The Echo Youth Theatre found themselves homeless when their city centre base closed suddenly.
But now they’re on to pastures new in their brand-new home.
The company's ethos is to provide flexible and affordable theatre experiences for young people.
They are volunteer-led, not-for-profit organisation and with the support of many theatre professionals they are able to provide cheaper options for youngsters wanting to get into the acting world.
When the company was born in December 2017 they built a partnership with Open Youth Trust.
Jo Myers, co-founder of the company, said “We were absolutely gutted when Open Youth Trust folded so soon after the pandemic started.”
The company were due to perform a production of the musical Footloose at Open later that year which had to be cancelled.
“We spent a lot of time reflecting, and came to the conclusion that in order to grow we needed our own space.”
The company went through Norwich Historic Churches Trust to find somewhere to fit their needs and finally found St Edmunds church.
EYT also support Norwich's community theatre The Maddermarket and will use the theatre as their main performance space.
The company also has a number of productions in the pipeline including The Jungle Book, a concert and A Little Mermaid plus some workshops and have big plans for their space when not in use.
“We want St Edmunds to become a community space and hope to host other volunteer-led groups - we have lots of daytime hours available for private hire," Mrs Myers said.
“We hope the church will become a vibrant community hub.”
Mrs Myers said their version of The Jungle Book is a far cry from the Disney version: “This is a fast-paced, exciting play that is set in a dystopian world that blends the urban jungle with the world of Kiplings stores”
The show will also feature an original score written by one of the company's young members, Acer Smith.
The show runs in half-term at the Maddermarket Theatre from 27 - 30 of October. Check their website for details.
The company also welcome volunteers, young and old, to be involved in supporting our activities.
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