NEW YEAR is a time to strive for new goals and with this in mind a youth theatre company in Dorchester has started up a course for youngsters who fancy trying out musical theatre.

Dreaming of tackling the role of Eva Peron in Evita? Or perhaps donning the technicolor dream coat of Joseph?

Budding stage stars could live their dream of a career in musical theatre with a new course in Dorchester.

Dorchester Youth Theatre (DYT) has set up a series of musical theatre workshop taster sessions beginning in January.

The workshops are aimed at those between the ages of 10 and 18.

The successful youth theatre group has built up a strong reputation for high quality productions.

This includes working with the National Theatre and professional touring companies.

The course, known as MT@DYT, will be run as a five week block working with a script and score, with Jo Simons, artistic director of Dorchester Youth Theatre and Alistair Dean, musical director of the Deans Academy.

Jo trained as a professional actor at the Bristol Old Vic and has many years’ experience of working both on stage and television.

She joined Dorchester Youth Theatre in 2010. Alastair, a former WOW member is now back in his home town after working in London theatre academies for 14 years, including the Italia Conti Academy.

Many of Alastair’s pupils went on to star in West End productions including Matilda, Annie and Billy Elliott.

Jo said: "We are really looking forward to working with Alistair on this project, it will be lovely working on some musical theatre with some new faces."

DYT's chairman Carol Burgess said she expects the course to be very popular and that numbers are limited.

She added: "MT@DYT will be focussing on acting through singing rather than the typical show tunes!

"We are running these with a view to starting regular MT@DYT sessions in September 2017."

The sessions will take place on Wednesday evenings at Manor Park School in Dorchester from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

The first session is Wednesday, January 11 and the last will be Wednesday, February 8 2017.

Anyone who is interested should contact Jo Simons via email at dorchyouththeatre@talktalk.net or should call 07423 055585.