More stars join National Youth Theatre 70th birthday show Letters to My Younger Future Self
by Best of Theatre Staff on in Cast Changes and Announcements
The line-up for Letters to My Younger Future Self has grown again, with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Susan Wokoma, James Graham and Daniel Ings among the alumni heading back to the National Youth Theatre for its 70th birthday night at the Royal Festival Hall on 20 September.
A fresh batch of famous names has been added to Letters to My Younger Future Self, the one-night staged event with which the National Youth Theatre marks 70 years as the world’s first youth theatre. It plays the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on 20 September 2026 and is supported by Netflix.
Newly announced are chart-topping singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes), dramatist James Graham (Dear England), Daniel Ings (The Gentleman), Calam Lynch (Rings of Power), Fay Ripley (Cold Feet), Rhea Norwood (Heartstopper) and TikTok comedian Megan Bolton. The night will also feature letters written by NYT Patron Chiwetel Ejiofor, Joanna Lumley, Dame Joan Collins, Richard E. Grant and Matt Lucas.
They join a bill revealed earlier that includes BAFTA winner Adeel Akhtar (Four Lions), India Amarteifio (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), Fehinti Balogun (Down Cemetery Road), Jessica Henwick (Game of Thrones), Rob Rinder (Judge Rinder), Takunda Muzondiwa, winner of the 2026 Roundhouse Poetry Slam, and Jack Thorne (Adolescence). More performers and letter-writers are promised in the coming weeks.
The format hands the stage to seven decades of NYT talent at once, with alumni sharing funny stories, buried secrets and hard-won advice next to newcomers from the current generation. Paul Roseby OBE, the company’s CEO and Artistic Director, directs alongside Director Josie Daxter, with dramaturgy by Krishna Istha and Sophie Ellerby, video design by Will Duke, lighting design by Prema Mehta, sound design by Nicola T. Chang and movement direction by Matthew Wells. Young people trained through the Netflix and National Youth Theatre IGNITE Your Creativity programme will work on it on stage, behind the scenes and on screen.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor said: “I’m proud to be a Patron of the National Youth Theatre, which gave me a great confidence boost as a young person and continues to do the same for thousands of young performers around the country.”
Susan Wokoma said: “NYT shaped everything for me… I learned how to be a good company member and it’s absolutely one of my strengths as an actor and writer. It’s the way you learn and grow and surprise yourself.”
Daniel Ings said: “A lot of the people I’m closest to today are friends I made at NYT, and it shaped the way I approach acting and being part of a company. That being said, I have a LOT to say to my younger self, so I can’t wait to be back with the NYT this September for a night to remember.”
The charity points out that roughly 60% of Britain’s biggest screen stars began on stage, and its own roll call bears that out: Daniel Craig, Helen Mirren, Andrea Riseborough, Matt Smith and Regé-Jean Page all passed through, as did writers Miriam Battye, Lennie James and Sarah Solemani, comedians Tom Allen and Joel Dommett, and musicians Ed Sheeran and Ellis-Bextor herself.
Tickets are on sale now, with proceeds going to the charity in its anniversary year. Alongside headline supporter Netflix, the evening is backed by Arts Council England and EON Productions.