About
Aquila
Taking great drama to the world's biggest arts festival
Aquila Youth Theatre was formed in 2015 as a way of enabling young actors to take a show to the Edinburgh Fringe. The group of actors came from Sandhurst in Berkshire. Aquila took The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken to Edinburgh in 2015 and this first season was the beginning of taking great drama to the world's biggest arts festival. In 2016 Aquila Youth Theatre took Jack Thorne's Burying Your Brother in the Pavement to the Fringe. This challenging piece set the bar high and the actors, from local Berkshire schools did the company proud.
In 2017 The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, adapted by Stuart Paterson, was Aquila's Fringe production. The company of actors now encompassed young people from Berkshire and Edinburgh.
2018 saw Aquila take a new theatre piece adapted from Michael Morpurgo's book, The War of Jenkins' Ear. The production was specially written for Aquila and the company performed with actors from Berkshire and Edinburgh schools. The production received a 4 star review 'there was much skill involved (and) the performance was impressive'. Sardines Magazine August 2018
In 2019 Aquila took two shows to the Fringe - Goodnight Mister Tom and Lord of the Flies. A company of 34 actors (from Berkshire and Edinburgh schools) enjoyed our most successful season so far with great reviews and brilliant audience feedback.
The pandemic brought a halt to productions but Aquila Youth Theatre returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022 with a new play called Café van der Brocke, set in war torn Ypres in 1915.
In 2023 we staged a world premiere of Merry Wanderers, an adapted story based on A Midsummer Night's Dream. It received great reviews and once again Aquila brought compelling theatre to the Fringe.
Aquila brings back Lord of the Flies in 2024 @theSpace Triplex from 5th to 10th August at 14.15.
Aquila Youth Theatre
Aquila likes to work with anyone who has an interest in drama and has done some theatre work, whether at school or in a youth group. Bringing between 15 and 20 actors to Edinburgh aged 11 to 14, Aquila is passionate about youth drama.