Leading youth arts organisation The National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) are celebrating being awarded the Guinness World Records most complete costume changes in a lead theatrical role – with 37 changes in their production Our House. This record has been achieved by 2024 NYMT company member Des Coghlan-Forbes (17 years old from North Somerset) who plays the titular role of Joe Casey; he is assisted by Costume Designer Molly Fraser and Wardrobe Assistant Lucy Vickers (18 years old from Lincolnshire). With music and lyrics by the iconic British band Madness (with one song, It Must Be Love, written by Labi Siffre), and the book by playwright Tim Firth, the high-energy tour-de-force musical which ran at the Southwark Playhouse, Elephant.
The previous record was held by costume designer Paul Kieve who completed 29 changes in the original West End production of the show with patron and NYMT alumni Olivier award-winner Mike Jibson (Hamilton; Our House; Stranger Things) who originated the role of Joe Casey.
The 2024 summer season has been running at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant, performed by the remarkable Young Company Members of NYMT 2024 (10 – 23 years old). The season has already featured Stephen Sondheim’s timeless classic Into the Woods, and an ambitious new folk musical Catastrophe Bay, written by Kit Buchan and James Barne. For nearly 50 years, NYMT has been at the forefront of offering exceptional opportunities in pre-professional musical theatre training for talented young people and this marks an exciting chapter in bringing these shows to the heart of London.
Chris Cuming, Artistic Director of NYMT, comments, At every point, NYMT works tirelessly to support, nurture and develop individuals involved on and off stage – it is with immersible pride that we can announce this Guinness World Records news. It truly recognises some of these outstanding achievements of stagecraft from the production and the handing of the title from one NYMT member to another makes it even better. I am so honoured to lead an organisation that prides itself in its professionalism and ambition in what we achieve and will achieve. This is a testament to the talent across the companies which we work with year after year and kicks of a new era.
Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records Assessor, comments Guinness World Records is passionate about encouraging young people to take on the challenge of breaking a record, so I was thrilled to be able to witness Des achieve so many quick changes during Our House – some of them in under five seconds. What a remarkably talented young performer! I’ve always been a big fan of The National Youth Music Theatre – it’s such an inspirational organization, and as the team has just proved, this versatile family of actors and creatives can turn their hand to anything. Congratulations to Joe, Molly and Lucy for adding such a spectacle to an already awesome night at the theatre.
