The National Youth Theatre marked its 70th anniversary with a star-studded gala at London’s Royal Festival Hall, bringing together leading figures from stage and screen for a special performance of Letters to My Younger Future Self.
Supported by Netflix, EON Productions and Arts Council England, the fundraising event celebrated seven decades of championing young talent while raising awareness and support for arts education across the UK.
The evening featured appearances from Adeel Akhtar, Susan Wokoma, Rose Ayling-Ellis, India Amarteifio, Fehinti Balogun, Jessica Henwick, Jack Thorne, James Graham, Daniel Ings, Calam Lynch, Rob Rinder, Fay Ripley, Rhea Norwood, Takunda Muzondiwa and Megan Bolton, performing alongside a 70-strong cast of National Youth Theatre members.
Guests in attendance included Lolita Chakrabarti, Monica Dolan, Philip Glenister, Steven Moffat, Katherine Ryan, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Bob Crowley and Chris Bryant.
Built around the theme Letters to My Younger Future Self, the gala saw performers read personal reflections, share advice and offer messages of encouragement to future generations. The project will continue later this year with the publication of a commemorative book featuring letters from the event alongside contributions from Dame Joan Collins, Dame Judi Dench, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Richard E Grant, Lashana Lynch, Matt Lucas, Sharon Horgan, Lennie James and Joanna Lumley.
Reading a letter written by playwright James Graham, Daniel Craig told the audience that “the most important invention in the history of civilisation […] was stopping, standing still”.
Craig continued: “I don’t want any future that’s inevitable,” before dedicating the letter to “those here who stopped, who stayed, who planted seeds, and grew things…”.
Rose Ayling-Ellis reflected on her own experiences, saying: “No matter how hard you tried, you never quite fitted in. Until one day, you just stopped trying. You allowed yourself to be Deaf. The silence forced you inward. You learnt to love the quietness of outside and listen to the loudness of inside. And in that loudness, you found your community. Your language, Your culture.”
Jack Thorne brought humour to the evening, advising his younger self: “Enjoy your hair,” because “in thirty one years time even the idea of a quiff will be an ancient bitter memory.”
He concluded his letter with a message to “be kind to others” and “try to do better than you do”.
Introducing the event, National Youth Theatre Artistic Director and gala Creative Director Paul Roseby OBE said: “Tonight, thanks to stand out support from Netflix, we celebrate 70 years of championing young voices and their stories. As you’ll see on stage we’ve nurtured some world-leading storytellers over the last 70 years and are proud to have started a global youth theatre movement. And we don’t rest on our laurels – just this week we were nominated at the UK Theatre Awards for Excellence in Inclusivity. With critical youth unemployment outside of London, students in deprived areas three times less likely to take GCSE drama and A level drama down 50%, the National Youth Theatre is more important than ever. We are the positive story that Britain needs more of.’’
Anne Mensah, Vice President of UK Content, Netflix, said: “Tonight was a brilliant reminder of what’s possible when you invest in young talent and the National Youth Theatre has spent 70 years nurturing young people into the storytellers who go on to shape our screens and stages. We’re proud to support them through Generation N and IGNITE Your Creativity, because backing the next generation isn’t just about opening doors, it’s about making sure the industry we love keeps being fed by fresh voices, fresh perspectives and fresh ambition.”
The gala was created by Paul Roseby, directed by Josie Baxter, with dramaturgy by Krishna Istha and Sophie Ellerby. Design and production support came from Will Duke, Prema Mehta, Nicola T. Chang and Matthew Wells, with many behind-the-scenes roles filled by young creatives taking part in the IGNITE Your Creativity programme.
Netflix served as headline sponsor for the anniversary event, continuing a partnership with National Youth Theatre that has created more than 4,000 free opportunities for emerging creative talent since 2023.
More information can be found here.
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