Look Out Youth Theatre Festival, The Studio, York Theatre Royal, November 18 to 29

Six premieres from first-time playwrights form the fulcrum of York Theatre Royal's first youth festival, a two-week venture in The Studio from November 18 to 29.

Devised pieces by Yorkshire company Pilot Youth Theatre and Borderlines Theatre Company, from Stoke-on-Trent, will feature too, along with work by students from the theatre's partnership schools in York, Canon Lee School and Westfield Primary Community School.

Theatre Royal artistic director Damian Cruden says: "The Connections festival we've had here focused solely on a national programme of work for one age group, but with Look Out the focus is on our breadth of youth theatre.

"There will be a much broader range of activity for a broader range of young people, and whereas schools have had festivals of drama inside the education system, Look Out is for children who want to do theatre first and foremost as a recreational activity.

"Then there's also the element of new writing and the chance for young writers to have their work performed by professional actors and directed by professional directors."

The festival will be launched on Tuesday at 7.15pm by the Young Writers' premieres.

Dominic O'Hanlon, Matt Palfrey, Henry Raby, Emma Thompson, Hannah Weld and Anna Wilcox have worked with playwright Richard Hurford - writer of Pilot Theatre's latest play a/s/l?, age/sex/location - to create short plays on the themes of love, sex, death, parents, God and society. All six diverse pieces will be performed by professional actors on Tuesday; three will be repeated on Thursday, the others on Friday, at 8.30pm.

York Youth Theatre, the Theatre Royal's resident youth company, will present Shelter, Simon Brent's story of a group of young adults facing harsh realities as they travel to London, from Thursday to Saturday at 7.15pm.

Borderlines head north from the New Vic Theatre, Stoke, to perform Lost on November 24 at 5.30pm.

This company works with some of North Staffordshire's most disadvantaged communities, giving them an outlet to discover new ways to understand themselves, their communities and their responsibilities.

The latest production explores the consequences of isolation, grief, violence, rumour and hatred.

"Lost asks the audience hard questions about our failure to value, support and respect vulnerable members of our communities," says Damian. "The Borderlines company brings together young people who are somewhat marginalised in society and they have found theatre a valid form of self-expression."

The festival resumes on November 27 with the Partnership Schools Day, run by the Theatre Royal in tandem with the City of York Council's Arts Service. Each term the theatre will link up with two schools to look at the theatre's work across the curriculum, and this term is the turn of Canon Lee School and Westfield Primary Community School.

At 2pm, Canon Lee presents the story of a princess entrapped by loneliness, workers bound by duty and courtiers prone to dabbling with deceit. This interactive promenade performance for eight to ten year olds has been devised by Year Ten students, directed by Jenny Carr and Sarah Brigham.

At 4.30pm, Year Four and Five pupils from Westfield Primary perform Catch The Sun and The Crooked House, short devised pieces that use group storytelling techniques to look at issues of bravery, friendship and duty. Sarah Brigham, Ruth Croft and Vicky Harpin direct.

The day concludes with Youth Theatre York's 7.15pm performance of Adult Child/Dead Child. This play's mixture of monologue and poetry takes the audience on a relentless journey through the life and perceptions of an abused and unloved child, and further performances follow on November 28 at 7.15pm and November 29 at 8pm.

On the festival's closing day, November 29, two of Pilot Youth Theatre's groups, aged 13 to 18, consider the effects of the media on young people's lives.

In all, 125 young theatre talents are participating in Look Out, and Damian hopes this year's inaugural event will set down roots for future years. "Hopefully the festival will grow and change and develop over the years," he says. "We've held our youth theatre shows here for two years, and Jill Adamson, our youth theatre education director, is as keen as I am to encourage a celebration of that work in festivals.

"Performances are a critical part of the process of youth theatre; without performances to an audience there would be a hole in the purpose of workshops."

Under the guidance of former Youth Theatre Yorkshire director Jill Adamson, York Youth Theatre has built up a membership of 250 and a waiting list of more than 100.

Damon says: "So we're looking at how we can start up more groups as we can't make each group too big. We want to keep the size to 20, and the demand throughout the city keeps growing for workshops and the opportunity to perform, because youth theatre is a wonderful way for young people to meet and express themselves in safety without being subject to ridicule or judgement."

He hopes for a similarly non-judgemental, wide-ranging audience for Look Out. "I would love older people to come and see this festival rather than thinking it has nothing to say to them," he says.

"We should all be interested in what young people are saying in our community. I say to adults, whether parents or not, have a look at Look Out, be part of the celebration of what's going on in the city."

Look Out Youth Theatre Festival, The Studio, York Theatre Royal, November 18 to 29. Tickets for each show cost £5; concessions £3.50; season ticket for under 25s and students £10; ring 01904 623568 to book.

Updated: 09:31 Friday, November 14, 2003