The 2008 Studios are now open for booking.

So, if you’re keen on acting or singing or dancing or all three; if you love drama or musical theatre; if you play an instrument at whatever grade; if you’ve got a long school or college holiday ahead and nothing planned, then give us one good reason why you shouldn’t sign up for The Studio now!

We’ve put together top teams of directors, composers and choreographers who will give you the chance to work together in one week to create a brand new piece of theatre. You don’t have to audition - anyone can sign up, and they really do, from all over the UK and from abroad.

In 2008 there will be courses in Banbury, Edinburgh, Belfast, Leeds, Hemel Hempstead, Ascot and Salisbury. See below for the exact dates and venues.

To book a place just download and complete the application form below or phone the ofice on 0870 240 5057 to make a reservation.

You’ll be staying in residential accommodation in schools or on university campuses and making lots of new friends at the same time from a wide range of backgrounds. In 2006, as well as students from abroad, we were pleased to welcome a number of young people from the North of England Refugee Service and from Young Carers organisations in Scotland and England.

10 Reasons Why it Would Payto Sign Up to The Studio in 2008

1. Working with top professional theatre people – check out our Staff to see who they are
2. Making new friends – this is the big one, lifetime friends stay together on our Discussion Forum and MySpace webpages
3. Building confidence – doing things you thought you could never do
4. Learning new skills – devising, improvising, lyric writing, martial arts, puppeteering
5. Having a fun holiday – fill that gap in your Easter, Summer or October half term holiday
6. Getting away from home and being independent –if you’ve never done it before, you’ll never look back after a YMT: UK course
7. Joining a national company – we are truly national with Studios in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland (not Wales yet, but we’re trying!)
8. Creating your own show – every Studio is different, a once in a lifetime opportunity, once you’ve performed it, no-one else ever will
9. Helps you at school – not obvious you might think, but loads of young people say it helps with their Drama, English, Music and, surprisingly, History

You will also get a free YMT: UK T-shirt and, for the first time this year, a free DVD of the production.

So, what’s the problem?

Well, you may be worried about the cost. It’s true that you will have to pay a fee on all our courses. In 2008 it will be £385 for The Studio for the week. This is the same as last year and includes the cost of the DVD as well as all food, accommodation, tuition and pastoral care. We believe the quality of these courses is really worth the money, given the quality of the artistic staff and the high ratio of staff to students. Also, payments can be made over 4 months in 2008 and we will be offering a full money-back guarantee if you complete a course and feel it was not worth it. What’s more, we have a comprehensive fundraising manual, which helps every young person to raise his or her own course fee. In 2007 about half the young people involved had raised part or all of their course fee from sources outside their own family.

When do they take place?

Here are the dates and venues for all 7 Studios this year. Further details will be added as soon as staff are confirmed and information is available; this will be available on separate web pages for each Studio. For information on previous Studios, go to the Archive.

The Studio also qualifies as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, either in the Skills Section for Bronze and Silver Awards or in the Residential Section for Gold Awards. If you are interested in using The Studio to begin taking a DoE Award, please contact the office on 0870 240 5057.

Banbury
Tudor Hall School
21 -26 July 2008

Edinburgh
Fettes College
21 - 26 July 2008

Hemel Hempstead
Locker's Park School
28 July - 2 August 2008

Ascot
Licensed Victualler's School
4 - 9 August 2008

Belfast
Methodist College
11 - 16 August

Salisbury
Appleford School
18 - 23 August

Leeds
Fulneck School
18-23 August 2008

What happens in a YMT: UK Studio?
Studios usually begin on a Monday and end on the following Saturday.  Monday morning is spent traveling from home to wherever the venue is.  It could be anywhere in the UK, but you will have had lots of notice of this beforehand.   Most younger people travel with a parent or guardian to the venue. Registration is at 1pm on the Monday.

