NYMT’s FairGround Festival Delivers Big Opportunities for Birmingham’s Young Creatives

Postmarked from Birmingham – A Dispatch from Grace Hatchell

Now then, loves – it’s your favourite Fringe-fuelled postie, Grace Hatchell, with a delivery not from the cobbles of Edinburgh, but straight out of Brum, where something bloomin’ brilliant is taking shape for the next generation of theatre-makers. And trust me, this parcel is positively bursting with potential.

The National Youth Music Theatre – or NYMT if you’re in a rush – is pitching up in Birmingham with FairGround, a brand-new arts festival made especially for children and young people. And not just the stage school set, either. This one’s got room for everyone – from the shy kids who hum to themselves in the playground, to the new arrivals finding their feet (and their voice) in a new country. FairGround is inclusive, imaginative, and – get this – totally free.

Hosted at City Academy, this isn’t your average school production. We’re talking top-class creative workshops run by some of the best in the biz: Birmingham Hippodrome, BOA Trust, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire… I mean, that’s a line-up worthy of its own programme, right?

But here’s the bit that got my heart doing jazz hands: FairGround is making space for the brilliant kids from CORE Hello – a programme for newly arrived children in Birmingham, helping them feel seen, supported and yes, celebrated. Because the arts, my dears, should be a door flung wide open, not a velvet rope to push past. And NYMT’s not just flinging the door – they’re adding bunting, cake, and a lovely welcome mat.

There’ll be drama. Music. Tech workshops. Real theatre lighting, not just someone’s phone torch. And it’s all building up to a proper showstopper – a site-specific production of Carousel performed on an actual working carousel. Honestly, it’s enough to make even the most jaded theatre critic (no names mentioned…) tear up a little.

And don’t think this is a one-off. This is part of NYMT’s 2025 Summer Season which includes Fame: The Musical, Tuck Everlasting, and Lightning Boy over at Birmingham Hippodrome – all showcasing young talent who, frankly, are putting us grown-ups to shame. They’re already smashing records with over 1,200 auditionees. That’s 1,200 young voices saying, “I’ve got something to say.” And thank goodness someone’s listening.

Now, as someone who still can’t do a proper warm-up without accidentally swallowing air, I’ve got nothing but admiration for these young performers, technicians, writers, and dreamers. They are bold. They are brave. And by heck, they are necessary. The world needs their voices, their stories, their rhythms, and their stage-stomping truths.

So here’s to FairGround – not just a festival, but a movement. A reminder that creativity doesn’t belong to the few, but to the many. And that the young people of Birmingham – of everywhere – deserve stages built for them, not barriers.

Keep your eyes on Birmingham this summer, folks. The future of theatre is being posted, stamped, and delivered – and it’s looking flipping fabulous.

With love (and a wink from the wings),
Grace Hatchell
Your Theatre Village courier of culture and cheer 🎭📮

2025 Programme Dates

Fame: The Musical                          Thursday 7^th August – Saturday 9^th August
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome
https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/nymt-2025-fame/

Fame: The Musical follows the lives of students at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, depicting their journey from admission in 1980 to graduation in 1984. The show explores the struggles and triumphs of these young individuals as they navigate their personal challenges and ambitions in the spotlight.

Tuck Everlasting                               Thursday 14^th August – Saturday 16^th August
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome

https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/nymt-2025-tuck-everlasting/
The UK premiere of Tuck Everlasting brings the story of Winnie Foster, an eleven-year-old girl who becomes entwined with the mysterious Tuck family. The Tucks have discovered the secret to eternal life, and Winnie must decide if immortality is truly a blessing or a curse.

Lightning Boy                                    Thursday 21^st August – Saturday 23^rd August
Location: Birmingham Hippodrome

Lightning Boy takes place in a diner on Mount Olympus, where young Olympians serve customers while longing to escape their godly responsibilities and become true gods themselves. This light-hearted and adventurous musical explores themes of destiny, rebellion, and youthful dreams.

Carousel                                              Thursday 28^th August – Saturday 30^th August

                                                                Location: Birmingham City Academy

In Carousel, Billy Bigelow, a carefree carnival barker, falls in love with Julie Jordan, a sweet but naïve factory worker. This Rodgers and Hammerstein classic delves into love, loss, and redemption, set against the backdrop of a beautiful but turbulent carnival world.

About the Author

TheatreVillage

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Who Is Andrew “The Guvnor” of Theatre Village? (As delivered by Grace Hatchell, 2nd Act Couriers, First Class & Slightly Nosy Service) Now then… if you’ve spent any time wandering through Theatre Village, you’ll have felt it. That hum. That buzz. That sense that somewhere, behind the curtain, someone’s pulling the strings, brewing the tea, and making sure the spotlight actually turns on. That, my lovely lot, would be Andrew. Or as I’ve taken to calling him… The Guvnor. I

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