Open Auditions
To audition in-person, you can attend one of our free Open Audition Days around the UK.
You’ll take part in a group workshop, then perform your monologue in a one-to-one audition.
For our 2025 intake, we visited 15 locations across the UK, and had over 1000 young people sign-up via our Open Audition route. For 2026, we hope to increase locations and opportunity even further!
Further information for our 2026 Auditions will get uploaded to this page from October 2025. Check back then for more updates.
Eligibility
In order to audition, you must be between the ages of 14-25 (or up to age 30 if you have experienced barriers to accessing the arts*) on 31st July 2026. If you are successful, ID to verify your age may be required before the course start date.
*eligibility information for our extended 25+ membership in FAQs below
Download our Open Auditions Guide
FAQs
I am over 25 and want to audition - am I eligible for an extended membership?
National Youth Theatre is committed to breaking down barriers to accessing the arts and aims to create opportunities for young people across a diverse range of backgrounds.
If you have experienced physical, systemic or attitudinal barriers to accessing the arts, you can extend your membership to take part in NYT opportunities including auditions, courses, productions and other membership opportunities, up to the age of 30. Examples of people who may have faced barriers to accessing the arts include disabled people, care leavers, young carers, asylum seekers/refugees, people with experience of homelessness, people with experience of the criminal justice system.
NYT has a broad understanding of disability which includes those who are: neurodiverse, chronically ill, have a learning disability, a mental health condition or who are at higher risk from COVID. You might not have thought of yourself as disabled before, but if you experience barriers because of how your body or mind works, you can apply for a membership extension.
If you believe you meet the criteria for an extended membership please complete this form, and then continue with the audition sign-up process as normal. You do not have to provide in-depth medical or personal information on the form.
If you have any questions about this guidance, please contact National Youth Theatre's Equality Team on equality@nyt.org.uk
What happens on the day?
Your Open Audition Day will be hosted by two Associate Artists from the National Youth Theatre. The day is made up of two parts:
Group Workshop
The group workshop will take place in the morning and last for three hours (including a break). You will explore an introduction to the National Youth Theatre and our approach to ensemble theatre-making. The workshop is designed to be fun and interactive ahead of your audition in the afternoon.
We recommend wearing comfortable clothes for the workshop and bringing a bottle of water with you.
One-to-One Audition
Your individual audition will take place in the afternoon and last for ten minutes each. You will perform a monologue for one of the Associate Artists, who may also chat to you about your interests or redirect your monologue if time allows.
How should I prepare?
For your one-to-one audition, you will need to select a short monologue from a play, film, or TV show of your choice. We recommend a monologue of around 2 minutes.
If you haven’t read the full play that your monologue is from, make sure you are familiar with your chosen character and their journey throughout the play. Practice learning your lines before your audition – you could do this with another person, or in whatever way works best for you.
Your auditioner will be looking for the following things from your monologue, so have a think about them when you are rehearsing:
- Use of vocal range
- Physical approach and quality
- Emotional connection to the text
- Approach to working as an ensemble/with others
Questions to consider
- Why have you selected this character and their monologue?
- Who is your character and what are they trying to say?
- What does your character want?
- Who is your character speaking to – is it the audience or another character in the play?
- How has your character changed throughout the monologue?
The audition day I want to attend is fully booked - what do I do?
If the audition day you wanted to attend is fully booked you can join our waitlist. If a space becomes available we will email you at the address you have provided.
We recommend adding auditionsandcourses@nyt.org.uk to your approved contacts on your email, and checking your spam/junk folders regularly as our emails sometimes get directed there.
Alternatively, you can audition for us digitally by submitting a Video Audition. The submission deadline for video auditions is February 28th 2025.
