From August 9th-12th 2025 some members of the current DYT group took a trip to London to work with our partners, DreamArts Rep Company. We have been partnering with DreamArts for three years now and they have made a few trips to Paignton to share work with us at our scratch events, but this was our first opportunity to repay the visit, and what an opportunity it was!
The below blog was written by Holly and Gaby from the group.
SATURDAY 9th
Despite being met with a rocky start when our train was delayed at Paignton, we arrived at London excited to see our friends at DreamArts again! The session began with some games and contract-writing, and we then rehearsed ensemble scenes from their show with them in a community hall in Victoria for a few hours. After rehearsals, we headed to the hostel where we navigated the joys of having 8 of us in one room – the triple bunk beds were the biggest hit and the hostel in Russell Square was really nice. Afterwards we made our way to Camden People’s theatre and saw a piece that was part of Camden Fringe, a collection of three short plays by Tennessee Williams, which stirred up a lot of discussion within the group about different interpretations and opinions of the show. Thoroughly exhausted after a day of antics, Mich and Helen pulled through and sourced an allergen friendly restaurant that we all enjoyed which was no small feat! Heading back to the hostel, we were met with a rough first night when our room was about 1000 degrees!
SUNDAY 10th
Somehow, we made it through the long, sweltering night and were met with the tough decision of how to spend our morning before the afternoon rehearsal. After much deliberation, we decided a quick trip to Covent Garden and a visit to the National Gallery would allow us to explore a small but exciting part of London in our short time here. Slightly tired but unyieldingly excited, we began our second rehearsal with DreamArts and were surprised at how much of the piece we managed to learn in four hours -picking up cues and transitions easily thanks to the wonderful direction of Catherine and Paul. The day ended with a shared meal with DreamArts where we enjoyed Turkish food from a nearby restaurant, and finished with a checkout. With Day 2 over, we headed back to the hostel via a local park, played some cards, and had a much better night sleep with the extra fan we ordered working diligently through the night.
MONDAY 11th
On our final full day in London, we arrived bright and early to our performance location – the beautiful Marylebone theatre – and spent the day doing our tech and dress rehearsals. Despite the fact that the day was slow-moving at times, the atmosphere remained positive throughout and we furthered our friendships with the wonderful DreamArts group. The theatre itself was a beautiful location, with a cafe, a bookshop within and a water feature on the stairs. After doing a group warm up to raise the energy, we got straight into the show which thankfully went smashingly with no bumps, and we had an interactive audience – which always helps! Once the show was over, we all went outside to greet the audience members and say goodbye to one another, doing a group interview for the wonderful Nebi where we reflected on the whole experience. We also had an impromptu dance party with us and DreamArts on the street, which was a lovely end to a lovely night!
TUESDAY 12th
Much to our dismay, we ended our final day with a 6am start to make our train, leaving early in order to attend the Theatre buddies trip to Hamilton with the rest of the Doorstep team. Overall, the excitement of performing in a professional theatre with DreamArts, coupled with the lasting impression of the sights of London, quickly nullified the tiring effects of an early start. We left the trip feeling positive, proud and excited to partner with DreamArts once again in the future.
