The company was established to identify talented young actors, directors and technicians and to give them the opportunity to further develop their skills through challenging performance and workshop projects. In its sixteen years of existence, SYT Productions has grown into the natural place for gifted young people to explore, experiment and develop their creative skills, while waiting to pursue training in further education institutes. Previous participants have entered the profession straight from SYT Productions.

SYT Productions 

2009

• 'Love But Her'

2007/08, the demand for SYT Productions’ performances, workshops, projects and events was such that the group literally became a resident company in The Old Sheriff Court. 

• ‘When A Star Falls’

In October ’06, SYT Productions commissioned playwright David Cosgrove to write a new play exploring issues currently affecting young people in Scotland. After a weekend spent developing the script with Company members and the artistic director, David produced a fast moving, thought-provoking play.  Tackling key issues such as identity and nationality, ‘When A Star Falls’ allows the characters and the audience to discover more about themselves and each other than they could possibly have expected.

‘Full of well rounded characters and carefully nuanced dialogue…A modern day morality tale” THE HERALD

‘This is a cracking wee show from Scotland’s other national theatre” THE HERALD

In September 2007, ‘When A Star Falls’, after a re-write, was rehearsed and remounted for an Autumn Tour of Scotland.  The tour included performances at Promote YT’s National Festival of Youth Theatre and Glasgow City Council’s Inspiration from the Word Festival. The tour visited the following venues:

• The New Athenaeum, RSAMD, Glasgow (National Festival Of Youth Theatre)
• Village Theatre, East Kilbride
• Corran Halls, Oban
• Craignish Village Hall, Ardfern
• Macrobert, Stirling
• Lochside Theatre, Castle Douglas
• The Byre, St Andrews
• The Sunart Centre, Acharacle
• Birnam Arts Centre, Dunkeld
• Aros, Portree, Skye
• Brian Cox Studio, Glasgow (Inspiration Festival)

The ‘When a Star Falls’ Company was invited by Scottish Youth Theatre Patron Richard Wilson to attend a performance of ‘Whipping It Up’ at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, afterwards joining Richard in his dressing room for drinks.  Richard was a gracious host, answering the many questions regarding his life in the theatre that the group asked him. 

In January 2008, following the success of ‘Geordie’ in Tartan Week ’06, the International Division of the Scottish Government invited Scottish Youth Theatre to represent Scotland in New York City, as part of Scotland Week ’08.  The company decided to take ‘When A Star Falls’, as a representation of young people in modern Scotland.  It was also decided that the group should rehearse a 20 minute piece of musical entertainment featuring modern arrangements of some Burns’ Songs.  The songs were given a modern twist by Ross Brown, musical director.  The show and songs were rehearsed in March prior to flying out to the USA on 26th March 2008.

The company performed Burns’ Songs to an appreciative crowd on Sunday 30th March at the Scotland Run in Central Park, New York City.  That evening, the group performed at a reception at the Norwood in Greenwich Village hosted by Scottish Youth Theatre Patron Brian Cox and his wife, Nicole.  The guests, which included Linda Fabiani, Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, sang along with the young performers renditions of Burns’ classics like ‘Ae Fond Kiss’ and ‘For A’ That’.

2008

• The Beauty of Sleeping Wood