Backstage Interviews

All applicants to a Backstage Course should be:

• UK residents
• Age 16 by 5th August 2024*
• Aged 25 or under on 17th August 2024**

*You can apply at the age of 15 providing you will be 16 by 5th August 2024.
**For those aged 25 when you complete your course, membership can continue to be active until your 26th year. In order to be eligible to apply in 2024, you must not turn 26 years of age before 17th August 2024.

If you are successful in your application, identification to verify your age may be required before the course start date. If you are unsure about your eligibility to apply, please email info@nyt.org.uk.

All applicants to a Backstage Course must attend an interview either online via Zoom or in-person at the National Youth Theatre.

All applicants will be considered equally, regardless of their application method and neither option is more likely to gain you a place; it is simply a choice of which method suits you best.

There are five Backstage courses to choose from, and you should apply for the course in the discipline that you most want to learn about. It does not have to be the area in which you have most (or any) experience so far. If you are interested in two disciplines, you also can give a second choice.

You can read more about each of the different courses here.

Your interview is a chance for you to have an informal chat with your interviewer. The interviewer is keen to get to know you as a person, so during the chat you can tell them about your hobbies and interests outside of theatre as well as any theatre experience you may have.

You will also prepare a response to a task which you will share with your interviewer. Please see the Backstage Interview Guide for more information about this.

Online Interviews

Online interviews last for 20 minutes and will include the presentation of a short task, plus a chat with your interviewer. You can book an online interview time slot via our website, and will receive further instructions about how to access the online interview room closer to the date of you interview.

On the day and time of your interview, you will log into the online interview room on Zoom. In this space, you will meet (digitally) with NYT ambassadors who will welcome you and answer any questions you have. You will then join a break-out room with your interviewer and will have around 20 minutes to chat to them one-to-one.

In-Person Interviews

In-person interviews are held over a whole day, with a three-hour group workshop in the morning followed by individual interviews in the afternoon.

The workshop will be a relaxed chance for you to find out a bit more about NYT and the Backstage Courses. You will get to know the other applicants and get a chance to share your ideas in response to the prepared task, as well as receive some support in preparing for your interview.

We offer bursaries to help those facing financial hardship take part in our interviews, courses, and productions. Bursaries may include a partial or full coverage of course fees, travel, accommodation where relevant, and subsistence.

Please be aware that NYT receives a very large number of applications, and demand for our bursary always outstrips the supply we have. Our Development Team work very hard each year to increase the available funds for bursaries, but we are not able to support everyone who applies to the bursary fund and give priority those most in need.

If you are successful in your interview, you will receive more information on how to apply for a bursary.