Young People's Theatre Newcastle

The YPT Theatre Company includes Student, Associate and Adult Members. Productions, staged at the 148 seat theatre located on the corner of Lindsay and Lawson Streets, Hamilton, provide performance opportunities for YPT Theatre School students.

YPT traditionally offers four productions per year. The first production each year, with a short season during Term 1, is a performance opportunity for senior students before they devote themselves to their school studies. The following three productions, performed between April and November, are children’s theatre.

The Artistic Director, Wendy Leis, has responsibility for selecting the annual program and the production directors.

Lindsay Street Players

Lindsay Street Players (LSP) is an ensemble created under the umbrella of YPT. It caters for YPT adult members who are keen to participate in productions. LSP productions include works more suited to a mature audience. To participate in an LSP production, membership must have been current for at least the previous twelve months. For insurance purposes it is mandatory that LSP members also have current YPT Adult Membership.

Auditions – what parents and students need to know!

Involvement in productions is open to financial YPT members. Acting roles are determined through an audition process. Interested students are made aware of any specific production requirements prior to the auditions. Students may indicate interest in assisting front of house, back stage or with sound and lighting. Students involved in productions must continue to attend classes during the rehearsal phase and the production period.  Auditioning is voluntary. YPT members accept that all casting decisions are at the discretion of the Director/s. Further information is available in the Audition Policy.

Parent commitment – what parents need to know!

As YPT is a voluntary community organisation, we rely on parents to assist with productions. There are no extra fees/charges levied to support productions – just support from parents/carers.

Parents/carers are responsible for making, altering or adjusting their child’s costume using materials provided by the Theatre. For those who do not sew, this may involve finding a dressmaker. The Wardrobe Coordinator is available to support this activity during rehearsals.

During rehearsals, parents are needed to assist with costume work, set construction and/or canteen duty. By the end of the rehearsal period, a request will have been made for parents/carers to add their names to a roster to assist with canteen, front of house, dressing room and/or stage door during the performance season.

During rehearsals, a useful measure of parental assistance is to plan to help for at least half the time that your child is rehearsing.

During the performance season, parents are needed to work on the rosters in line with their child’s performance schedule.

During the performance season, a useful measure of parental assistance is to be rostered to help for at least half the number of shows in which your child is performing.

Bump In: One or two weekends before a production begins, finishing touches have to be made to the set, costume storage and dressing rooms.

Bump Out: After the last show, usually on the final night, the set has to be dismantled, lights pulled down, costumes packed and distributed for laundering, dressing rooms cleaned and a general tidy up completed to make the theatre ready for the next production.

Parental involvement is essential during Bump In and Bump Out!

For each production, parents/carers are required to sign a Production Commitment Form.  Click here to view a sample Commitment Form. You may need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to read this document.

Attached is a message on commitment from the Artistic Director.

Supervision between classes and rehearsals/performances – what parents need to know!

Students participating in morning classes may also be involved in afternoon rehearsals and/or afternoon and evening performances.

Parents/carers are responsible for transporting students between venues. Some cast and crew walk to Beaumont Street after class to have lunch before going to the theatre for a rehearsal/performance in the afternoon or between afternoon and evening performances.

The Theatre is closed between the afternoon and evening performances. Students are not permitted to stay at the Theatre between shows – there is no supervision by adult members as all adults and students sign out between performances! Parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that suitable arrangements are in place for their children during this period. The Theatre is not available to shelter from bad weather or seek any assistance for about two hours between the afternoon and evening performances.

Student commitment – what students need to know!

Children’s theatre productions open in the autumn, winter and spring school holidays. Prior to the production opening, rehearsals are held each Saturday afternoon, after theatre classes, for about ten weeks.

Productions open on the first Monday of the school holidays with performances from Monday to Saturday of the first week of the holidays and then each Saturday for approximately eight weeks – a total of about twenty two performances. Each child in a production will usually be involved in at least eleven performances.

Involvement in a production is a time commitment of about eighteen weeks.

Students must also commit to observe theatre rules of behavior and to accept instructions and advice from the director/s, wardrobe coordinator and other appointed officers. Punctuality in arriving for rehearsals and performances is essential. A message must be left with the YPT Office for any planned absences. An explanation is also required for any unplanned absences.