Lyric Young Company catch their upcoming shows and you won't forget the name.
Two teams of 16 actors, aged 14 to 16 and 17 to 19, are producing shows in collaboration with some of theatre-lands most innovative thinkers.
"Young people are often drilled into over-rehearsed plays which leave nothing to chance," says Alex Murdoch of theatre group Cartoon De Salvo.
"We're lucky to have developed trust with the Lyric, so when we say, 'How about this barking-mad idea?' they say, 'Go for it!'"
The trust was developed when Cartoon De Salvo successfully staged the impossible with Hard Hearted Hannah, at the Lyric Studio in May.
To the amazement of audiences their show created a different, fully-improvised show every night over a three-week run.
Now they are co-producing One Night Only with the 14 to 16 year olds, a show about actors trapped with the clippings from an edited film.
At the helm of the 17 to 19 year olds will be Gecko, who took over the Lyric Studio in February with a daringly physical show, The Arab and
The Jew.
Currently putting the final touches on Depth Charge, their show will make visual the turmoil of transition between child and adult.
Catch up with the cast below for the inside story.
Depth Charge and One Night Only, by Lyric Young Company, Gecko and Cartoon De Salvo is at The Lyric Theatre, Lyric Square, from Wednesday, August 20, until Saturday, August 22. Depth Charge, s7/s5. 8.15pm. One Night Only, s7/s5. 6.45pm. Call 08712 211 729. See www.lyric.co.uk
Laura Hepworth
Laura, 19, plays a ballerina in Depth Charge
Drama?
"A play called Metamorphosis by the Icelandic theatre group Vesturport inspired me to try out. I was doing a theatre studies course at Gumley
House, Isleworth, at the time and I couldn't resist auditioning for the LYC's Acting Up class. I was scared, but after 10 weeks I knew I was on the right track."
Dreams?
"I dread the thought of conformity. Commuting to a desk job in formal clothes and a briefcase is not for me. I like being creative and acting is a good place to start."
The show?
"I love the physicality of the show. Theatre in school was very theory based, so this is totally new. The character I play, unlike real life, is a ballerina who's fascinated by the office life and the suits. Amit of Gecko pushes us to our limit, I just hope my body can keep up!"
Courtney Mitchell
Courtney, 19, left, plays an ambitious actor in Depth Charge
Drama?
"I feel like I've always been acting. Like when you get a pair of socks at Christmas and you say 'Wow! Thank you,' through gritted teeth. Turning that into a career, however, began with the Lyric. They visited my school, West Thames College, Isleworth, to raise awareness of the Lyric Young Company (LYC). After that there was no looking back."
Dreams?
"Acting and writing are my passion, credit-crunch pressure won't chain me to a nine to five. Depth Charge will be my second show with the LYC
and I've just finished writing a screenplay for a film called British Beef. It's a cross between Gangs of New York and Adulthood."
The show?
"The theme is the journey between childhood and adulthood. Every one of us has a journey. Some die, some escape, others use love or work as
a vehicle for getting what they want. We're really going to shake people with the depth we've gone to, to show our emotions."
Ashley Abbott
Ashley, 16, plays an Aladdinesque character in One Night Only
Drama?
"My nan, Veronica, told me about the LYC a couple of years ago. This will be my second LYC show, but I've always wanted to act. I remember copying all the characters on soaps like EastEnders since I was a kid. Now that I've finished my GCSEs at Acton High School I'm going to study performing arts full-time at Uxbridge College."
Dreams?
"I'd love to be a big film actor. I enjoy theatre, but with film you can reach a bigger audience. My parents, three brothers and one sister
are all behind me so I'm gonna try my hardest and take a chance."
The show?
"There's no script! I always get butterflies and think, 'How's this going to end?' The concept is about two characters who have been edited out of a film but don't realise it yet. They journey through snippets of different film styles trying to get out. I play an Aladdin-style character, an old, wise man trying to give them direction."
Sophie Roche
Sophie, 15, plays a period drama character in One Night Only
Drama? "I love the feeling of being in somebody else's shoes, trying to make the audience feel those adopted emotions."
Dreams?
I've been acting in school plays since I was 10 and would love to do it as a career. I'm studying at James Allen's Girls' School, Dulwich, and want to study English at university. Reading is such a big part of drama the writers, the characters, the vocabulary and then hopefully get in to drama school."
The show?
"The play works through lots of scenes from different film genres, such as western, horror or rom-com. My character is in the period drama scene. The spontaneity of improvisation is such a rush, working with Cartoon De Salvo has broadened my perception of what theatre can be."
Young people living in Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Ealing, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Harrow, Brent, Richmond and Wandsworth aged 14 to 19 can apply to be members of LYC. Download a membership form at lyc@lyric.co.uk or call 020 8741 6863.
