Hello April
Hi Parents/Carers/Company Members,
We hope you are all well!
Want to find out what's new and coming up at NGYT? You've come to the right place!
Marching on
Want to join us? It's never too late to sign up for NGYT; Go to our Sign Up page by clicking the button above.
In March we began some exciting creative collaborations with Luton Literature, Luton Borough Council and Beds VERU.
We held our most recent Let’s Get Down to Quizness creative Quiz night and the winners were team "Everybody loves Sean" which included NGYT Theatre Company Alumni Sean and Dayna. It was lovely to see so many current and past members of NGYT, their family members plus the Luton arts community.
We completed our dance curriculum sessions and performances at St Matthews Primary, Ferrars Junior School and Putteridge Primary Drama Club held their first performance with Rebekah:
“Had a great afternoon with Putteridge Primary and their performance. The kids were a little nervous but told the story they wanted to tell and had fun!”.
Our non-auditioned dance and drama groups & companies also performed their latest work for parents/carers and friends and we are so proud of them:
"Honestly the performance yesterday nearly had me in tears... I have literally seen T's confidence sky rocket since her time with the group... I really can't thank you all enough."- Parent/Carer
Keep reading on to find out what's in store this month and next at NGYT…
Festival Season Loading....
It’s almost that time of the year again… Festival Season!
We are kicking off with TOTFest Yorkshire next month and can’t wait to shake some ‘Tales’ this summer at Suffolk, Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Cheshire sites alongside two days at Bedford River Festival!
Keep an eye out for us around our hometown of Luton too. Further details COMING SOON.
Company Be Presents: UNTANGLED
The incredible devised theatre makers of NGYT's Company Be invite you to:
Untangled
'Join us in a unique story and follow our journey together to this moment in space and time where honesty fell from our hearts as a collection of memories, friendships and parts; A swiftly infused community, connected by care and the strength to lift one another when our load becomes too heavy and the child inside forgets to play.'
Friday 5th April 2024
7pm
Dunstable Icknield Lower School Hall
LU6 3AG
TICKETS: FREE
(no booking required, all ages welcome)
In partnership with Carers in Bedfordshire and Mind BLMK, funded by BLCF and supported by Central Beds Council.
A BIG WEEKEND for NGYT
We are collaborating with BBC's Gareth Lloyd to curate a very exciting project that will shine a light on our town of Luton with BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend coming to Stockwood Park on 24th-26th May 2024.
Those who know NGYT will also know that a key part of our work is to spotlight and centre authentic young voices and to share the stories of under-represented communities across the UK.
Hearing our Theatre Company speak about their town during their last Company session in March was truly magical. Young people are crying out to be heard & seen. The sector & industry we feed is crying out for new narratives.
"NGYT has taught me so much and has given me and others a voice, I now know we deserve to be heard… it could help us open people's eyes, change their views and make a difference"
"It's an amazing and unfortunately rare thing for young people to be given a loud voice in the community, and NGYT provide this for otherwise voiceless people everyday"
Meet our new members
We'd love to introduce you to some of our newest Meraki Dance Company and Theatre Company members after record numbers attended our open auditions in October 2023.
Lilia is one of our newest members of Theatre Company and is long attending member of our Musical Theatre Company:
“Joining Theatre Co has been so exciting. When I found out I got in I was over the moon! It has been so welcoming - like escapism from everyday life and such a safe, fun place to create great projects with great people!!”
NGYT Spotlight
NGYT members Nathan and Andrew were chosen to compete in three dance competitions with Kingston University Dance Society:
Kings College London’s Just Dance It, UCL’s Transcendance and Kingston University’s Kingsnation.
“Me and Andrew won second place in both UCL’s Transcendance competition and Kingston University’s Kingsnation competition but at KCL we were really grateful to win first place!”- Nathan
Nathan also won Star Dancer at the Kingsnation competition!
“The winner would receive a free pass to one of the judge’s classes in BASE studios London (judge Matt Walker). Matt chose me as star dancer because of the emotion I portrayed during the novice contemporary piece and the duet and credited my range and versatility because of how effective my stage presence was which I was very shocked and appreciative of!”- Nathan
Congratulations Andrew and Nathan!
Alumni News
NGYT Associate and Alumni member Molly Sims has curated new project 'Nexus' with the help of Revoluton Arts and features members of NGYT.
'Nexus: A connection or link between things, persons, or events especially that is part of a chain of causation.'
"Nexus is an art installation formed by a collection of interviews from some of Luton’s queer community.
It tackles themes around identity, the journey to self discovery and acts catalyst to inspire further connections, giving opportunity for sub community cohesion within the queer community itself.
