Berlin International Youth Theatre (BIYT) has been offering expert-led weekly drama classes and producing original, high-quality productions for over a decade.
Made up of a magical mixture of children and teenagers from different countries, cultures and schools, BIYT offers participants the opportunity to learn theatre skills and perform onstage. At the same time, the youth theatre provides a platform for social exchange, friendship, creative expression and communication in English.
Led by experienced theatre practitioners Priscilla Bergey and Grace Holme, BIYT produces exciting and ambitious theatre that appeals to young and old alike.
“Growing up as a shy school girl in Berlin, joining BIYT helped shape the woman I am today. I found a safe and trusting environment in which I could come out of my shell and be free to play any role without fear.” ~ Rebecca Fixemer – Acting Student of the Year Award 2017 / Institute of the Arts Barcelona
The new Winter term for BIYT Ensemble and Lab Classes starts January 6. (The BIYT Ignite Class winter term continues to March.)
Students are welcome to join at anytime. Please contact us in order to sign up for a taster session.
We are looking forward to meeting you! If you are interested in joining any of the classes or would like more information, please contact us at bergey@etberlin.de.
The BIYT Ensemble
Age 13 to 19 | Classes are held in Berlin-Mitte | Saturdays 12:00 – 3:00 pm
This is a 3-hour intensive class which focuses on devising a play to be performed on the main stage in June. Drawing from a wide spectrum of acting techniques, this class allows students to develop their own characters and stories. Through dramatic improvisations, scene building, choreography and creative writing, students will learn the art of devising. They will write and choreograph their own monologue with the help of an experienced director and other theater specialists. The end result will be a fully staged production on the main stage in mid June. This class is a rare opportunity to work with some of the best theater makers the city has to offer in an established theater. For this year’s production we are currently developing our own exciting gender neutral Pirate adventure fantasy!
The BIYT Lab
Age 10 to 13 | Classes are held in Berlin-Mitte | Saturdays 10:00 – 11:30 am
For those students excited about acting but not ready to commit to the afternoon intensive sessions or perhaps have less experience. These classes focus on stretching and strengthening the basic tools of acting that everyone already has – the imagination, body and voice. The first part of the class consists of fun, relaxing theater games to free the imagination, make everyone feel comfortable within the group and inspire self-confidence. The second part focuses on learning basic devising techniques, creating characters and developing a story as a group.
BIYT Ignite
Age 8 to 10 | Classes are held in Berlin-Kreuzberg | Saturdays 10:30 am – 12:00
These classes are designed especially for children aged 8 to 10 to fire up the imagination and spark a love of theatre and performance. The focus is on having fun, gaining confidence, learning skills and making friends along the way. We will play theatre games, sing, move, dance, practice characterisation and work together to bring stories to life.
To register and for more information please contact Priscilla Bergey at bergey@etberlin.de.
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BIYT´s Past Productions:
- 2023 Rumours in the Shadows – a trip to the castle of Henry VIII in the year 1535 …
- 2022 The Theory of Waiting – Loosely based on Samuel Beckett´s Waiting for Godot
- 2021 Murder at Brightshadow Manor – an original gothic murder mystery created in spite of incredible obstacles and beautifully performed.
- 2020 Dreams of a Seed, a surreal audio play, the journey of five seedlings as they search for a place to sprout …
- 2019 Feathers in the Fire in which the other side of Icarus is revealed. Based on the Greek myth of Icarus, and using elements of physical theater.
- 2018 Tribal Schmibal – A Parabel, a play based on true events, which turned into a parable about intolerance, bullying and forgiveness.
- 2017 Till Someone Sneezes Re-visited. Our “Directors Cut” with a new cast and plot twists
- 2016 Sinner’s Circle – the Salem Witchcriers, a gothic horror tale based on the infamous Salem Witch Trials
- 2015 Into the Haystack, a dramatic investigation of surveillance in a suspiciously normal yet surreal society where the citizens have given up all rights to privacy
- 2014 Shakespeare’s Macbeth – a huge success!!
- 2013 MODELMONSTERMODEL – The Curse of Narcissus , a fashion-horror thriller with incredible costumes.
- 2012 Till Someone Sneezes, based on The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder. Check it out on YouTube.
- 2011 Blood of the Butterfly, a science fiction fantasy where three separate civilizations become entangled in a web of greed, presented in June and again in December 2011.
- 2010 saw BIYT’s first full-length theater production, Tale of the Rebel Waves.