National Youth Music Theatre announce Matt Lucas, Callum Scott Howells and Amara Okereke as patrons

Leading youth arts organisation The National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) has announced three of its alumni – the critically acclaimed Matt Lucas, the award-winning Amara Okereke (My Fair Lady, West End; Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre), and Callum Scott Howells (It’s a Sin, Channel 4; The Way, BBC; Cabaret, West End) – are newly appointed patrons.

For nearly 50 years, NYMT has been at the forefront of offering exceptional opportunities in pre-professional musical theatre training for talented young people. It offers skills workshops, masterclasses, and residential courses. The 2024 summer season will debut at the Southwark Playhouse and features Our House, showcasing iconic music from UK band Madness, Stephen Sondheim’s timeless classic Into the Woods, and an ambitious new folk musical Catastrophe Bay, written by Kit Buchan and James Barne.

Just under a thousand performers audition to join the NYMT 2024 company, who will all be following in the footsteps of the newly appointed patrons and further NYMT alumni including multi-award-winning household name Idris Elba, Phantom of the Opera’s Joe Griffiths-Brown, beloved screen and stage icon Sheridan Smith, and Les Misérables’ Rosy Church. Industry professionals delivered audition workshops at 19 venues across the UK covering areas in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Cork, Glasgow, Ipswich, Leeds and London. Alongside these, the NYMT has seen an increase in applications to join the company as Musicians and the Creative Team Mentorship Scheme.

Chris Cuming comments, I’m so pleased to be bringing these three invaluable Alumni but creative talents, but also individuals full of ideas to help take NYMT into its future. They’re interested and invested in the future of Youth Theatre and value the experience that they got from NYMT and want to see many more from all backgrounds and corners of the UK get to experience.

Matt Lucas has become a patron of the NYMT

Everyone is welcome to get involved and NYMT is committed to making musical theatre and the professional industry more accessible to young people across the country, regardless of location or economic circumstances. National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) has a long-standing commitment to an inclusive and accessible ethos. This year NYMT is offering £31,000 of bursaries from their bursary system to support under-resourced families.