Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in Conversation with NYT
Copyright © Helen Murray 2025
The Oscar and BAFTA nominated stars of the blockbuster movie adaptation of the hit musical WICKED, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande stopped by the National Youth Theatre’s home on the Holloway Road in north London to meet members of the pioneering NYT REP Company.
After leading a Q&A with the stars, Paul Roseby OBE, CEO & Artistic Director of National Youth Theatre said; “Last week we were thrilled to welcome Universal and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to our Workshop Theatre, as our building turned green in honour of Wicked. From the sing-a-long at Odeon Cinema next door to our intimate ‘chat-a-long’ with the stars, Ariana and Cynthia’s inspirational talk allowed us all to defy gravity and believe anything is possible: Thank you to Ariana and Cynthia, Universal and all our friends, new and old, for making it possible”
Cynthia Erivo, nominated for Best Actress, and Ariana Grande, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, then took the time to meet with young members of the Company and discuss careers in the creative industry, answering questions about their craft, audition technique, how Wicked was made and their career journeys. A film of the event will be released later this year.
When asked what advice they’d give to their younger selves Cynthia said to the room of young National Youth Theatre members: “Keep going - it's not easy. Don't be so hard on yourself. If it doesn't go your way, it doesn't go your way. And that's okay. Nine times out of ten the things that don't necessarily go right are just building blocks to the thing you need.”
Ariana told the young talent in the room: ‘‘Stay connected to the younger you, the little you who was inspired by their first favourite movie or their first favourite song, and your love and curiosity for the craft. Keep learning and doing new things. We can forget to be kind to ourselves. So don't.”
We're grateful to Cynthia, Ariana, Universal, Cubitt House and Light Fantastic Production Services for supporting the event and to our principal supporters Arts Council England.