30 Year Celebration For Lichfield Garrick Youth Theatre

Lichfield Garrick Youth Theatre proudly present a very special Concert to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Originally Lichfield Youth Theatre, the group was founded in 1985 by the late Pat Gibson and has grown from strength to strength.
 
Featuring a talented ensemble cast of past and present LGYT cast members, along with some surprise guests from the LGYT alumni members who are working on stage and off stage in the West End and beyond, the cast will be supported by their onstage orchestra with a celebration of songs from West End & Broadway shows from its past, present and future!

In November 1985, Pat Gibson along with the support of the Lichfield District Arts Association (LDAA) put on the show Grease with a group of interested youngsters at the Lichfield Arts Centre. Lichfield Youth Theatre, as it was known then, was then founded with Pat Gibson as Chairperson. Up until 1995 the group had a happy ten years at the Arts Centre. The closure of the Arts Centre in February 1995 due to structural problems brought catastrophic problems for the imminent production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. The show had to find a new home, and was therefore squeezed into a church hall half the size of the Arts Centre.

Due to the lack of a home, the group were forced to adapt and grow in order to stay alive. By producing larger shows such as Annie, 42nd Street, West Side Story and Guys and Dolls at the Lichfield Civic Hall. However, Lichfield Civic Hall was then marked for closure too, so in 2002 they produced their next show (ironically it was Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat)  at Lichfield Cathedral.

However, with the opening of the Lichfield Garrick, Lichfield Garrick Youth Theatre was born. WIth extremely successful productions of Oliver! and Little Shop of Horrors, in November 2006, they performed their belated 20th Anniversary Concert dedicated to the memory of Pat Gibson who had sadly passed away a few weeks before. The Youth Theatre continues in her memory.

Since then, LGYT have delivered an impressive repertoire of shows at Lichfield Garrick, including Fame - The Musical, Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent, West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and many more. Many of these shows were nominated for awards, and then, in December 2011, they won the Best Production Award for Oliver!

LGYT's 30th Anniversary Celebration Concert is a celebration of all things past, present and future. Current confirmed past members performing on the evening include Alex Wadham (currently touring the UK in The Mousetrap), Katie Kerr (recently finished the UK Tour of Wicked, and ENO’s Sweeney Todd starring Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson), Toby-Alexander Smith (currently appearing in the West End’s Mamma Mia) and Sam Buttery (Finalist on BBC’s The Voice and recently starred as Leigh Bowery in the revival of Boy George’s musical Taboo), with many more to be announced. 

The celebrations are timely, as other alumni are embarking on exciting projects including Siobhan Dillon who recently opened in the role of Ellen in Miss Saigon, having also played the lead of Molly in Ghost (the next LGYT production in September), and Sian Brooke is currently in rehearsals, playing Ophelia in Hamlet opposite Benedict Cumberbatch for the National Theatre. 

Featuring a combined cast of over 50 past and present members, plus a stunning on stage orchestra and lots of memories to be shared, the evening is set to be a fantastic showcase of Lichfield Garrick Youth Theatre's past, present and most importantly future. Book online now at www.lichfieldgarrick.com and search LGYT to choose your seats, or call the box office on 01543 412 121.