National Youth Theatre Selection for BMS Students 30 June 2022

Year 11 students Oliver Edwards and Matt Roberts have successfully secured spaces for the 2022 National Youth Theatre (NYT) Junior Summer Intake Acting Course, after which they will be NYT Company Members.

This selective residential course will run for five weeks from Monday 01 August and will give them the opportunity to hone their craft under the instruction of industry professionals, as well as meet and collaborate with other young actors from around the country.

Following a move from online auditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the boys were pleased to be able to audition in person at school during their Easter holidays, along with around 30 other BMS students.

This process lasted three hours and was led by a professional NYT auditioner. Following an ensemble workshop and some drama games to get them warmed up, each student had a ten-minute individual audition in which they performed a monologue and had an informal discussion with the auditioner.

Matt performed a monologue from A Brief History of Helen of Troy by Mark Schultz whilst Oliver, who was the last BMS student to audition that day, performed an excerpt from Blackout by Davey Anderson. Of this, he said: “I was feeling a lot of pressure about going last, but the auditioner asked me questions about myself and my monologue which helped to relax me. It was quite an emotional piece, so I found it tough, but she seemed pleased with it.”

Matt added: “I’m really excited for the course this summer. I’m looking forward to meeting lots of new people who have similar interests to me.”

The pair found out that they had been selected in May. This is a fantastic achievement for them, especially as the NYT audition nearly 6,000 young people every year and can offer just 700 spaces on their acting courses.

Paul Stevens, Director of Performance Arts at BMS, said: “We are delighted and extremely proud that Matt and Oliver have been successful in their NYT audition. They will be following in the footsteps of actors like Matt Smith, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rosamund Pike, along with several OBMs. To have the opportunity to work with professional directors and like-minded young actors in such a vibrant, creative and prestigious company will no doubt be of enormous benefit to their training.”