What is DYT?
Doorstep Youth Theatre is for young people aged 14 – 20 who aspire to be professional theatre makers. The group works as a repertory ensemble on a project-by-project basis alongside professional artists to create original theatre. In the past, we have created original musicals (Grit, Out of the Woods), toured original plays across the South West (White Moon), and most recently we created a site-specific show in Kent’s Cavern, Torquay’s world-famous prehistoric caves (The Inheritance). We believe that young people can create incredible professional quality art and Doorstep Youth Theatre is all about giving members of the group the platform to make that happen.
This group is audition-only, but you do not have to be a performer to be an ensemble member. DYT is open to musicians, dancers, technicians, designers, actors, directors and writers. We approach all projects with a complete team, and would really encourage those interested in behind-the-scenes roles to contact us. Anyone interested in technical and production roles are welcome to get in touch at any time – please email sam@doorsteparts.co.uk.
Doorstep Youth Theatre is led by Sam Parker and Helen Gilbert.
Sam is one of the co-founders of Downstage Write. Sam is currently under commission with the Theatre Royal Plymouth as a playwright, and he has taught for the University of Plymouth. As a dramaturg and script reader, he has most recently worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sam is the Pathways Producer for Doorstep Arts, which includes leadership of National Citizen Service in Torbay. He is the Lead Artist for Doorstep Youth Theatre & leads on the annual Young Writers Project and the National Youth Theatre (NYT) Associate scheme. He serves as the producer within the Collaborative Touring Network.
Helen is a theatre maker and facilitator based in Totnes, who has worked with a variety of Devon-based organisations. She is currently the Education and Engagement Manager for MED Theatre where she works within the rurally isolated communities of Dartmoor, co-creating original work with young people, and producing and directing large-scale community plays.
DYT Members
Our Land (2023)
Doorstep Youth Theatre staged an original site-specific promenade performance The Inheritance in Kents Cavern across 20, 21, 22 and 23 of July 2023. Huge thanks to the brilliant enthusiastic team at Kents Cavern for their support, and to funder Heritage Lottery Fund for enabling the project to happen. Doorstep Arts are a long-term Geopark partner, and this work continues a long legacy of developing ambitious innovative arts-based approaches to engaging with the English Riviera Global Geopark.
➜ Read: Project Evaluation Film
➜ Listen: Radio Play
➜ Read: ‘The Inheritance’ Blog Post
➜ Read: Behind the Scenes at Kents Cavern
➜ Read: ‘The Inheritance’ in Rehearsal
White Moon (2021/22)
White Moon was a new youth-led production accompanied by original live music that explored the surreal as a natural extension of the real. It was a visionary look at relationships, religion and retribution across unknown realities and realms. At White Moon, the living becomes alive.
➜ Read: White Moon Tech Week Blog Post
➜ Read: White Moon Performances Blog Post
➜ Read: White Moon’s trip to Acta Community Theatre Blog Post
➜ Read/Watch: Producing Praxis: Final Video
Protest & Rebellion (2020)
Placing current extinction/climate protests into a long-term heritage context, this Heritage Lottery Fund project worked to make historical patterns of protest and rebellion in South Devon and Torbay more visible.
An ensemble of young people aged 14-20 explored past protest/rebellion in Torbay, devising an original musical production. The creative process started with historians and heritage organisations contributing and sharing source material. Drawing on this research, young people worked with the Doorstep team and visiting professionals to devise an original musical performance. This was shared via small-scale outdoor events in August and a socially-distanced outdoor & indoor performance in November 2020.
