Stagecoach Youth Theatre York has its programme in place for the next academic year and a scheme afoot to raise money for additional directors to complement John Cooper.

The long-serving artistic director says: "We have an ambitious calendar of theatrical productions and events through to summer 2005, and we hope to further expand the Stagecoach programme to meet the increasing demand after many new members joined the youth theatre in the past year."

Performances of the street-theatre entertainment The Glorious History Of York will take place during the August Bank Holiday weekend in Parliament Street and money collected will go towards the new seating in the Stagecoach studio theatre.

"It tells the history of the city in a humorous way through the music of pop songs of the 1970s and 1980s, and there are lots of places to be filled in the company for this show," says John. Participation is free and the main rehearsals will be held during the first week of the summer holidays.

The new programme at Stagecoach's headquarters in Trinity Hall, Monkgate, will kick off in late September with the American musical about American musicals, A Chorus Line.

"This hugely ambitious project demands a high level of song and dance as well as acting skills of the highest calibre," says John, who will collaborate once again with American choreographer Eric Carpenter.

Stagecoach will mount a Christmas show of music, variety, poetry and comedy in Trinity Methodist Church in the week before Christmas. The Season To Be Jolly will include dramatisations of seasonal classics and a selection of Victorian Old Time Music Hall numbers.

"The Season To Be Jolly is open to young people of all ages and places are still available for anybody who wants to get into the festive spirit," says John. "We hope to introduce a number of special guests into the programme, together with an exchange of artists and material from the York Settlement Players, and Ruth Ford will be among the Settlement performers taking part."

At the beginning of next February, funding allowing, Cooper proposes to revive Be My Baby, Amanda Whittington's play set in a Mother and Baby home in 1964.

"When Stagecoach presented Be My Baby nearly five years ago, it was the play's first amateur production in the country. This time we're looking for three more girls to complete the cast of ten to rehearse the revival of this tear jerker at the beginning of next year," says John.

The Dracula Spectacula will be staged next March. "Again this will depend on the funding of associate directors. We already have 20 people aged eight to 13 committed to this bubbling musical extravaganza, but we hope to double that number by the time rehearsals begin this September," says John.

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night will round off the Stagecoach programme for 2004-2005 at a variety of outside venues in late July and early August 2005.

For more information on taking part in Stagecoach productions, ring John on 01904 674675.

Updated: 15:37 Thursday, July 01, 2004