Tom with his thoughts on the week
…I can not begin to say how amazing this day has been for me and everyone involved with Sparkleshark. From day one all of us knew that we had a chance…an opportunity...to create something truly brilliant and something all of us could be really proud of...The play itself is a wonderful read with so many great moments and characters you can relate to on so many different levels but for me…working with eight great people in my cast since last December, after auditioning for the production, getting the part of Jake, rehearsing through the most of February and performing with both companies over the last three nights has been just as rewarding and time well spent and enjoyable as the overwhelming emotions I felt after coming off stage tonight…Nothing can compare to it…I will never forget the amazing times I have had and I will keep these memories and experiences with me long after I leave Yew Tree…
…After our opening night on Thursday I was really happy with what we had done together…however afterwards I started to feel unsure about what could happen next so I decided to have a word with one of Sarah’s good friends called Giles who has worked with many actors over the years and seen a lot of theatre shows and he could only say great things about the Youth Theatre…Calling us A MOVEMENT…I know where the revolution now begins lol…and the performance that Alice, Rob, Callum, India, Dee, Lucy, Merv, Jack and Jo did too…
…I asked him one question…”How do I deal with tension on stage and why as an actor do I feel more relaxed here at Yew Tree then I do anywhere else?”…He told me two things as an answer to my question…
The first answer he gave was to warm up and relax as much as possible before a performance, more than anything…The second answer he gave me was once I had done the first I had to ask myself “What it is I want to get, gain or achieve as the actor and character”…It took me a time to think about these over in my head. But once I had done I knew what I had to do for tonight…So I spent at least thirty to forty minutes, during the Karamazoo performance, sat down in silence back stage, on my own, just thinking about what I had to do for the next hour and what I was going to do to get it done and feel proud about what I did to get there…And after I did that…I got up, picked up my bag and walked onto the stage as Jake…
…In all honesty I don’t think I have ever been so engaged on stage before as a performer and pleased to have performed as Jake with my cast…No matter what, all of us tonight excelled ourselves better then we had hoped to achieve…And I saw not only professional performers, but wonderful friends I was happy to spend my time with…and I don’t think I can ever just leave my ambitions behind as of tonight. After the performance though…I was flooded with happy emotions and wonderful praise from family and Yew Tree friends alike…
…I guess I don’t really have anything else to say in this blog…anything else is stored away in my mind and will be there for many years because of the events of tonight…
But what I will say though is
Thank you Sarah for being a wonderful director…
Thank you Danny for your energetic warm ups…
Thank you Craig for the pictures…
Thank you Oz and Jodie for the lights and sounds…
And thank you to all the people I am happy to call friends, from both the Sharks…The Sparkles…The Karamazoos and everyone else in between…
…I can not begin to say how amazing this day has been for me and everyone involved with Sparkleshark. From day one all of us knew that we had a chance…an opportunity...to create something truly brilliant and something all of us could be really proud of...The play itself is a wonderful read with so many great moments and characters you can relate to on so many different levels but for me…working with eight great people in my cast since last December, after auditioning for the production, getting the part of Jake, rehearsing through the most of February and performing with both companies over the last three nights has been just as rewarding and time well spent and enjoyable as the overwhelming emotions I felt after coming off stage tonight…Nothing can compare to it…I will never forget the amazing times I have had and I will keep these memories and experiences with me long after I leave Yew Tree…
…After our opening night on Thursday I was really happy with what we had done together…however afterwards I started to feel unsure about what could happen next so I decided to have a word with one of Sarah’s good friends called Giles who has worked with many actors over the years and seen a lot of theatre shows and he could only say great things about the Youth Theatre…Calling us A MOVEMENT…I know where the revolution now begins lol…and the performance that Alice, Rob, Callum, India, Dee, Lucy, Merv, Jack and Jo did too…
…I asked him one question…”How do I deal with tension on stage and why as an actor do I feel more relaxed here at Yew Tree then I do anywhere else?”…He told me two things as an answer to my question…
The first answer he gave was to warm up and relax as much as possible before a performance, more than anything…The second answer he gave me was once I had done the first I had to ask myself “What it is I want to get, gain or achieve as the actor and character”…It took me a time to think about these over in my head. But once I had done I knew what I had to do for tonight…So I spent at least thirty to forty minutes, during the Karamazoo performance, sat down in silence back stage, on my own, just thinking about what I had to do for the next hour and what I was going to do to get it done and feel proud about what I did to get there…And after I did that…I got up, picked up my bag and walked onto the stage as Jake…
…In all honesty I don’t think I have ever been so engaged on stage before as a performer and pleased to have performed as Jake with my cast…No matter what, all of us tonight excelled ourselves better then we had hoped to achieve…And I saw not only professional performers, but wonderful friends I was happy to spend my time with…and I don’t think I can ever just leave my ambitions behind as of tonight. After the performance though…I was flooded with happy emotions and wonderful praise from family and Yew Tree friends alike…
…I guess I don’t really have anything else to say in this blog…anything else is stored away in my mind and will be there for many years because of the events of tonight…
But what I will say though is
Thank you Sarah for being a wonderful director…
Thank you Danny for your energetic warm ups…
Thank you Craig for the pictures…
Thank you Oz and Jodie for the lights and sounds…
And thank you to all the people I am happy to call friends, from both the Sharks…The Sparkles…The Karamazoos and everyone else in between…
Brilliant performance Tom , you were a sound cue pleasure to work with!
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