Support Us
British Youth Music Theatre is the leading music theatre company for young people aged 11-21 and the UK's largest commissioner of new work - around ten new music theatre pieces each year! Giving people chances and opportunities to explore their potential is fundamental to our ethos. Whether it's a young person wanting to perform, an emerging writing wanting to develop work or even an internship in our office. BYMT is here to give a platform to anyone who wants to work in the performing arts industry. We work with some of theatre's leading and emerging composers, musical directors, writers, choreographers, stage technicians and directors to give young people the best possible chance of learning 'how to create a new show'. We are passionate about putting young people directly in touch with these professional artists to help them develop creatively.
We audition well over 1,000 young people across the UK and Ireland each year, inviting around 350 to join the BYMT Company and perform in our Summer Season of New Music Theatre as performers and musicians. We reach a further 500 young people through our other activities designed to offer young people more chances of experiencing music theatre. We partner with leading professional theatres and festivals across the country so that young people have an unrivalled opportunity to perform and work in professional venues UK wide.
To ensure we reach a diverse range of participants we offer a comprehensive bursary scheme to reduce course fees for 40% of our company members. We also deliver outreach projects in local areas to encourage a wide range of young people to take part.
British Youth Music Theatre's current level of activity costs over £1.2 million each year. Our earned income mainly comes from our course fees and makes up 55% of this, 26% comes from Arts Council England and other public grants. The remaining 19% needs to be raised each year from private sources, including individuals, companies and trusts and foundations.
If you would be interested in supporting British Youth Music Theatre, as an individual, or through your company or foundation, you can:
- Make a one-off donation
- Become a friend
- Call the BYMT office on 020 8563 7725
- or email mail@bymt.org
Other ways in which you can help...
Amazon Smile
You can support BYMT through your Amazon shop at no extra cost to you by shopping through AmazonSmile! Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price of eligible purchases to the charitable organisation of your choice; just select BYMT on your first visit. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know with the same products, prices and service. Just log in via smile.amazon.co.uk with your usual Amazon account, select Youth Music Theatre UK (It is currently still in our old name!) as your chosen charity and shop as normal!
Give as you Live
British Youth Music Theatre are also registered with Give as you Live where your online shop can raise money for our Bursary Scheme, without costing you an extra penny!
Simply create an account in seconds and for every online purchase you make from one of the 4300+ shops listed (such as Trainline), we will receive a donation from the retailer which will help young people from all backgrounds to participate in our music theatre courses.
To support BYMT at no additional cost to you, just log in to www.giveasyoulive.com or download the app to find your favourite stores and then shop as usual!
Give as you Live is an online shopping and price comparison website, the use of which is free for both you and BYMT. Retailers offer different donation percentages through Give as You Live, at no extra cost to you, and BYMT will receive 100% of the donation. Give as you Live receives commission from retailers, but at least 50% of this is passed on to British Youth Music Theatre.
Production Support
We are looking for £10,000 funding for each of our productions each year. This generally covers the writing, royalties and some of the creative staff (MD, Director, Choreographer).
Bursary Fund (£300,000 campaign)
At BYMT, we strongly believe that financial circumstances should not be a barrier to education and endeavour to provide the highest quality training to young people from all backgrounds. The BYMT Bursary Scheme ensures that young people from socio-economically deprived areas and backgrounds are offered the same opportunities and education as those who are not.
In 2018 BYMT awarded 66 bursaries, accounting for 24% of our company members, reaching a total of £51,417.50 worth of bursary awards. Of those, 71% were from families with a household income below £25,000. To ensure that we can continue to offer the same level of opportunities, BYMT are aiming to raise £300,000 for our bursary fund over 4 years; we have already raised £65,000 in 2018, and you can help us reach our target of £300,000 by 2022!
Text YMTS00 (that's 2 zeros not Os) and the amount you wish to donate (£1, £2, £5 or £10) to 70070, oor go to JustGiving to donate online and make a difference to disadvantaged young people today!
To learn more about the opportunities we offer, watch a snapshot of our work HERE.
Quotes from bursary recipients:
"The production was such an unforgettable experience for me. This is such a big accomplishment I've made this year by being a part of the YMT company, and none of this would've happened If I hadnt been given the bursary" - Cast member, Tess of the dUrbervilles, Theatre Royal, Winchester (2017), The Other Palace, West End (2018)
"I had the opportunity to perform amongst and work with so many amazing and talented people. I had such an amazing time away, and I have made so many memories I will not forget. If it was not for kind donations, I would not have been able to do this amazing experience" - Cast member, Children of the New Forest, Barbican Theatre, Plymouth (2017)
Supported Places – Summer Camps
In addition to our productions, BYMT run 8 Summer Camps. These residential courses are six-day summer activity holidays providing intense, creative training for anyone aged 11-17 looking to experience ways of making new musical theatre. It's all about making a show - devising it, writing it, composing it, acting it, singing it, dancing or moving it, understanding it.
BYMT regularly offer Supported Places to schools or organisations with pupils who would get so much out of a summer camp but could never afford the fees. This year we are hoping to provide £20,000 worth of supported places across the UK.
Working in Education to increase access to Music Theatre
BYMT firmly believe that access to quality Music Theatre training in schools and in regional centres varies significantly across the UK. We wold like to work with Music Hubs, Regional Theatres and groups of schools to upskill teachers, giving them the experience and skills necessary to launch music theatre clubs in their schools. BYMT hope to employ a Schools Engagement Coordinator to develop this work along with helping to spread the BYMT message to all parts of the UK at a cost of £35,000 per year
Auditions Tour Backing
During January and February each year we travel the UK and Ireland to audition over a thousand talented young people in the hope that they will be invited to join the BYMT Company and be placed on a BYMT production. In 2018, our 3 audition teams travelled to 23 cities enabling a huge number of young people to have access to our great audition workshops.
We are looking for a hotel partner or sponsor to assist us in accommodating our auditions teams to help reduce the cost of auditions across the country.
Show Licencing
BYMT would like to share the great shows that we commission with amateur groups and schools. The licencing of shows would enable this whilst bringing in a new and regular income stream to the charity. In order to launch this new development, BYMT is looking for £30,000 to set up the required infrastructure and employ a new member of staff.
Get in touch with Alex Mastihi if you can help