Teenagers from throughout the country involved in two major productions talk to Denis Cliffordbefore the curtain rises.

Unlike Daniel Radcliffe's controversial performance in West End play Equus, teenagers taking to the stage in two high-profile Irish productions this month will be keeping their clothes on. But the excitement of performing in the capital will ensure audiences get productions which are groundbreaking in their own way. As part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, Dublin Youth Theatre (DYT) will present the play This Is Still Lifeat the Project Arts Centre from tomorrow onwards, while the Peacock Theatre will host a production of Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circleby the National Association of Youth Drama (NAYD) later in the month.

These mainstream productions showcase the strength of Irish youth theatre throughout the country. DYT has grown enormously since it was set up in 1977 by educational psychologist Paddy O'Dwyer with the aim of encouraging the personal and social development of young people. While some of the teenagers involved think of it as a rewarding hobby, others view it as a stepping stone to a career in the theatre.

Current DYT member Doireann Coady (18) believes self-development is a central part of the project. "It's actually fantastic to see kids developing - even myself, just thinking how much I've changed as a person. Also, if you're doing a show with someone or you're doing workshops every Saturday with someone, you know them in a different way than you would know them from sitting in a classroom."

Lauren Larkin (16) agrees. "I was really quiet when I started but when I came into DYT but there were so many people who were outgoing, it really brought me out of my shell. You get to know yourself as a person and who you are."

Coady says that a key aspect of the company is the leeway given to members. "The great thing about DYT is that you get an opportunity to get an idea of what it's like to work anywhere in theatre, whether it's sound, writing, directing or devising. Whatever you want, you'll get an opportunity to shine - whether it's stage-managing or making props - you'll get an opportunity to develop skills. Not everyone wants to be on stage all the time. Even when people get leads and stuff, there's no resentment. Everyone gets their moment in DYT.

"Also, it very much lies within the membership, what happens in DYT.I'm on the members' representative board of directors. If there's stuff going through, workshop-wise, we would liaise between the members and the board as to what the members want. We have a great say in what goes and what doesn't go."

According to Cormac McGann (18), the DYT attracts a mixture of wannabes and those with a more casual interest. "For a lot of people, DYT is just a hobby," he explains. "For others, it's a stepping stone because in DYT you do get to know some of the big names in Irish theatre such as [DYT artistic director] Billy White, people who can really help you and give you references, stuff like that. So if you are looking at it as a career, it's a great place to start."

Based on Gardiner Street, DYT holds weekly workshops on aspects of theatre and drama. Each year, the company stages both the One Act Festival, where members can write, direct and act in their own dramatic work, and a major public production. This Is Still Life, the 2007 show, is produced in collaboration with Brokentalkers. A multimedia performance blending theatre and film, it features the cast attempting to relive their memories on stage. Months of workshops saw the actors mining their recollections of the past for dramatic material.

Televisual elements form a major part of the production, Brokentalkers co-director Gary Keegan. "Television played a significant part in the workshops, with the recalling of the young people's memories being massively linked to programmes, news, etc, that were being broadcast at the time. As a result, part of the set will comprise a TV studio set-up with which the cast interact throughout the performance."

WHILE DYT HASopted for challenging work this year, the NAYD's upcoming production at the Peacock involves more subtle experimentation, in the form of a Frank McGuinness-penned reworking of Brecht. The NAYD is an umbrella organisation representing more than 50 youth theatres in almost every county and the 20 actors in the play are each affiliated to one of its constituent theatres.

These actors are currently rehearsing intensively in Maynooth. This process is increasing their appetite for acting, according to Roisin Watson, a member of the south Dublin-based Independent Theatre. "When you are doing it daily like we are at the moment and it's so amazing and so fun, you get so into it," she explains. "When there are other people around you who are thinking of it as a career, it does make you think, 'Well, wait a minute, we've all been put on the same platform: why shouldn't I do it as a career?'"

Fellow Brechtian thesps James O'Flaherty of Abbeyfeale Youth Theatre and Alan Dalton of the Cork School of Music Youth Theatre have also caught the bug.

"When I auditioned in Galway, I never thought I would get through to the final callbacks in Dublin," says O'Flaherty. "But from now on, I'll wait and see what way it goes."

Dalton adds that, following his casting in a mainstream production, "pursuing an acting career is definitely one of those things that you'd keep in the back of your mind because now we've all kinda realised that we have the talent to keep this going."

Several members of the cast of The Caucasian Chalk Circlehave become interested in various aspects of dramaturgy and theatre production during their time with youth theatre groups.

"I helped to devise two plays a couple of years ago," says Mary Rose Phipps, who has been involved with the Longford-based Backstage Youth Theatre since 2003. "At our group, we can get involved in writing if we want to and, if it's good enough, they'll put it on."

"My youth theatre is very open to trying different things," adds Watson. "I don't think you can just act - you have to know all about lighting and production. I'm also planning to direct stuff."

WHILE SOME YOUTHtheatres do not require applicants to audition for places, this is becoming increasingly common. However, Watson believes you don't need to be the next Gwyneth Paltrow to join: "I don't think auditions are that serious, as [youth theatre groups] take people who are interested in production as well.

"The point of youth theatre isn't to be acting or to put on plays of a high standard, it's more to get everyone involved. You don't have to act, you can just be involved in production or whatever you want."

Even if a top-quality production is not the central goal of youth theatre, it certainly seems to be the result. Bound for the Peacock and the Project, several youth theatre members may now be on the verge of stage careers. Their time-consuming hobby also shows that stereotypical adolescent pastimes - loitering in shopping centres, narcotic abuse, being terminally angsty - clearly do not hold universal appeal.

Doireann Coady sees youth theatre as something that all teenagers should think about: "I think theatre is for everyone and I would recommend for any young person to join a local youth theatre. It's been an integral part of my growing up."

• This is Still Life runs from tomorrow, Aug 14 to Aug 18, at the Project Arts Centre www.project.ie.The Caucasian Chalk Circle runs from Aug 28 to Sept 1 at the Peacock Theatre, www.abbeytheatre.ie.

Youth theatres around the country will be accepting new members in September (see www.youthdrama.ie for details).