The Oscar and BAFTA nominated stars of the blockbuster movie adaptation of the hit musical WICKED, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande stopped by the National Youth Theatre’s home on the Holloway Road in North London to meet members of the pioneering NYT REP Company.
After leading a Q&A with the stars, Paul Roseby OBE, CEO & Artistic Director of National Youth Theatre said; “Last week we were thrilled to welcome Universal and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to our Workshop Theatre, as our building turned green in honour of Wicked. From the sing-a-long at Odeon Cinema next door to our intimate ‘chat-a-long’ with the stars, Ariana and Cynthia’s inspirational talk allowed us all to defy gravity and believe anything is possible. Thank you to Ariana and Cynthia, Universal and all our friends, new and old, for making it possible”
Cynthia Erivo, nominated for Best Actress, and Ariana Grande, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, then took the time to meet with young members of the Company and discuss careers in the creative industry, answering questions about their craft, audition technique, how Wicked was made and their career journeys. A film of the event will be released later this year.
When asked what advice they’d give to their younger selves, Cynthia said to the room of young National Youth Theatre members: “Keep going – it’s not easy. Don’t be so hard on yourself. If it doesn’t go your way, it doesn’t go your way. And that’s okay. Nine times out of ten the things that don’t necessarily go right are just building blocks to the thing you need.”
Ariana told the young talent in the room: ‘‘Stay connected to the younger you, the little you who was inspired by their first favourite movie or their first favourite song, and your love and curiosity for the craft. Keep learning and doing new things. We can forget to be kind to ourselves. So don’t.”
The NYT REP Company is the leading free industry-based alternative to formal training and features 18 of Britain’s most exciting young performers from around the UK. The company consists of Selorm Adonu, Stella Blakeley, Emily Casey, Talitha Christina, Luc de Freitas, Megan Keaveny, Tyler Kinghorn, Holly Masters, Laura Masters, David Olaniregun, Edward Oulton, Freya Catherine Purdie, Daniel Regan, Dominic Semwanga, Cathy Sole, Ruari Spooner, Ruby Ward and Alfie Wickham.
Established in 1956 as the world’s first youth theatre, NYT produces ambitious theatrical productions in local communities, on leading global stages, on screen and in unusual spaces across the UK and beyond.
National Youth Theatre is a creative home for young storytelling talent. Inclusion is at NYT’s heart and its members come from a wide range of backgrounds and all around the UK. Global stars who started their journey with the charity include Ed Sheeran, Daniel Craig, Helen Mirren, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rosamund Pike, Adeel Akhtar, Florence Pugh, Rege Jean-Page, Olly Alexander, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby, Zawe Ashton, Paapa Essiedu and many more.
