BYMT brings Technical Difficulties world premiere to Hull Truck Theatre

BYMT comes to Hull Truck Theatre for the first time in the company’s history to present the premiere of Technical Difficulties, a comedy set during a high school’s own musical production. Packed with high-energy songs and unpredictable twists, this brand-new show quickly turns into a whodunnit mystery. As the drama escalates both on stage and off, the cracks begin to reveal what’s really going on.

Technical Difficulties brings together 38 young performers from across the country. Itis written by Joe Venables and Samuel Macdonald. Joe’s (writer and co-lyricist) credits include Jingle Street, Rishi Sunak’s Doing a Musical and On Your Bike, winner of Musical Theatre Review’s Best Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe. Samuel (composer and co-lyricist)  is co-founder of new Scottish musical company Matchstick Productions, with writing credits include Magnificat, shortlisted for The David MacLennan Award. Directed by Steve Elias, the creative team includes Choreographer DK Fash, and Designer Holly Coulson.

Two minutes into Dregmoor High School’s end-of-year musical, the safety curtain comes down.

This was not in the script.

What follows is a gloriously chaotic, laugh-out-loud scramble as the cast are trapped on the forestage attempting to keep the show alive while pandemonium unfolds backstage. Lines are forgotten, cues are missed, and suspicion starts to spread, because this isn’t just bad luck. Someone is responsible.

Technical Difficulties is an uproarious, metatheatrical comedy where everything that can go wrong absolutely does, and somehow still gets worse. With a coming-of-age story at its core, this wildly entertaining show captures what it takes to hold things together when everything around you is falling apart.

Joe Venable and Samuel Macdonald: “No-one knows better than teenagers how it feels for the entire world to be collapsing around you, and we’re excited to create something really funny that also explores the tricky business of growing up and working out who you are. We’re massively grateful to Hull Truck Theatre for providing us with the right-shaped stage to make all kinds of technical difficulties happen: get ready for misplaced explosives, countless costume disasters and a race against time to find the saboteur.”

Emily Gray, BYMT Creative Director: “This is such a brilliant idea for a new musical and our Young Company Panel were convinced that BYMT performers would have fun creating a hilarious show. We are excited to see young people playing teachers and theatre technicians, as well as school students, and having experimented with the material in schools, we know it is relevant and funny. There is a wider significance too as the piece celebrates the need for the arts in schools, and explores how the forces trying to suppress creativity will receive their comeuppance. We hope you will join us to laugh and champion the survival of the school musical in Hull this summer.”

Izzy Ripley, Young Company Member: “I had an amazing time performing with BYMT last summer, and cannot wait to start rehearsing for Technical Difficulties. It’s brilliant to be performing in Hull, so near to where I live, and to be part of this incredible show with such a talented group of young people. I think audiences will love Technical Difficulties; it’s funny and original, but also relatable and real. It’s always a privilege to be part of a team bringing a new BYMT musical to audiences, but to be part of a new musical comedy set in a high school with characters our own age, will be an amazing experience!”

Technical Difficulties is one of six BYMT 2026 productions. During the summer, the company also presents: The Clockmaker’s City (Z-arts, Manchester, 31 August – 2 August), Paper Stars (Barnfield Theatre, Exeter, 14-16 August), Frankenstein (Greenwich Theatre, London, 28-30 August) and its NMTA-winning Sea Change (Birmingham Hippodrome, 28-30 August). Alongside these performances, the company’s five development camps and Upskill Short Course bring together young performers and creative teams to explore new ideas and shape the next generation of musical theatre.

Technical Difficulties plays at Hull Truck Theatre 7 August – 8 August. Tickets are available here.