NYMT / BYMT 2021

[doesanybodyhaveamap]

Starting a new thread for NYMT / BYMT hopefuls in 2021.

DD13 is auditioning for NYMT for the second time as stage performer and as musician. We just received an invite to the next round (online workshops).

She was gutted that Covid put a stop to her show (Imaginary) last year so we are keeping everything crossed that she gets another shot.

We've also booked a BYMT audition and she's already in the musician pool there so hopefully a show of some sort this year if we get some kind of normality back again...

Anyone else out there?

... just sent off nymt recall tape ! Eeek! Horrible not having a clue whether its the sort of thing they are looking for - would be so much easier face to face (with a bit of direction!!)
Done now though. 😅😅😅

@jamsanmum well done to your DD! DS has done his in separate bits but wants to leave it until tomorrow after school to edit together. He's worked really hard on it, but ditto, I have no idea whether it will pass muster. He's also about to do 4 weeks of GCSE assessments from tomorrow, so he was taping today and trying to learn his French presentation at the same time. I'm not sure he's worked so hard in months! Counted up and he's got 25 separate assessments to do - whatever happened to 'GCSEs are cancelled because we mustn't stress the kids out'?? Anyway, I digress, but as a result his time for fine-tuning his recall video is limited. Possibly that's a good thing, I don't know. He might have done even more than the 23 takes he did today!

God... i’m so glad my DD is not in the midst of high intensity school work at the same time! Its so time consuming!! i seem to spend my life organising and cutting together self tapes! Am hopeful that she can do it herself soon ...!

Well done your DS for battling through. I’m assuming the creatives will go into the zoom recalls next weekend having watched all the self tapes .... which must be incredibly intense viewing!!

Yes I think/hope the point of asking for them ahead of the weekend is that they will watch them beforehand. In fact the Henrietta director tweeted this morning that she was enjoying watching them! I wouldn't know where to begin with editing a tape so it's a good job DS knows...

Well done to all those who have submitted. My DD is recording hers tonight, I’m not allowed to be involved in any part of it. She’s already talking her self out of it. She’s seen tweets from some at performing arts schools and conservatoire’s and has decided she’s not good enough. I’m trying to reassure her ......hopefully they like a diverse mix including northern girls from very average sixth form colleges!

@Pinkstargazer12 please tell your DD from this mother here (as I know they don't always want to believe their own mother!) to talk herself right back into it! NYMT know what they're doing and they wouldn't have recalled her if they didn't think she could do it. Whilst it's true that some auditionees may be at vocational schools and (post 16/18) in vocational training, plenty aren't. My DS has got in 5 times now (if we can count last year!) and during that time has been at a state primary and then a state comp. While having had training may help some kids do well in auditions, ultimately the creatives who are selecting them for the shows won't be interested in someone's background or training. Everyone recalled is good enough for NYMT to put them on a stage - what they are doing now is looking for the best fit for the roles available. Sometimes that means someone who is, on paper, a better singer or a more accomplished dancer loses out to someone who may sing fractionally less well but is just somehow more believable and alive on stage - acting matters a lot. The other thing I think NYMT are quite good at is weeding out egos and people who are likely to be difficult. In 5 years DS has never encountered a castmate who was a nightmare to work with. Some have been quirky, some hyper, some loud, some shy, some have glittering CVs and some just did a school play and enjoyed it. NYMT has launched the career of many an ordinary kid. Look at its patron, Michael Jibson, for a start. DS and I know all about impostor syndrome, and I promise in his first year I thought it was all a glorious mistake - but the creatives know potential when they see it. Your DD should go in all guns blazing. What's she recalled for?

@BiscuitsneededWhat a lovely encouraging post, so kind of you to take time to write such a detailed response. Thank you 😊
She is recalled for Hunchback which I think is for the older participants. She is 16, almost 17 so probably one of the youngest. She’s almost finished her songs but found one very challenging. She’s back at dance tonight so will be speaking to her teacher about the improv. It’s going to be a nervous fortnight for all of us!

