Young People’s Theatre Newcastle

Students in years 1–10 must enrol in a Drama class before they can access the Extension Class program. Drama provides the foundational skills for all our classes.   

Year 11, 12 and post-school* students are able to choose Think Beyond Drama: Advanced Skills, Think Beyond Musical Theatre: Performance Ensemble and Think Beyond Drama: Industry Pathways. This is due to their level of experience and the additional schooling commitments. 

As a not-for-profit organisation that is registered as a charity, YPT actively promotes a culture away from maximising profits towards inclusion for all families by keeping our fees as low as possible.  You will note that our fees are for 2 terms i.e. one semester.  Uniquely, our performance and production opportunities are  provided at a minimal cost to families.  YPT covers the costs of theatre tech, copywrite and other production costs so students can access productions as a personal and dramatic development opportunity regardless of their financial situation.

Our students receive the highest quality tuition from experienced performing arts practitioners with extensive Drama training and and supported by ongoing professional development

Yes, YPT is committed to providing high quality learning experiences through to adulthood with 3 courses tailored for those in years 11 and 12. We also extend these classes to students in what we term ‘post-school’ i.e. students who wish to continue drama or musical theatre classes in the first or second year following year 12. Learn more about our Senior Courses.

Class locations are listed on the Class Timetable and on your invoice. 

Classes are held at either:

• Young People’s Theatre, Cnr Lindsay & Lawson Streets Hamilton 2303
  OR
• Hunter School of the Performing Arts (HSPA), Lambton Road, Broadmeadow. For classes at HSPA, students enter through the gate opposite McDonald’s. Theatre School Coordinators are located at the gate at the start and end of classes. The gate is locked during class time. HSPA does not allow parents/carers to enter the grounds due to their COVID requirements. Parents must collect students at the gate.

Classes are taught by senior YPT tutors who are current drama practitioners with background skills and training. Tutor/student ratios are small and most classes have a Senior Tutor and a Tutor. Learn more about our team and management committee

YPT requires that parents notify any health or other issues that could affect the welfare of their child at YPT. Issues may include general, medical or custody issues, learning difficulties or physical disabilities. At enrolment, we require parents to provide details of any issues and possible strategies to support their child while they attend YPT.

Yes. Each year we have an end of year showcase. The Drama Showcase is the annual presentation of drama class work for parents and families. Each student is given the opportunity to perform on the YPT stage with their class group. Tickets are available for purchase via the box office.

Each production has audition eligibility criteria that specifies which students can audition for productions. Ordinarily the criteria requires students to have been enrolled for a Semester at YPT although this varies between productions. YPT programs productions to enable opportunities for students in all year levels. Further information can be found on our Theatre Company page.

If your child is cast in a production there is a small commitment to volunteer. Please rest assured that the volunteer commitment is not onerous.  The number of times you are asked to volunteer depends on a number of factors including cast size, complexity of the production (set and costume) and age of the children. 

Usually parents are asked to volunteer around 3-4 times in the pre-production phase and 3-4 times during the production season.  Volunteer shifts are usually for 2-4 hours.  The pre-production phase runs for around a term and the production season for a term so the commitment is spread over a lengthy period of time. We make the process easy for parents and they are able to  choose their volunteer times from an online roster so they can fit it in with their personal schedule.  We find that most parents enjoy being part of the show, sharing the time with their children and meeting new friends.  Some parents end up volunteering more that the minimum because they enjoy the experience.

Parents help in ways that suit their skills and interests. For example, in the pre-production stage parents can choose to support the production in wardrobe (experienced or sewing for dummies), set construction, supervision of children, canteen, etc). During the Production phase parents volunteer in dressing room, canteen, front of house, stage door or green room supervision. Parents help other parents and there are clear lists of tasks.  More information can be found volunteer opportunities can be found here.