Congratulations to James Fowler (L6M2) and Harry Kingdon (L6S2) for gaining membership into the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. Established in 1956 as the world’s first youth theatre, the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain continues to thrive as a world-leading youth arts organisation. The organisation has showcased young talent on West End stages, in stadiums worldwide and at iconic sites both at home and abroad. The National Youth Theatre regularly commission brave and relevant new writing and modern interpretations of classic stories.

In order to become members of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, the boys had to undergo a rigorous round of group workshops, monologue auditions and interviews. This year saw a record number of young people, from the ages of 14-21, audition. However, only 500 in almost the 5,000 who auditioned were successful in gaining a place. We were thrilled, therefore, to discover that three of our boys were successful. It is also highly impressive that all three boys have been selected in their first attempt.

The success of Chris Combemale (L6J2) with the National Youth Theatre, last year, prompted these young boys to audition. World-renowned alumni of the National Youth Theatre include: Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Colin Firth, Idris Elba, Daniel Day-Lewis, Orlando Bloom, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Derek Jacobi, Hugh Bonneville, Matt Smith and Old Haberdasher Matt Lucas (Russells 1992). Former NYT members also include sector-leaders in politics, business, law, the media and medicine.

The boys will now have to complete a two-week course in August, trained by some of the very best theatrical practitioners. It is a unique and prestigious honour for the boys to become members of the National Youth Theatre. Well done for such an outstanding achievement!