Newbury Youth Theatre making for the Edinburgh Fringe

Newbury Youth Theatre’s reputation for top productions at the Edinburgh Fringe goes before them - they garner acclaim and star reviews every year with shows devised by the company themselves. This year, using the nonsense poet Edward Lear as inspiration they take The Fantastical World of My Uncle Arly up for a five-day run at the biggest festival in the world. They told ‘newburytoday how they ‘grow’ a show, which previews at Arlington Arts next week.

EVER wondered how a new original play is created for the stage?

Celebrating their 41st year, Newbury Youth Theatre have been providing local young people with the opportunity to join their ensemble in making award-winning, critically acclaimed productions.

Much of their reputation has been founded over 20 years of touring to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where they have consistently been met with unprecedented praise.

NYT are deep in rehearsals for their innovative devised play which will head up to the famous Edinburgh Fringe after a Newbury preview.

The Fantastical World of My Uncle Arly is based on the life and works of Edward Lear, who was famous for his nonsense poems, limericks and alphabets including The Owl and The Pussycat.

He was a talented and influential artist, not only for his landscapes, but also for his detailed studies of birds and small mammals, though he felt very much an outsider in Victorian England. He even taught the queen to paint and often dined with those in high society.

NYT directors Tony and Amy explain: “We’d considered Lear’s work previously, but it wasn’t until we found a copy of his biography that we understood what an extraordinary life he led.

“So putting them in context with each other in a barmy stage production just seemed like the right thing to do!”

They embrace the tentative improvised work using many of the company’s ideas and suggestions and craft them into a script that will eventually become the play.

Inevitably there are changes as the process develops. This takes a lot of faith in ensuring that the storyline makes sense for the audience and also reflects Lear’s life. So a very challenging project, but one that’s been great fun to make.

There are no auditions to join NYT and parts are equally shared among the group. Individual talents are encouraged, such as finding out that there were many talented musicians in the cast which enabled them to form a small band who created original music to enhance the performance.

Scenes are created in collaboration with the young cast through improvisation and their ideas are developed in a playful, inventive, physical way to create some hilarious rumbustious ensemble theatre.

With a cast of more than 20 playing multiple roles, including the characters in the Owl and the Pussy Cat and even Queen Victoria, they use physical theatre to become immovable objects such as staircases, the Alps and the magic of India, all to hilarious effect.

Costuming has been a challenge as there are four different members playing Lear and many quick changes with so many hats and props needed, including everyone making beards for themselves – oh and look out for the animal babies.

But what do the cast think of this way of working?

Sixteen-year-old Max has been with NYT for the past three years told me, “I’m really looking forward to the show. I think it’s very funny and quite different to our other shows. It’s an exciting cool story about Edward Lear. I’m really having fun rehearsing it and can’t wait to perform it at Arlington Arts and then at the Edinburgh Fringe.”

New member Chloe 13 said: “I really love the rehearsals because it allows you to have fun, learn new skills as we develop the work that will create the show. It’s exciting when some of my suggestions end up in the script.

“My first year at NYT is really great. I look forward to attending every week and have made many new friends. It’s such a friendly company.”

For 17 year old Amber, “the show is chaotic and truly barmy, but it still manages to make sense.

“It allows us to play around inventing the show and we all have ownership of the production, but still ensures that we all have fun.

“ I am so looking forward to returning to Edinburgh and performing in the beautiful city and proud to be representing Newbury in the largest arts festival in the world.”

You can catch The Fantastical World of My Uncle Arly at Arlington Arts on Wednesday (July 31) at 7 pm Tickets are available from the box office (01635) 244246.

It plays the Edinburgh Fringe from August 5 to 10 at 3.10pm, Venue 152 Paradise in Augustines