For our 125th Birthday we launched ‘Born in the Borough’ – a commitment to provide 25 years of arts opportunities to babies born in the theatre’s home borough of Hammersmith & Fulham during the theatre’s birthday year.
Parents and guardians can register their child with the Lyric if they are resident in and have been born in the borough between the 20 July 2020 and the 20 July 2021. These children will be offered free opportunities to take part in and enjoy the arts throughout their first 25 years.
The Lyric is synonymous with supporting young talent, with the start of many organisations and individuals careers rooted in the theatre. This started as early as the 1920s when it is said Marie Rambert marked the birth of British ballet with her work at the Lyric, which was the beginning of what is now the world-renowned dance company. In the 1950s, the 59 Theatre Company presented landmark productions at the Lyric, shaping their vision as a company, they then went on to create the Manchester Royal Exchange. Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, Michael Frayn’s Noises Off and the plays of A. A. Milne received their debuts at the Lyric. Following in the footsteps of Ian McKellen who made his London debut on the Lyric stage in 1959, actors that have more recently begun their careers have included Hammed Animashaun, Aneurin Barnard, Karl Queensborough, Iwan Rheon and Charlotte Wakefield to name but a few.
Every year the Lyric works to nurture the talent and creativity of thousands of young West Londoners aged 0 – 25 years old. They attend Young Lyric creative classes and activities in theatre, music, dance and film delivered by the Lyric and its Young Lyric partners; take part in local school programmes or visit the theatre to see Little Lyric shows and Main House productions.
Parents and guardians can register their child as a Lyric 125 Baby by filling in the form below.