An Aberdeen-based youth theatre is celebrating 20 years of success.
Phoenix Youth Theatre (PYT) was launched in 1998 by directors Liz Milne and Clare Haggart, along with musical director Kevin Haggart.
It was an offshoot of Phoenix Theatre, the trio’s amateur theatre company that was established eight years before.
Since then several hundred young people have had the chance to get on stage at the Aberdeen Arts Centre and His Majesty’s Theatre.
Former pupil Jack Taggart, 22, described his experience with the theatre as an “honour.”
He said: “Phoenix and my teachers had such a profound effect on me.
“I grew as a person immeasurably over my time at PYT and it’s the lifelong friends and life skills that I learned there that I will always cherish. I will always be immensely grateful for every opportunity the youth theatre gave me.”
The group regularly provide actors, singers and dancers for professional stage productions, as well as in TV and film.
Earlier this month, members were congratulated by Police Scotland following their assistance acting in a short film made to highlight the dangers of drug misuse.
The film premiered in front of a large audience at the Belmont Filmhouse.
One of the first children to attend classes at PYT was Jonnie Milne, who has since returned to teach.
He said: “I remember taking my first anxious steps onto a stage back in 1998, and it was Phoenix that gave me the skills and confidence to lead shows just a handful of years later.
“Now I have the opportunity to pass that experience on to the next generation of performers and it brings a smile to my face each and every Saturday as I head in to class.”
The group’s next show, Cinderella, will be performed at Aberdeen Arts Centre from November 13-17.
