About

Great News! Lisa Apostolides, Director of Byron Youth Theatre is now a registered Creative Kids Provider.

As a registered provider for the Creative Kids program, you can redeem your $100 voucher with us and join one of our dynamic classes. You need to visit https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/find-creative-kids-provider and click on Find a Provider and then type in Lisa Apostolides-Byron Youth Theatre in the Find a provider by name. If you don’t have a voucher, please visit service.nsw.gov.au.

 

Byron Youth Theatre (BYT) was established in 2010 when Byron Youth Service received government funding as part of the National Binge Drinking Strategy.  We are a not-for-profit, social-action, theatre company, auspiced by Byron Youth Service and Byron Bay Community Association.

With the initial funding, over two years, we created two productions:

Angie’s Story 

Explored a teenage party “gone wrong”, covering issues of binge drinking, the effect of social media attracting large numbers of uninvited teenagers to a party, communication challenges between youth and parents and laws on underage drinking and parties.

Calling the Shots  

Focused on the long term effects of alcohol drinking and how it impacts on a young person’s life, family and friends.

The productions and accompanying workshops were performed in local schools as part of the Byron Youth Service initiative Project U-Turn, delivering twenty school performances and three public performances.

Since then BYT have successfully gained funding from

  • Northern Rivers Community Foundation

  • NRMA Motoring and Services

  • Nortec Employment and Training Services

  • Country Arts Support Program ( Regional Arts NSW)

  • Mental Health Association of NSW

  • Byron Council

  • Fundability

  • Rotary Byron Bay

  • Lions Club Brunswick Heads

  • The PASH Consortium

  • Splendour in the Grass festival

  • Santos Organics

The Company have created a further nine major productions on issues of compassionate connections between generations My Path and Yours, mental health Mind Made Me, sexual health P.A.S.H., illicit drug use Altered States, inclusion and identity for those with a disability Outspoken, LGBTIAQ+ youth issues No One Way, changes for the education system Have Your Say, domestic and family violence Broken, bullying and its connection to youth suicide, Here Today,  youth suicide prevention, Gone Tomorrow and racism and prejudice, In My Skin. On average we deliver ten performances and workshops for each production, however some productions have been reproduced several times.  We have also performed at Splendour in the Grass, Byron Blues Festival and Mullum Music Festival.  BYT have delivered over 170 performances and 120 workshops reaching a youth audience of approximately 15,000 as well as a community audience of over 5,000.

Through some specific local Council funding Director Lisa Apostolides has been able to provide Street Theatre, Playback Theatre and Physical theatre training for Company members.