This week has seen Forth Children’s Theatre honour their past and celebrate their 45th anniversary with a cabaret-style gala, a collection of their work from past, present and even future performances. A creative team of co-directors, Musical directors and choreographers (namely Taylor Doig, Jack Nixon, Mark Mclaughlin and Jack Gardner) comprised a wonderfully talented group of young people to represent their best work. With songs compiled from the company’s previous work, there was something for everyone to enjoy. This event serves nostalgia, history and honour – in the most spectacular way, warming the hearts of the people who have loved the company’s work for decades and first timers alike.
46 years ago, a theatre company asked Peter Gorman for young people to be in their shows for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Upon seeing the enthusiasm young people and children had for theatre, he, along with some friends, created Forth Children’s Theatre as a way for young people to access the stage. This concept has since transpired into the work they create to this day, showcasing some of the best talent amongst Scotland’s youth.
The show kicks off with a wonderful musical introduction from the band, made from some of the most loved musicals and straight into Brand New You from ’13 The Musical’, a performance including all the cast and even some alumni members. From here the company takes us on a journey of singing, dancing and acting. Featuring ballads with tear-jerking emotion, riotous rock numbers, contemporary musical hits and showstoppers, featuring choreography to excite audiences of all ages. This entire show is nothing short of impressive. With performers as young as 10 years old commanding a theatre of the Church Hill’s size, we should take our hats off to every member of the cast.
Bobby Duncan is a triple threat to be feared. Of course, he can sing and dance and act, but his talents are diverse to any genre as he proved with his poignant elegance in Its De-Lovely from ‘Anything Goes’ with an equally talented powerhouse, Emma Swain, and his solo as Jamie in ‘Wall in My Head’.
Ailsa Maclean cannot just be described in talent but also a natural self-assuredness that cannot be taught. She belongs on the stage, and it would be a disservice to the theatre industry to not see her name in lights one day. The young actress served the most wonderful rendition of I Get a Kick Out of You from ‘Anything Goes’ and her energy is fit for any performance.
Sam Hunter, at such a young age, had boundless energy from beginning to end as he performed a series of flips and tricks to support the entire routine. Small but mighty, his talent should not be underestimated.
A notable moment is a stunning recitment of ‘Home’ from The Wiz by Roisin Caulfield, which honoured previous members of the company who are no longer here to celebrate with us; a beautiful tribute.
If I could, I would personally commend every actor. Any young person who can perform for two hours, completing costume changes, intense dance routines and belting out some of theatre’s classic songs all whilst enticing an audience of that capacity should be proud of themselves. That is no mean feat and I feel honoured to have been invited to celebrate with them.
What is important and refreshing is that Forth Children’s Theatre are not pushing the young people to a standard in which they cannot reach, which we see in other youth theatre productions, where they over-reach in standard attempting to hit a West End quality, and ultimately fall flat. That quality cannot be expected, as this is all about giving young people the experience of performing on stage, and with a two month rehearsal period for a production of this ambition, minor imperfections are to be expected. The production is intrinsic of the capabilities of the young people on stage, giving them a production which is comfortable for their development and allows them to have fun – that is key and is something which Forth Children’s Theatre clearly embrace. That is not to take away from the sheer talent of the young people, I am entirely positive that many of the stars of this production may soon be making their mark on some of the biggest shows.
Each member of the cast is incredibly talented, not only their voices, their dancing and acting, but also their confidence, a most underrated quality in the next generation of theatre.
Forth Children’s Theatre’s 45th anniversary Gala epitomizes what youth theatre is about; spirit, learning and excitement for the future. It is clear that Forth Children’s Theatre has, and will continue to provide Scotland with some of it’s future stars of screen and stage. I can only hope to be in attendance for anniversaries to come.
Photography – Roisin & Calum Caulfield
Tickets for Forth Children’s Theatre’s production of ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: Teen Edition’ at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe will be on sale soon. – www.forthchildrenstheatre.org
Theatre Scotland 
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