@Pinkstargazer12 just to echo lots of what @Biscuitsneeded said. I have had numerous students take part in NYMT shows over the last number of years - I think it is 9 years now and none of them were in full time training of any kind - all in ordinary schools and in a place where drama or dance are not on any secondary school curriculum so all training is done outside school hours as extra curricular activities.
The first time I entered a student another performer from our city had successfully auditioned the year before and said I should put students forward, we went in fairly blind and he was cast and was again the following year and then he went to full time training at 18 and has been involved with MYNT in various capacities ever since. Admittedly he made it look easier than it has proven to be since for everyone else but every year there has been some success and mostly these are students who I see once a week for a singing lesson and they take once a week drama class (often a group class) and some bit of dance. NYMT don't care about where you have been or where you train or what you have done previously just what you bring to the audition on the day - especially at recalls - and if you fit the show.
The hunchback recall material is by far the most difficult of all this years shows from a vocal perspective and I would think everyone recalled will find that there is at least one of the pieces outside their comfort zone.

@aplo thank you. Good to hear your thoughts on the material. 4 x script extracts, dance, improv, sign language and 2 songs. Phew it’s a lot!
DD is struggling with one song. She’s encouraged by what you and Biscuits have said. Thank you x

Everybody listen to @aplo. She is wise!

We also recognise that experience of struggling with the recall material and being convinced it's a walk in the park for everyone else recalled. In DS' first year we just got sent sheet music for one of the shows with no audio tracks at all. We can't read or play music beyond telling whether it goes up or down, and we were paying 16 year old friends to bash out the tunes on a piano and send them to us so DS could practise. It was also pitched extremely high, and DS was not a soprano, and there were many tears... but in the end it was worth all the pain a million times over because he got cast (luckily not in the screechy one because he wouldn't have coped!) and it was a really wonderful experience. Good luck to your DD @Pinkstargazer12.

I’m so glad I found this thread. My DS has been waiting to hear back from NYMT as a performer and we’ve heard nothing. I’d seen a few tweets about people getting recalls and thought it was a bit odd. I think I’ll give them a call tomorrow as it seems that the email has gone astray. Not holding out much hope now though. Is anyone else still waiting to hear back?

@Jojoscircus I'm afraid it does seem that your email may have gone astray, or maybe into your junk? I would definitely follow up today.

For those submitting nymt recall tapes - have you had an acknowledgment to say link received...? paranoid with the email problems they’ve had that my email might not have been received- but don’t want to chase and be unnecessarily annoying!!!

No we haven't, unless DS hasn't told me, but the email trouble seems to be all the other way! I've never not had an enquiries@ email not 'land' correctly.
If you've been sending and receiving emails fine until now I wouldn't worry too much.

@Biscuitsneeded thanks - will take your word for it and resist emailing!!!

No acknowledgment, but as we are uploading to Youtube we can see they’ve been viewed.

But don't panic if they haven't been viewed! Different creatives will working at different times. They might even look at them after the recalls - who knows?

Can you see if your video has been viewed even when the video is ‘unlisted’? The last video (1st round) has had no views by anyone other than me (!) and i had ignorantly assumed that was because you can’t see who’s viewed it if its unlisted..?!? ... or am i looking at the wrong bit..? 🤦🏻‍♀️

I have no idea how that works TBH. I am a novice at this way of doing things.

I've just uploaded my younger DS's tapes now. He had a lot to do over the weekend and was too tired after school and a French horn lesson yesterday to do anything constructive but flew through them all today.
@Jamsanmum I find if I check on a different device than the one I uploaded on I can see views even if unlisted - or sometimes I go in to view again and it refreshes. I know two people who uploaded Henrietta tapes early on Sunday have had views, I would reckon they will try and view as many as possible before the weekend but may view some afterwards too.

Ours have had views. There's a small icon that looks like a chart that takes you to YouTube Analytics. You can even slice it up to see how long each video was viewed for and more. (I work in analytics, thus can't help myself!) I'm not sure being over analytical is helpful in any way! Thankfully DS has no idea I'm checking.

Self tapes done
DD struggled with one of the songs so who knows what will happen! She’s busy learning the dance and script extracts. Oolong forward to the recall on Sunday. Any idea how long decisions are likely to take? I suppose it’s the million dollar question!

Finally my older DS has his tapes in, he is always a last minute person and I always have to bite my tongue!
Younger DS has already had views on his tape.

Anyone hearing anything from BYMT? They said they were hoping to let everyone know by the end of this week. Fearing another no here...

We're waiting to hear from BYMT