The Canberra Youth Theatre (CYT) 2011 season, THRESHOLDS will see young writers and performers chart their way through the liminal space between their comfort zone and their dream worlds. Weaving through the entire program, from semester and holiday workshops to ensembles and productions by audition, the young and emerging artists are challenged to stand on the threshold of new territories, live outside the sphere of safety and make calculated risks in order to test the limits of their own creative potential.

CYT is Australia’s longest running youth theatre company. After 40 years, CYT’s young people aged 7 – 25 years continue to expand and develop their craft in the extensive workshop and production program.

Hightlights include 

• the launch of 2011 season in March with the Australian Premiere of COCKROACH by Sam Holcroft; produced, designed and performed by our Emerging Artists. (Ages 16 – 25)
   
• ?Senior and Teen Ensembles return after a highly successful year in 2010, with RETRIEVAL winning the Express Media Award - Best New Project with Young People (ACT) in Melbourne and being nominated for four Canberra Area Theatre Awards, Best Original Work, Best Production, Best Costume Design, Best Director.
   
• hiJinx is set go off at this year’s Youth Arts fair at Gorman House Arts Centre. An amazing variety event, produced, managed and performed by young people.
  Grants available for young people!
   
• OPEN HOUSE: Emerging Artists Residency will be supporting 2 new artists in the development of new works.
   
• CHRYSALIS SCHOLARSHIPS – 2 new scholarships will be awarded to exciting young artists.
  David Branson Memorial Performance Scholarship & the Jan Wawrzynczak Memorial Technical Scholarship
   
• The SEED: Staged Reading program is back with 4 new works for audience to watch and engage in a creative and critical dialogue with each writer (Ages 15 – 25)
   
• young actors of CYT will star in their Australian Premiere adaptation of Nikki Slade-Robinson’s, THAT’S NOT JUNK! at Floriade in September (Ages 7 – 12)
   
• concluding 2011 with four World Premiere productions in ARTISTS UNITE from homegrown playwrights, directors and designers. (Ages 13 – 25)
   
• The WORKSHOP PROGRAM is back bigger and better than ever featuring classes at Gorman House & Belconnen Arts Centre in:
  * Scene work & Devised Theatre
  * Set & Costume Design
  * Improvisation
  * Clowning and Physical Theatre
  * Electro-Theatre Laboratory
  * Playwriting
  * Teen & Senior Ensembles – commit for a full year of intensive actor training

This year’s workshops and productions all challenge  participants to forge new frontiers and join in the excitement, leading up to CYT’s 40th Anniversary in 2012. Enrolments close on 4th February. Enrolment forms and the full workshop program can be downloaded fromthe CYT website. 

For further information contact CYT artistic director Karla Conway (02) 6248 5057.