British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT) presents The Clockmaker’s City, a brand-new musical set in a perfectly ordered metropolis where time and productivity are controlled by a single clock – until it’s pushed to its limits and grinds to a halt. Bursting with a cinematic, percussive score and dynamic movement, The Clockmaker’s City marks BYMT’s first ever performances at Z-arts.

Created by writing team Jonathan Ainscough and Yshani Perinpanayagam with choreography by Paul Smethurst, and musical direction by Amy Hsu, the company includes 38 young performers and musicians from the region and across the UK.

Mainspring is a city run precisely to the tick and tock of The Clock. The Clock controls time itself and as it ticks along, the townsfolk go about their business entirely synchronised to it. But time is about to be pushed to its limits as more minutes are squeezed into each hour and mystery surrounds the Central Horologium and its gently glowing Meridicore, the source of The Clock’s power.

Audiences will be swept up in its big questions: What is the cost of constant productivity? How do we care for each other when our needs don’t always align? And how can society work for everyone? This is an epic, heartfelt story about community, change and courage that can’t be measured by any Clock.

Jonathan Ainscough and Yshani Perinpanayagam first met in the company of the Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. Manchester-based Jonathan trained at the Royal Northern College of Music. During his career, he has worked with companies including the Royal Opera, English National Opera and Streetwise. Yshani is a conductor, pianist and composer known for the breadth of her artistry across genres and disciplines. Her recent collaborations include award-winning West End show Emilia (MD/conductor), Fanny (King’s Head Theatre, composer) and The Faggots and Their Friends (Factory International/Manchester International Festival, MD).

Jonathan Ainscough (Writer & Co-Lyricist) and Yshani Perinpanayagam (Composer & Co-Lyricist): “We can’t wait to transport audiences to Mainspring, where family bonds run deep and volatile, where time itself can become a commodity, and where the big, difficult questions of life are always left to tomorrow. The Clockmaker’s City asks what’s the human cost of a world measured by the value of output and productivity, and when individual needs and preferences are so often in opposition, how can a society work for everyone? We can’t think of anyone better-placed to bring this epic story and cinematic score to life than the brilliant cast, musicians and creatives of BYMT!”

Bea Ferguson, BYMT Young Company Member and Manchester local: “I’m thrilled that BYMT is bringing The Clockmaker’s City to Manchester, reaching across the country to showcase the future of the performing arts industry.

Manchester is famous for doing things its own way and the story of The Clockmaker’s City really resonates with me as it represents the journey we, as young people, go through to discover and define who we truly want to be.

As a performer with BYMT I love how we are trusted by the writers to bring to life their ideas and express them with our own freedom.”

Emily Gray, BYMT Creative Director: “We are thrilled to be working with the fabulous writing duo of Yshani and Jonathan and returning to Manchester, this year to the family friendly Z-arts venue. When we first took the idea of The Clockmaker’s City to our Young Company Panel, they were immediately intrigued and leapt at the chance to explore the concept of controlling and changing time. The world of this show is enchanting, and we have a brilliant team of young people and creative professionals ready to bring it to life through exhilarating storytelling, movement and music.”

The Clockmaker’s City is one of six BYMT 2026 premieres. During the summer, the company also presents: Technical Difficulties (Hull, 7-8 August), Paper Stars (Exeter, 14-16 August), Sea Change (Birmingham, 28-30 August) and Frankenstein (London, 28-30 August). Alongside these performances, the company’s six development camps and Upskill Short Course bring together young performers and creative teams to explore new ideas and shape the next generation of musical theatre.

Book tickets to see The Clockmaker’s City at Z-arts, Manchester!