MT4Uth ‘Musicals in a Weekend’ wins 2nd place at Lottery Awards

03/09/2008

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland would like to congratulate Musical Theatre 4 Youth (MT4Uth) in achieving second place in the ‘Best Arts Project category,’ at the 2008 National Lottery Awards on 30th August.

Back row: left to right: Jenny Cooke, Founder and Chief Executive of MT4Uth, Niamh Perry from Bangor, Gavin O'Connor, Youth Arts officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Caroline Woods, Head of the National Lottery Promotion Unit. Front row from left: Members of MT4Uth;- Adam Thompson, Stephen Doyle and Caitlyn Leckey

MT4Uth’s ‘Musicals in a Weekend’ project, which was funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, made it to the finals fighting off fierce competition from all over the UK. The project gave 140 young people the chance to train with leading international directors, musicians and choreographers and to stage three musicals; ‘Sweet Charity’ in Armagh, ‘Bugsy Malone’ in Belfast and ‘Guys and Dolls’ in Londonderry.

Gavin O’Connor, Youth Arts Development Officer at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland said, “As the main funder of this project, the Arts Council is delighted that Music Theatre 4 Youth made it to the finals. It is an excellent example of arts professionals working with young people to develop their skills, leading to an increased participation in the arts.”