THE Swan Youth Theatre or SYT, as it has been abbreviated to over the years, was established in 1965 and has been running successfully at the Swan Theatre ever since.

With the influential Rufus Norris as its patron, (the current artistic director at The National Theatre), who himself started as a member of the youth theatre, it has a reputation for developing and nurturing talent from across the county with many members having tread the boards at the Swan Theatre before continuing to peruse significant carers in the acting and film industry.

Many attend the youth theatre wishing to follow in the footsteps of those who have successfully gone before and many do. However the youth theatre is not only for those wishing to ‘act’ as a long term career ambition or who are very ‘dramatic’ in their daily lives.

Many parents are keen to embrace the benefits theatre can offer to their children, these range from: improving confidence, removing anxiety, developing friendship skills, as well as support and release from the daily challenges that life often presents to young people in today’s society.

As with all areas of reopening the theatre’s operation during this pandemic it is fundamental that we are Covid secure for the youth theatre’s operation and there have been aspects of the classes operation that has needed to be adapted so that we can comply with the Government guidelines including accommodating class sizes and maximising social distancing for our members.

Luckily having the Swan Theatre main stage has meant that our busiest classes will now take place there meaning these students will have the opportunity to work in the same space as great names such as Imelda Staunton, Bonnie Langford, Sean Pertwee, Alistair McGowen and David Harewood to name but a few.

We are proud to be the longest-running youth theatre in Worcester and as students eagerly await the start of term we can’t wait to see them back doing what they love and making theatre with us! Limited places remain. For more info, see worcester-rep.co.uk