AFTER a bumper 50th anniversary year, Canberra Youth Theatre last night (November 7) unveiled a season of new works to run at Canberra Theatre Centre in 2023.

Artistic director Luke Rogers announced the Australian premiere of “The Trials” by Dawn King, a new play about climate justice has just completed a run at the Donmar Warehouse in London’s West End.

The play turns the tables on the adult world as a jury of teenagers weighs up the fate of grown-up defendants, who attempt to defend their carbon footprint.

Rogers said of such a politically-charged choice: “The artists of our nation’s capital have a unique responsibility to reflect the political moment, and our young artists take that responsibility personally. The climate crisis is a real and present danger that sits at the forefront of their consciousness.”

Of the two world premieres of commissioned works that have emerged from the company’s focus new writing for young people, first up is “You Can’t Tell Anyone” by Canberra playwright and actor Joanna Richards, who was CYT’s 2021 Emerging Playwright Commission winner.

Richards said the play was about “that last hurrah” you have when you leave high school. She says she was inspired by surrealist art such as Luis Bunuel’s “The Exterminating Angel” to examine questions such as: “Why do you stay at a party that you’re not having fun at?” and “Why are you friends with people that you have nothing in common with?”

The play will be directed by Caitlin Baker, who has come through the ranks at Canberra Youth Theatre with the Emerge Company.

Finally, “Rosieville, commissioned during the peak of covid lockdowns in 2020 from veteran Canberra-raised star playwright Mary Rachel Brown, is a portrait of family life about how we hold ourselves together when looking down the barrel of uncertainty, with – a typically quirky Brown touch – a wisecracking pigeon on hand.  An intergenerational production, it will feature a cast of young actors alongside adult actors.

Apart from the mainstage shows, Rogers said, the company would continue to serve up a feast of other theatrical opportunities, including workshops in Braddon, Belconnen, Queanbeyan and Tuggeranong for ages 7-18 as well as offering masterclasses, scratch nights and the Emerge Company program for 18 to 25-year-olds interested in becoming professionals.

The popular Young Creatives program will introduce young people in years 9-12 to the fundamentals of lighting and sound, set and costume design and stage management. They’ll get to work on productions by resident artists Emily Austin, Patrick Haesler, Ethan Hamill, Aislinn King and Rhiley Winnett.

2023 will see the return of the Ambassadors program and the launch of the Canberra Youth Theatre Producers Circle – a philanthropic initiative that will invite patrons to play a part in supporting productions.