Usually the venue is a boarding school or college with all facilities on site, from rehearsal rooms to all dining and accommodation needs.  Boys and girls are accommodated on separate floors, usually in shared rooms.  We try to put people of the same age group together where possible.  After unpacking you will be asked to attend a meeting with the Artistic Team and the Pastoral Team.  If they are with you, your parents are also invited to come along if they wish.

Introductory Meeting
At this meeting all the staff introduce themselves.  On most Studios there will be a Director, a Musical Director and a Choreographer or Movement Director.  There is also usually at least one Assistant, often a university student studying theatre. A team of experienced and qualified Pastoral Staff (at least one to every 10 young people) are there to ensure your safety and well being at all times.

Warm Ups Begin!
After the introductions any parents are bid farewell and the project proper begins.  Usually you will have warm ups lasting 20-30 mins each in drama, music/singing and movement.  Don't worry if you don't know anyone because neither will anyone else!  Theatre games are often used to help participants learn each others' names and to help in the 'getting to know you' process.  After that it might be that the Musical Director has prepared a song in advance, so time is spent learning that, or perhaps some drama improvisations take place around the theme for the week, or a movement sequence or dance might be learnt.

Devising the Project
The Director will have come along with an idea and will have discussed this with other members of the Artistic Team.  Projects vary widely-sometimes a story or poem is used as inspiration, or a topical or historical event, or myths or fairy tales, or a particular performance style such as clowning or circus, or something specific to the region in which the project takes place.  The range is very wide!  What is common to most, though, is that YOUR input is crucial.

Your Ideas
From the very first day you may be asked to contribute the ideas.  Studios are as much about the people on the course as anything else!  Your process is just as, if not more important than anything connected with the final presentation (more on that later).  Ideas come in many forms - during the course you may be asked to write song lyrics, or you may be asked to invent a movement sequence or a dance.  In your drama work you may be asked to invent characters or to suggest ideas for situations or storylines.  You may be asked to devise in small groups, working with friends on a particular exercise.  You may be asked to write dialogue or to improvise scenes.  If you play an instrument you may be asked to work out a musical piece with some other musicians.  If you are a gymnast or have some other hidden skill you may well be asked to use it!

The Grand Plan
The grand plan is that by lunchtime on the Saturday a brand new piece of original music theatre has been created - by you!  At 2pm on the last day parents and friends are invited along to watch your presentation, which normally lasts about half an hour.  They are always amazed at how much can be achieved in 6 days!  One reason for that is because we work you very hard....

Hard Graft
We work very long hours!  Usually after breakfast at 8.15 we start working at 9am or 9.30am with a good physical warm up, much as you would have if you went to a professional drama school.  There is always a break mid-morning for biscuits and a drink, and you have an hour for lunch. Again there is a mid-afternoon tea break and later an hour for the evening meal.  But even then it is not over!  The final session of the day runs from 7pm to 9pm.  Typically, 'quieter' and less demanding activities take place in this period, such as discussion or perhaps prop making or lyric writing.  But one night this session is not quiet at all, because it is the infamous cabaret night!

Cabaret
Most Studios have a cabaret night.  This is your night when you have the chance to perform whatever you want!  Favourite musical theatre or pop songs, street dance, whatever you like to do, you can!  Often during the week you and your newfound friends will decide to do something together, maybe a comedy sketch or a dance or song.  Basically, it's your night!  And we usually have a bit of a party at the same time.  Sometimes this night also becomes a time to discuss professional goals and to take the help and advice of your practitioners if you are serious about a career in the profession.  But mostly it's just a fun night!

Making Friends and Having Fun
These are probably the most important things of the whole week!  But we also encourage you to learn new skills and to learn what is expected of professional performers.  Working together in a Studio is one of the best ways to make great friends, to share a unique experience and to come out at the other end proud of what you achieved and more confident as a performer and a person.  You also get a YMT: UK T-shirt which we hope you will wear with pride!  When you get home you can keep in touch with your friends via the YMT: UK Discussion Forum and you will also receive information about forthcoming YMT: UK auditions and other events.

It's great! Don't miss it!