Since 2018 Cara has been taking part in summer projects with British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), the UK's leading musical theatre organisation for young people, and each of these projects was ‘an amazing experience’ for her. She started at the age of 14 by joining one of BYMT's musical theatre summer camps: a six-day open-access creative holiday where young people train with top theatre professionals and create a brand-new musical from scratch.
‘I hold this project so close to my heart – not only for the experience, but for the way we did it. A lot of what went into the shows came from the cast. We had so much say in and control over what happened and what went into our production. We were really learning about how to produce and how to make a show ourselves, along with the guidelines, song-writing and teaching of the professionals we were working with. Most of the time they just give you the script and you go with it, but with BYMT we get to create the script. We get to build what the show will be and come up with the ideas ourselves.’
Each summer BYMT holds up to six residential musical theatre summer camps across the country. Cara was in Scotland Summer Camp, and this summer BYMT will also have their summer camps in London, Hertfordshire, Yorkshire and Wiltshire. They are open access for anyone aged 11–17 who is looking to explore their creative abilities. Young people will work with leading theatre professionals, build up their confidence, develop their creative skills, create a brand-new show from scratch and get a Grade 6 qualification from Trinity College London in the end. Participants will have lots of fun and make new like-minded friends from all over the UK and overseas.
Cara says: ‘The people you meet are absolutely amazing. Some of the best people in my life I've met doing BYMT. When I arrived, I had zero confidence – I was so insecure. But as soon as I met my new friends and flatmates, whenever I was feeling down, they would be there by my side to stand by me, push me and help me grow in confidence. As soon as I clicked with them, I felt indestructible.’
After developing her skills at BYMT's Scotland Summer Camp 2018, Cara was successful in BYMT's Auditions 2019, joined the summer season 2019 and performed in A.L.I.C.E. in Wanderlust at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield. This year she will be joining the cast of BYMT's new musical Nightshade.
‘I would literally recommend BYMT to anyone. It's an amazing experience! Working with theatre professionals, you really get engaged in what working in the industry could be like. They help you learn about your skills and learn how to expand them. It's all about learning new things that I would have never tried. I feel like I've grown as a performer.’
BYMT's musical theatre summer camps are open for booking. No audition or previous experience are needed. If you know a young person with a passion for musical theatre and who wants to have the most exciting summer, their journey starts here: britishyouthmusictheatre.org/courses
