Dynamo Youth Theatre

Dynamo Youth Theatre is a performance - based theatre company offering drama, dance and music experience for young people aged between 11 and 18. The company was founded in 1981 by local Bosmere Junior School teacher, Andrew Bowker. They are currently located and have been since they were founded at Havant Arts Centre, Havant, United Kingdom.

History
Dynamo Youth Theatre was founded in 1981 by Andrew Bowker and a group of parents whose children had taken part in drama club and annual productions at Bosmere Junior School, Havant. At that time, back in 1981, there was very little opportunity in the Havant area for youngsters to continue to enjoy drama and develop their interest in the performing arts, after the age of 11. They decided to set up a company operating from the newly opened Havant Arts Centre in East Street, Havant.
The company was named Dynamo Youth Theatre by the members themselves after rejecting the alternative suggestions The Flying Pigs and East Street Kids. Who amongst them could possibly have foreseen the tremendous impact and success that Dynamo Youth Theatre has enjoyed since its foundation, that it would last 28 years and that Andrew and some of the founding parents would still be involved.
Productions
See: List of Dynamo Youth Theatre productions
Director's Challenge
A regular event that is held around March is the Directors Challenge. Senior members are assigned a group of members and write and direct a short piece of drama around a theme or ground-rules given by the Artistic Director. All pieces are performed in front of members, committee and parents. The groups would compete for the Liz Goodbody Shield, in memory of Liz Goodbody, who was Dynamo's Secretary from 1990 to 1994, the shield is awarded to the director judged by a panel appointed by the Artistic Director to have produced the most original, imaginative work and have demonstrated the best skills as a director. The event started in 1994 and has been an annual event ever since. In May 2007, the Directors Challenge was performed for the first time to the public, the show being called Bizarre. The panel/theme was based on KS2 Science and it was to help Year 6 Pupils who came to the shows do better in their SATS.
Previous Shield Winners
*2009 - Fiona Hayward
*2008 - Pippa Stimpson
*2007 - Catherine Stimpson
*2006 - Sally Goddard
*2005 - Anne Woods
*2004 - Rosie Smith
*2003 - Rebecca Walker
*2002 - Mel Clarke
*2001 - Max Short
*2000 - Rachael Smith
*1999 - Mark Peters
*1998 - Paul McMahon
*1997 - Paul McMahon
*1996 - Katie Whiting
*1995 - Eleanor Pinder
*1994 - Eleanor Pinder

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