A brilliant, bold British musical by two extraordinary female writers – Liv Warden and Charlie Turner. 

The first original musical to open under the NYMT banner since I became Head of New Work – and the first to be developed in-house by the company. 

It began with our Readers Panel, who spotted its early potential.

It was workshopped by the 2024 company members, who wrote characters and improvved the blues over a Charlie Turner dirty piano groove which turned into Lost Souls (one of many sleeper hits!)

It grew through online readings, shared documents, development calls, many many hours of painstaking detail, carbloading the writers around my kitchen table, WhatsApp voice notes of ‘Don’t Give Up!’ 

And finally, it made its way to a full production, supported by literally hundreds of people along the way working at the top of their game to YES, AND.. everything in sight. 

This was my first time directing while also holding artistic leadership within NYMT, and it made me so proud to lead a mega machine that is working to tell a story like this – a story about what happens when the next generation refuses to play by the old rules.

And wow – watching those young people bring alive that revolution on stage every night – emotional doesn’t even cover it!! The NYMT company members always inspire me endlessly – but last week they reminded me why new musicals matter, and why we MUST tell new stories, or old stories in new ways, with new people.

So here’s to the future. To the wild, complicated, glorious act of making something from scratch, to the courage it takes to put new work out into the world and to the team of Lightning Boy who truly are 10’s across the board. 

Tomorrow really does Begin Tonight ⚡️ 

@peachyraith @nymtuk @capturedbyLiz 

And here – in the words of our young company: How Lightning Boy Was Made

Lightning Boy has been shaped from the ground up through a truly collaborative process that reflects NYMT’s belief in making space for young people not only to perform, but to write, dramaturg and create. 

From Pepper’s early involvement on the Readers Panel, to Hattie, Will and Isla’s participation in the first workshop, to Tom’s contribution in the online reading of the full first draft, each stage has been informed by the insight, creativity and care of the young company members. This production is the result of many hands – and many hearts – helping to bring something bold and original to life, so it seemed only right that they be the ones to create this programme note!

“Working on new musicals is so important because it teaches you how much love a show is created from,” says Hattie, who was part of the original workshop company. “There’s this ease within the storytelling that comes from Kate, Liv and Charlie involving everyone – our ideas, our feedback, and just us as people. It’s a complete team effort.”

“I remember being asked to improvise over Charlie playing blues piano,” adds Isla, “and the next night we were singing ‘Lost Souls’ – a brand new song, written from what we’d made together. We were overwhelmed to have helped create something so magical.”

A sense of co-creation ran through the whole process. Will was also part of the workshop: “We had one-on-one conversations with Liv, Charlie and Kate about mature themes and how the show could link to the modern day. The main thing I really noticed during the workshop was how everyone fed off of each other’s ideas.”

Tom, who read Zeus in the online rehearsal draft, met the show at a slightly later point: “A major moment for me was reading the final draft of the script in the lead up to Eater rehearsals. Some of my favourite moments in this musical such as All Hands On Deck, are sections written and composed after the online reading. It was so interesting to talk to the writers about these changes and why these moments support the story structurally better.”

That openness extended to character creation too. As Pepper explains, “We were asked to add our own lines during the staging. Each of the Olympians has a bit of the actor in them, which is great – because we’re all so different.” Working in this collaborative way gave the cast a deep understanding of process and purpose. The themes – of identity, power, pressure, and joy – are grounded in the lived experience of the cast. 

“There are moments of real maturity,” says Will, “like the exploration of toxic masculinity, familial abuse, and the pressure of growing up as a teenage boy – things that aren’t talked about enough and that you rarely see in modern teen musical theatre.” And as Isla puts it: “There is a palpable feeling of excitement when you’re working on something new. It is so brilliant now to be in the full production – I get to see how far the project has come since the workshop last year.” This show was made with love, intelligence, and rigour – and the fingerprints of the young company are everywhere. Or as Pepper beautifully says: “Every single person who has been involved has made their mark. That’s why new musicals are so special.”