Venue: Shoreditch Town Hall
Cast: British Youth Music Theatre
Join us for an evening of seasonal cheer, filled with the favourite songs from BYMT shows this year, as voted by our performers and musicians. The incredible participants from 2024 have been invited back to perform a segment from their show or camp as we see in the end of a phenomenal 20th Anniversary year. This is the perfect way to showcase BYMT’s work and celebrate the amazing people who made the Easter and Summer seasons so special.
Let it Snow! is a wonderful celebration of brand new, original musicals performed by young people at the start of their careers.
Students of British Youth Music Theatre united at Shoreditch Town Hall to showcase some of the new work they have performed over the year. What makes BYMT unique is their exclusivity on championing and commissioning exclusively new musicals for their young people to perform.
Providing young performers the opportunity to originate a role provides a deep level of training and a sense of ownership that is radiant on stage. Performers are claiming characters as their own rather than mimicking their icons, allowing them to become stronger performers and own their own style. The talent on offer from a variety of young people was impressive and there are plenty of performers who will very likely go on to star on West End stages.
Recently appointed patron of BYMT, Grace Mouat featured via projection having sent a message from the dressing room of Mean Girls where she is currently performing as Karen at the Savoy Theatre on the West End. Mouat provided an inspirational message for the young performers and provided a glimpse into what their future could hold.
The musicals on offer at Let it Snow! were varied, each with their own unique casts, soloists and ensemble choreography. While not fully staged performances, this concert gave a fantastic vibe of each show and highlighted those performing. While only being a whistle stop tour of each show, performing up to three numbers from each, they all featured a short trailer beforehand to introduce and contextualise the show.
While some musicals are brand new and original ideas, others were based on true stories or familiar fables. Featuring King Arthur and Camelot, George Orwell's Animal Farm (which celebrates it's 80th anniversary next year) and historical true stories, there was plenty on offer and something of a genre for all to enjoy. The range even extended through to the climate crisis and Alice in Wonderland. Regardless of the subject matter, each felt intriguing and showcased new songs that might make it to stages soon.
The evening also featured highlights from When We Strike which had a run at Southwark Playhouse earlier this year and Unbound which has recently had a professional cast concert at Hoxton Hall. Both of which are fantastic new musicals that will hopefully have a life beyond BYMT. Both musicals offer stories dedicated to (and performed by) young people telling stories about young people.
The venue provided great acoustics and space for the performance with all the students flooding the stage at the end of the evening to perform a brand-new Christmas song penned by Amir Shoenfeld, which was a beautiful and delightful way to end the evening. Shoenfeld also penned When We Strike with Caitlyn Burt and the next evening had another song, from a different musical, called Otto Weidt's Brush and Broom Workshop for the Blind, named runner up with the 'Vision, Voice and Potential' award in the Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Final. BYMT are providing platforms not just for their performers, but for emerging writers who clearly belong to have their work staged.
The evening also featured the announcement that Eden Tredwell is the latest winner of the New Music Theatre Award. Her new musical promises to be a "hilarious mix of Norse mythology and old-school musical comedy" which will be developed by BYMT and receive a London premiere during their 2025 summer season. This will definitely be something for musical theatre fans to keep an eye out for.
Let it Snow! isn't just the closing night of another successful year for BYMT, it sung out the success of their 20th Anniversary year with hints towards an exciting 2025.
Fans of musical theatre and supporters of brand new musicals should keep an eye on BYMT and the shows they announce in 2025. Not only are the musicals great, the talent on offer is impressive.
Let it Snow! was performed on the 1st December 2024 at Shoreditch Town Hall.
You can find out more about Let it Snow!, here.
Thoughts by Ryan
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