Sarah Schostack - first-time BYMT Director - undertakes the mammoth task of creating a brand-new musical production in a short time. She offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the production...

How long have you been involved with British Youth Music Theatre?

This is my first show with BYMT!

What should audiences expect from Unbound?

They'll find a pumping, pop rock score surrounding a story about how we find our place in the world, performed by a cast of future stars!! Full of humour and magic, the show speaks to everyone's desire for acceptance and how hard it can be to find your place when joining a new community that may not seem open to you at first. 

What has the rehearsal process looked like?

Our rehearsal room has been teeming with laughter, joy and building our own little community! The cast has travelled to Birmingham from all over the UK and immediately forged a bond together. They've become a little family so quickly. With that extra support, they have learned a massive amount of material in a short period of time. From complicated choreography to mountains of music, this has been a fast paced room full of love and utter glee at making this piece together.

Has anything surprised you while directing Unbound?

Honestly, the work ethic and generosity of spirit from our young people has floored me and the entire creative team. I expected them to be talented and kind, but just how committed they are to making this show has been the x-factor we all needed. They have exceeded our expectations at every turn, often practicing dances in the courtyard on breaks when most young people would be resting.

Their inexhaustible energy for the show has made us rewrite music and lines that makes them shine all the brighter. They love the world of the show so much and it makes the rehearsal day fun, not work.

Unbound is a brand new musical - why is it the perfect choice for BYMT?

Unbound is a musical designed to speak to audiences at the same age as our young people. Full of college/sixth form aged characters, the show tackles themes that everyone struggles with in growing up while incorporating heightened and magical circumstances to capture their imagination. As they are the audiences we are trying to reach, to have a cast speak to us directly about the show and what they connect with ensures it will grow in the right direction and that these young people will see their fingerprints on it as Unbound develops in its future life.

What makes BYMT a unique experience for the young people involved?

I'm an American and I have directed shows with young people all over the world. I have never worked with an organisation that is so committed to bringing high class, exciting creatives to build new musicals with those young people. It is an enormous gift for us as artists to work with the next generation of talent and audiences to make immediate, timely and heartfelt new work. And for them, this is a first chance to become a part of that process in a meaningful way, when many wait until they have an established career for such an opportunity.

What is it like working in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome?

Bringing a brand new musical to this venue at this point in its history is the greatest gift a creative team could have asked for! We are all musical theatre-makers first and foremost and the Birmingham Hippodrome has cemented itself as a leader in new musical theatre development. Their support of our writer Matthew Harvey through their Musical Theatre Writers’ Group has been invaluable to us as we have developed this show and prepared with BYMT to bring it to the Patrick Studio. They've been our champions and support throughout. We can't wait to be in the space with them for technical rehearsals and performances soon!

What’s your favourite moment in the show?

While there are honestly too many to count (and some that we want to save to surprise our audiences), I have to say that we have a big, exciting American-style pep rally number with every trick in the book!

Full of basketballs, cheerleading and extra vocal acrobatics to boot, it is an absolute showstopper and the young people learned it in just four hours! That can be a tall order even for professionals to achieve in that time and it is my favourite moment as it is not only absolutely stunning, but I'm so proud of how hard they have worked to achieve it. We can't wait for people to see it!