The next steps for 'Nexus' is to open discussion about identity with wider communities with the hope to turn these stories into a multimedia theatre production."- Molly
Community Spotlight: Windmill Hill School
NGYT Team member Becky has continued to work with Windmill Hill Secondary School this half term and here’s her update:
“I’ve had a great time this term with Windmill hill, we’ve had a lot of fun in expressive arts, dancing and having fun together in sessions where everyone can express themselves in different ways!
In some sessions we’ve been discussing our favourite characters and films and in other sessions we’ve been going on adventures together exploring imagination through music.”
team news
Say Hello and welcome to the newest member of our NGYT Team: Vee!
Vee is a dancer and dance teacher from Luton and joined our dance teaching team last month teaching sessions at LCF Warmhub. Vee loves helping the younger generation follow their dreams and expand their confidence:
“When I join something new I’m usually really nervous but joining the NGYT team has been such a fun and easy experience. I definitely felt as though I was adopted into a family straight away and the kindness from everyone has put me at such ease. It makes me happy knowing that I’ve been given the opportunity to be myself and showcase my love for dance to the youth.”
It's a light-hearted feature for our Team news this month as Meraki Dance Company Director Laura & Assistant Director Lauren celebrate a great year for NGYT with matching logo tattoos...
"For those who know us well already know we work very closely together- we joke about it, accidentally match a lot of the time and joke about being 'work wives'. We just wanted to do something a bit different together to show our commitment to NGYT..."
Keep your eyes peeled on our socials for the reveal...
Patron News
Patron and Alumna Adeyinka Akinrinade is Associate Producer of new play: ‘No More Mr Nice Guy’ which toured London’s Broadway Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Birmingham Rep, HOME Manchester and Camden People’s Theatre last month.
“A head-bopping, feet-stomping melodic musical odyssey through a schoolteacher's dream of music stardom.”
- To Do List London
FAMOUS YOUTUBERS SHINE LIGHT ON LUTON
NGYT is proud to be Step Forward Luton Champions.
YouTubers Yes Theory, who have over 8 million subscribers, visited Luton last month.
They were joined by Zac Alsop and Max Fosh to help explore and showcase the best of Luton for a new YouTube video.
They quickly discovered what we already know. Our town’s spirit is unmatched, people are our power, and we have exceptional togetherness.
A must watch - make sure you watch until the end and can you spot NGYT members Carl and Cameron?
Whats on at The Culture Trust?
Our partners at The Culture Trust host a broad selection of events suitable for families, young people and audiences of all ages.
"Visit our website to explore our wide range of events suitable for families, young people, and audiences of all ages this season.
Remember to use your NGYT family code "NGYT25" at checkout to enjoy a 25% discount on theatre events. Please note that this code is not applicable to workshops."
Sixth Form News
Thinking about perusing the creative arts after secondary school?
There is still time to apply to study Performing Arts at the college and more information can be found on the college website www.lutonsfc.ac.uk or on our socials.
Become a Friend of NGYT
By becoming a Friend of NGYT you can help children and young people of all ages to access arts activity, express themselves, stay creative and stay well.
Friends of NGYT support our work with a monthly donation via Direct Debit or PayPal. There is no fixed amount and we treat all our Friends equally, whatever you are able to give. Your support and advocacy is the most important thing.
You can also make a one off donation to support NGYT’s work with young people.
Young minds matter
“When I joined NGYT I didn't really feel like I was alone anymore" - Dance Co, Theatre Co member.
NGYT continues to support wellbeing in all aspects of our work. We are proud to be an activity provider for Young People's Social Prescription and accept referrals through Active Luton to help support young people's wellbeing.
Aged 14-17? You can attend Luton's Young Person’s Sanctuary, a drop-in evening service for young people aged 14-17 in crisis or mental distress at 89 Castle Street LU1 3AJ.
It is a safe, non-judgemental space where you will be met by a trained mental health worker who will listen and help you identify ways to address the problems you are facing.
For more details about the sanctuary and other wellbeing resources and support check out:
see you soon
NGYT Family
"My daughter has come on so much in terms of her confidence and anxiety and a massive reason is her attendance with you at NGYT. It’s thanks to your constant encouragement, patience and lovely nature. I always say to my husband that she is going to attend NGYT foreverrrr." - Parent/Carer
"Youth led in the truest sense of the word, literally leading the way and setting the standard for all." - NGYT Alumni
As always, please continue to invite your friends and families to try NGYT for free.
Spread the word about our work across the educational sector.
Tell those working across Luton and the region about our commissionability (is that even a word?)... We love to make performances for community events with social purpose and cultural celebration at the heart.
And don't forget we'd love to share our unique approach with others, supporting the training needs of those looking to develop their approaches to working with young people authentically.
If we haven't met you yet, we can't wait to do so. Reach out! Say Hi!
Remember we are always here if you need us. Take care, stay kind, stay safe and above all things - BE YOU!
David, Laura and The NGYT Team x
