Samuel Parker is at heart a storyteller, whether on stage as an actor, directing his own theatre company, making music or choreographing a full scale musical.

He is no stranger to Swindon, having played the title role in Jack and the Beanstalk, last Christmas at the Wyvern Theatre. He now returns for this year’s Summer Youth Project, co-ordinating around 200 youngsters in the gangster musical Bugsy Malone, fresh from an arena tour with the BBC’s CBeebies s.

Sam, 24, from Buckingham, said: “Project is like a crash course in all theatre skills,’’ he said.

Bugsy Malone was the very first Summer Youth Project at the Wyvern, 20 years ago in 1994. Some members of the original cast, including Anna McNamara who played Blousey, are returning for a reunion tonight, Wednesday August 20, in the theatre foyer, before watching the tech rehearsal.

Playing Bugsy in this year’s project is Fraser Green, 18, who is going on to study at the Wilkes Academy of Performing Arts in September.

Each year the theatre welcomes around 250 young actors, singers, dancers and technical crew who pull together a full scale musical in under two weeks, under the guiding hands of a team of professionals.

Leading the professional team this year is director Matthew Dye, who successfully produced Our House, based on the music of Madness, last year in Swindon. Sam said: “Matt and I work very similarly, we like to see nuggets of action in the dance sequences.’’ Sam says he really enjoyed his time in Swindon as Jack, and the tight panto rehearsal times have stood him in good stead when trying to get the best out of the young people on this year’s project.

“I had a fantastic time here, the crew were great and the Wyvern helped support my production of Your Zombie Prom, which I produced with my own company, Renegade Theatre.’’ he said.

Helping Sam with the logistics of at least 180 dancers on stage at the same time, is assistant choreographer, Aaron Jenkins, 19, who is a veteran of the Swindon youth projects himself. Aaron was a member of the panto juvenile chorus last year and he will be strutting his stuff alongside Nigel Havers as part of the adult cast in this year’s panto, Dick Whittington.

Richard Loftus, marketing manager at the theatre, says that Aaron is the perfect example of what the project is all about. “He is a great example of how project can shape careers. But, project is not just about those who want to be actors. It is about building confidence when you speak, about learning to work as a team, about trusting people and making friendships.’’ Many aspiring actors have gone through project before making the theatre their career including Lyndon Osbourne who played Nathan Wylde on TV in the popular soap Emmerdale, Sarah Covey who has just finished a run in the West End in We Will Rock You, Luke Marquez who now runs his own company, Wrong Shoes, Chris Penfold, who played Toad in Wind In The Willows at Covent Garden with the Royal Opera House, and recently starred in the film Rush.

Richard said the theatre often gets support from established stars of film and stage for its work with youth theatre including Rita Moreno, who starred in the 1955 film version of West Side Story.

He said: “In 2012, The Wyvern Theatre was thrilled that Rita Moreno, who won the Academy Award for playing Anita in the film, lent her support for our Summer Youth Project version of the Romeo and Juliet story. Rita wrote to us: “What is truly unique about theatre, for me, is the immediate experience that performing provides. Surely, one of the greatest feelings in the world, for an actor is the sheer pleasure of using every single bit of yourself, your past experiences, profoundly sad or ecstatically happy to fill and enrich the character you're playing. But, even more thrilling, sending out enormous amounts of energy and having it come back at you, doubled. Now that is the meaning of synchronicity!!!”

Bugsy Malone runs from tomorrow, Thursday, August 21 to Sunday, August 24 and tickets are from £12 on 01793 524481. - Flicky Harrison