What's happening at YTYT

So the university goers have gone and there has been the usual losses of old members and gains of new starters that happens at this time of year…I’m enjoying the fact that over the next few weeks we can really get down to the business of creating and making, discovering and developing. There is always a somewhat transient quality to the first few weeks of the autumn term…mirrored by the seasonal changes evident as you look out of any window. The summer is such a long holiday and during it people alter, their circumstances change and their perspectives shift. These individual changes, and their impact on the youth theatre as a whole, take a little while to stabilise and there is a slight air of uncertainty until they do… Today at Gold Company rehearsals I got a real sense that that was happening… despite the couple of absences what we had was a company working together to tell a story everyone believes is worth telling…we achieved so much in what seemed like such a short period of tim

This weeks guest blogger is Jordan Layton who is aged 12 and attends the Sapphire Company that meet on a Monday night… This week at Yew Tree the Sapphire Company have been rehearsing the script for Beauty and the Beast. We first played killer 12. Most people got rid of their friends within the game. Next we went over the beginning section of the script up to where the witches exit. It is really cool just rehearsing and rehearsing as you can get it right for when you add more things. Also this week we did best and worse of the week and most people said that their worst was that they had lots of homework. Within the last half an hour we played the laughing game most people went out in the third round and it just came down to two people for the final round it was so cool, we all got them out though apart from Matt who won. The session was the best yet as we were rehearsing so much it was really fun.

Aaron (Black and Gold companies) manned up this week...luckily for Jordan (Hill)... Hi it's me again, looks like I've writen the next blog. So I have decided to write it about the upcoming shows (or at least the ones i'm in) and how they have developed. The first show I will talk about is the Saturday morning groups performance of A Christmas Carol. We've only been back for 2 weeks but you can see how much people are looking forward to it and because of it people can't help but anticipate a good and enjoyable performance. It also makes everyone get into the Christmas spirit months in advance which is great and it gives me an excuse to watch "Scrooged" starring Bill Murry (not that i need an excuse). I think that the casting is brilliant (although I'm not sure what to make out of me being cast as Scrooge) and everyone will be able to do great jobs of their roles. Thursday nights group performance is also looking brilliant, completely different from Satu

Now the youth theatre is very definitely back up and running my blog this week is going to document some of my Yew Tree highlights from the last seven days…in no particular order and with the disclaimer that there were many others it’s just these are the ones that really stood out for me… Number 1 – The sheer number of people that are now involved in the youth theatre, at each first session of the term that I have facilitated I’ve been astonished at the size of the group. That all these talented, enthusiastic, wonderful people would want to spend their precious none studying/none working hours with Yew Tree is a continual delight to me….thank you… Number 2 – The new starters and returners, it’s always good to see a couple of new faces at a group as they provide an extra enhancing element to the company that they join. Two in particular stand out to me this term. A younger member of the Sapphire company who has apparently talked about Yew Tree so much since attending ,her brother wan

We also have a guest blog by Charlotte...who will be a much missed member of the Black Company now she's left to start university... Ok… so today, I moved in my stuff to my uni accommodation. It reminded me that I’m leaving Yew Tree, that I’m leaving something that has changed part of me (for the better obvsss)... but still, it’s gonna feel weird. Since I asked Sarah early if I could have this blog, I’ve been thinking most of the week and I’ve realised, this is where I can sum up my Yew Tree experience… so I’m gonna. Yew Tree started after I helped out by playing a character in Giving Something Back, after that it’s been 17+ all the way! At first, I remember being scared that I’m not good enough but in reality, Yew Tree isn’t like that. If you’re one of the weaker in the group, you get aided by everyone so you don’t feel behind, and that’s something I love. Everyone supports each other like a full on tree (that’s what came into my head) like, Sarah is the grass below and we are all

First guest blogger of the week is Jess Moore...member of the Gold and Black companies...and somehow for the second week in a row Dee manages to put in an appearance... With Thursday nights (Black Company) still carrying on over the summer I didn't really realise how much I'd missed Saturday mornings...but they're brilliant and it was sooo good to be back :) I get pretty passionate about a lot of the performances we do with Yew Tree, but I love A Christmas Carol and Sarah's version is brilliant. Really looking forward to it! Also just gonna point out that best and worst never fails to make me laugh ha. There are so many different personalities at Yew Tree and the stories that are told are brilliant. I realise I've said brilliant 3 times now...ah well, moving on...so yeh Saturday mornings ha...we had some new people today. People always manage to just slot right in and by the end of the session its as if they've been there forever :) That's good is that in my

The opening of A Christmas Carol as devised by the Gold Company this morning in their first rehearsal back… It’s a cold crisp December afternoon…the sunlight sparkles as it meets the frost and the air is filled with anticipation. It’s Christmas eve and in amongst the preparation for the festivities people meet, gather and draw close sustained by the tangible magic that charges the air… A young woman walks along the street…she is cold…in her eagerness to look good for her new romance she had forgotten how much the temperature has dropped…taking her place where they planned to meet she waits for a moment…a flash of doubt crosses her face, will he turn up? Suddenly he is there holding his hand out to her as her now upturned face lights up in a smile…they run off to enjoy their precious hours together…intoxicated by the newness of everything. As they leave a young man enters and pauses to check his phone, he’s been looking forward to today, a chance to catch up with a friend all too abse

Well...desperate times call for desperate measures...I had no volunteers so I had to do a bit of press ganging...the result is this...cheers team... Alice: Right so I said I’d do the blog but didn’t know what to do and Dee piped up with ‘welll the 17+ groups new thingymajig is conversations yeah ... lets converse times ha’ :)...so we’re doing a conversational blog...nice cop out on my part :) Right so on Thursday we did the warm up as usual which I absolutely loved even if me and Callum had to get inhalered a few times :( (Can you tell I’m writing this with Dee?) then we started putting the piece together and after the pre-show/bit at the beginning I sat down to learn my lines but didn’t get very far (must try harder) because watching other people was so interesting. Like I watched Joanna and Jess and saw them do exactly what I’d done the week before: just say : ’erm...I dunno’ and then stand there lol but in the end they got there and it was mint. Then I watched India (working with Ca

This time next week I won’t be sat writing about the youth theatre, I’ll be directing it…next Saturday it all begins again, first youth theatre sessions of the term with the Gold, Red, Purple and Crimson Company back in action…and from that point the rainbow will regain its colourful glory as each group begins their newest journey…I’m very much looking forward to it… It’s an odd time…because there’s a real sense of anticipation, given extra fuel because in some ways the term leading up to Christmas has an extra magic…however it’s tinged with an aura of melancholy as in amongst this launch into the new term we have to do a certain amount of saying goodbye. One of the aspects of the youth theatre that has become more prevalent as we have become more established is that people stay for longer and each year in September we now have to say goodbye to those who are travelling on to the next bit of their education and training. There’s a strange feeling of pride, optimism and sadness as last