Doorstep Youth Theatre (DYT) Rep Company are working on a special project, devising an original prequel to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This 40 minute show will be infused with original youth-written music, feature a live band on stage, and tell the story of the hidden children of Vulgaria.
The DYT Rep group have been working on this creative concept since January 2026. The first couple of months were an open devising process… where they explored the world of ‘Vulgaria’ – i.e. the fictional kingdom that the car flies off to in the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang story.
Building a world from the clues in that storyline, DYT Rep then proceeded to invent a new original narrative – one which explores in more depth how the real people of Vulgaria might have encountered the ban on children imposed by their Baron and his new wife the Baroness.
Since April, the DYT Rep group have also been joined by a small team of additional young musicians. This has enabled us to work on developing original music whilst also bringing the story to life. Featuring piano, electric guitar, bass, cajon, ukulele, harmonica and vocals, the in-house band have written 6 original songs, and are providing a live score underneath the script to bring the world to life.
Thanks to a script (pulled together from the devised content by Lead Artist Helen Gilbert), the company are now in the final stages of bringing this story to life. It will feature on the mainstage of the Palace Theatre on 6 & 7 August, as an opening act for the Doorstep Arts Studio Course group’s production of the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
This model of working from a known musical to devise an original chapter is one that Doorstep have used before on a previous production – with our production of The Woods in 2017. This process involves a wide open creative playtime process which slowly narrows toward a full production (see image and reflections on the Democracy Triangle/Democracy Diamond here.)
DYT Rep have tackled this ambitious project with their usual flair, humour, and professionalism. Last night’s rehearsal was a powerful reminder of what happens when all the elements start to come together – as our Make It Happen Crew were in the space providing lighting & sound support. It was lovely to have some proper theatre lighting on in the room, and you could feel the show starting to come to life.
Helen Gilbert, the Lead Artist for DYT and DYT Rep, has guided this process from the early stages. We want to send her huge gratitude for all she’s done! Helen won’t be with us all the way to the August production as she’s headed off on maternity leave at the end of June. Sending her all the good luck vibes and many thank yous for guiding the creative process from Jan to June.
Only a weeks left to go, but it does feel like things are starting to come together and the world-building is more and more clear with each rehearsal. The music infusing the show has brought a new exciting component, and the characters and storyline are really starting to crystalise.
If you’re curious about what an original chapter to the Chitty story might look and sound like, and you want to come and see the production, you can book tickets via this link here.
We’d love to see you there! We can promise: a grumpy fisherman (with a heart of gold), two baker sisters with a secret, a Revolution Song, a Major on a hobby horse, and some good folk harmonies. Come and join us!
