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Library of Birmingham and Barber Institute...
is a British actor and director. Tiernan began acting with the BirminghamYouthTheatre and moved to London in 1984 to study a three-year diploma in acting...
village. She joined the National YouthTheatre and graduated from the Birmingham School of Acting (now the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire) in 2016. Upon graduating...
treble in the choir of St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham. At 14, he began acting with the BirminghamYouthTheatre.[citation needed] After leaving Archbishop...
Highbury Theatre is a non-professional theatre situated in the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. It is one of the oldest, established...
independent youththeatre which aims towards working with integrating the deaf and hearing communities through drama and sign songs. The youththeatre meets...
British actress and screenwriter. She was born in Birmingham, England. She attended the National YouthTheatre before going on to study at LAMDA. She is the...
at drama, and joined the National YouthTheatre in 2006. He later studied Economics at the University of Birmingham. While studying there he played quarterback...
Selly Oak, Spotlight Stage School in Solihull, and with the British Youth Music Theatre. Antonia is gay, and came out on Instagram in response to a hateful...
largest professional theatres are the Alexandra Theatre ("the Alex"), Birmingham Repertory Theatre ("The Rep"), the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Old...
Kettle is also an alumna of the National YouthTheatre Kettle's first major role was on stage at the Arcola Theatre as Nina in Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull...
blood. But what of his son?". Birmingham Post. thefreelibrary.com. Syme, Holger (1 November 2013). "Canadian Theatre has a Youth Problem". dispositio.net....
July 2001. From 1994 to 1996, Cowan was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre. He plays guitar and cello, and has worked with the London Sinfonia...
in Waiting for Garbo at the Crescent Theatre as part of the BirminghamTheatre Festival. Love Midlands Theatre reviewed the performance, commenting his...
Northampton Theatre Royal in Stags and Hens. He was a member of the National YouthTheatre, and he played Billy Casper in Kes at the Birmingham Rep studio...
television and occasionally in films. Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Morgan began acting with a youth club drama group in Erdington where he grew up...
lessons. At sixteen, he was offered a scholarship to a Birmingham drama school but declined. In his youth, Shaw was involved in a drunken brawl with a friend...
Olivier Award nominated revival of The Government Inspector for Birmingham Rep Theatre, playing Tusenbach in Anya Reiss’ adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s...