National Youth Theatre REP Company Audition Experience 😊❤️🎭

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. In this blog I will be talking about my experience in auditioning for the National Youth Theatres REP company. Whilst I didn’t get in this years intake, I still thoroughly enjoyed the process, so why not share my experience with you incase anyone reading this and is also a member of NYT is auditioning next year! 

What is the National Youth Theatre REP Company?

The Repertory Company (Or REP for short), is for members of the national youth theatre aged 18-25 (or up to 39 if like myself you are deaf, disabled and neurodivergent), where it’s a 9 month training programme that focuses on honing your skills and expanding them int the industry. Essentially it’s like going to drama school, except the fact other than for people like myself who need to find somewhere to live, it’s free to apply. I knew it would be tough, as only 18/20 members get in. But throughout this process I just learnt to enjoy it and be grateful for the opportunity to even audition. 

First Round:

In the first round, for me it was online, which was brilliant as I was able to work around other stuff whilst auditioning from the comfort of my own home. And it was very chill and more of a workshop than an audition, as the leaders were brilliant, everyone was so supportive and the games we played to warm ourselves up and during the audition was a lot of fun. And whilst I didn’t get told about one activity, how I worked my way around it is something I’m proud of myself for. 

Recall:

20th May was the day I got called for my second recall at the building in London! There I got to meet the course leader, along with two alumni of last years intake in the form of David Olaniregun and Selorm Adonu (which I saw in their version of Twelfth Night which was brilliant. Here is a link to my review the show here: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/coming-to-the-twelfth-night-at-nyt). Whilst I won’t go into full detail of exactly what we did, like the first audition, it was a chill environment and it felt more like a workshop rather than an audition. Yes the way in which we performed the pieces did confuse me abit, but at the same time I had fun doing it, and that was all that matters. We also had the chance to ask questions to David and Selorm, which really opened my eyes as to how intense the course was, but at the same time very informative. As an autistic woman who is prone to burning out quicker, hearing those questions was brilliant and knowing that in the event I do get in, I would have a clearer picture on how to manage my energy levels. But all in all it was a really great day! 

Results:

Sadly as I’m posting this, I didn’t make it further into the audition stages. However, within that knock back I managed to see the light. And that is going back to the statistics to get a recall, in which 40% of those who mad it past round 1 get a recall. For me is a big achievement in itself. 

Reflection: 

Overall, the whole experience had been brilliant. I got to meet new people, experience what some of the course would be like and I got to meet amazing people along the way. And whilst I didn’t make it further, I’m proud for even auditioning in the first place! 

And that was my journey in my audition for the National Youth Theatres REP Company. For those who are auditioning for 2025/2026 good luck, and if you didn’t get in like myself, don’t ever give up, as I certainly won’t, and if you’re reading it by the time the course starts, good luck on this amazing journey! And here is a link to the national youth theatre’s homepage to see more information on this organisation and how you can support them going forwards.

https://www.nyt.org.uk

Please also see a link to my vlog of the recall and how I felt on each moment when I did my recall.

https://youtu.be/OiP6aqOpX4A?si=NTw9X2bTFPEs9ULf

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)