What's happening at YTYT

Michael redeems himself by getting his blog in eventually... Well, how was my first Nostel experience?   Excellent in a word, yeah pretty much sums it up... But allow me to elaborate... I have always loved being a part of Yew Tree performances and Vision was definitely no exception. In fact I don't think I've ever performed in a play quite like it... It wasn't just a play, it was an experience. It took staying in character off stage to a whole new level for me, just because you were off stage it doesn't mean the audience can't still see you. Therefore staying in character is vital...   The performance itself was brilliant! When first reading the script I had no idea how it would all come together, or just how complicated it would be, but it worked! Everyone fulfilled there roles brilliantly, no two characters were the same, there was honestly excellent acting in this performance. I love being a part of Yew tree, not just because of the brilliant performances we pu

You start off with the hint of an idea…a tenuous possibility that you fear won’t hold out under any kind of artistic scrutiny…so you think about it for a while and it starts to take shape…not in any easily describable form, but it’s not the spectre it once was, it’s starting to have a shape and it’s looking like you might have got something that will work.   This idea grows, not consistently but in flashes and spurts…moments of excitement when another piece of the puzzle slots into place.   Then you see who else is interested in realising this idea with you and you find out 28 are…which is brilliant but awe inspiring also as that’s a lot of characters to accommodate.   There are all sorts of other obligations you have to meet and you start to get impatient because you feel like at least a part of it is ready to be set down on paper and finally you find the time and are delighted because it is ready.   You begin to write and then you write and write and write…oftentimes yo

Natalie was kind enough to write the Nostell 2012 blog... So Nostell week has been amazing and I honestly feel privileged to have been a part of it. As always the week went ridiculously fast and as soon as I returned from the pub on Friday night the post Nostell blues immediately kicked in – it’s weird not been surrounded by 28+ people for over 6 hours every day.   I’m sure everyone who came to see ‘Vision’ on Friday will agree that to perform an original piece of theatre with such a short amount of rehearsal time to that standard was impressive and obviously we have Sarah to thank for that. I enjoyed playing my character Jenny so much and worryingly there were some similarities between us – although I don’t think I’m quite as insane yet… Everyone else obviously saw the similarities between us as people are still calling me Jenny 3 days after the performance and all week Sarah has referred to me as Jenny (perhaps unintentionally!?) I just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure to

This week we have had read throughs for Aladdin, Cinderella and the Nostell play…started the process of casting for the Christmas shows and had all the final sessions of the term…yet another hectic week… So as the rest of the company’s take a well-earned break…Black Company with some help from members old and new prepare to stage their annual summer open-air production at Nostell.   It will be our 7 th performance of this kind and it’s become such an important part of the Yew Tree calendar.   Each final week of July we start on Monday morning with a brand new original play written specifically for the cast and work tirelessly through the week so that by Friday it is ready for public consumption.   The premise that has developed is that it has to be possible for the action of the play to happen in real time at Nostell Priory at 7pm on a Friday evening.   Previous treats have included a duel, an alien sighting and a gaggle of media hacks waiting for the arrival of Kiera Kn

It's Jess's turn to blog about leaving Gold I’ve put it out there how fuming I am that I’m too old to stay at Gold… so I’ll just be nice now     Seriously… I can’t imagine not getting up on a Saturday morning for it! I love Yew Tree, all of it… but Gold is where I started and it feels like my second family. Gold has a perfect balance of playing games/ having a laugh with your friends & working really hard on a brilliant piece of theatre (if you want me to feature in Cinderella that would be fine). I remember how nervous I was to start Gold, but that’s the brilliant thing about it… you can walk in as the new person and 3 hours later you’re just another member of Yew Tree! Yeh so I don’t want to leave… ever? If you start Gold make sure you stay because I can’t actually imagine what my life would have been like without it, and I know that sounds dramatic ha but I actually cant! Anyway... I’m just gonna go and invent some kind of machine that will take me back 6 years so I ca

Yasmin blogs about Yearbook... For the last three weeks me, Joanna, Alice and Danny have been touring Year 7 classes in schools around Wakefield with ‘Yearbook’ (A twenty minute play and 40 minute workshop) and I’ve had a fab time!!! It was a really eye opening experience working with children in schools as it’s something I’ve never done before. Before we went to schools, we had a rehearsal week and planned the workshop and I was quite nervous because I’ve never been in the role of ‘teacher’ before and I didn’t have a clue what to expect from the students. I’ve been soo soo pleasantly surprised by the participation and responses from every single group that we’ve seen... some were top sets and others were of low ability but the workshops are all about opinion and response and so we have had some brilliant involvement and insightful answers in both. There’s something really rewarding and lovely when you hear an intelligent or sincere answer from a student because it feels like they’ve

Three scripts all at the same time – a little ambitious – maybe – definitely…however it appears it’s doable…maybe…definitely…Aladdin is finished apart from the inevitable glitches that will make themselves known at the read through…so that’s one…Vision is almost there…I’m just waiting to see if any of the cast has a flash of inspiration today before I sign it over to the actors for line learning…so that’s two…Once that is done I’m left with Cinderella to finish off…it’s all a bit dicey at the moment, she’s just left the ball in a hurry so I need to focus on her as soon as possible so she can live happily ever after with her Prince…and then that will be three… The only way that such prolific writing is possible is due to the input of the companies the plays are for.   I couldn’t come up with all the ideas needed to make three plays interesting on my own but because I’m working with such creative generous actors I don’t need to.   I’m inspired by the original ideas you all

Dee blogs about her final Gold session... So today was my last gold company session, safe to say I'm having a funami been there since i was fifteen and a wag wannabe havnt i? (good god) thank god yewtree changed my ambitions ha and now I'm on route to turning 21 yeahhh I know it's hard to believe - seething! - but tbf i dont look/act that ancient soooo sarah i can stay? ( yeah ive tried that one one too often...it doesn't work     ) well fuming . if my mum decided to have me just a tiny year later I could have stayed at gold been a pretty likkle fairy or princess but but nope I'm on my way to been a granny and having to leave arnt I. Hell . Anywayyyyyyy On a positive and a more 'dee shush stop sulking' and talk about yewtree note ha..I'm gonna miss having a reason to get up on a Saturday morning , golds always been my favourite company it's more playful and family ish and Just generally full of such a wide range of people that slot together like ch

I’ve been directing Youth Theatre on a Saturday morning literally since I graduated so that’s 17 years – first for Bretton Hall, then for Yew Tree, then for Pilot and for the last 6 years for Yew Tree again (it’s worth mentioning that the latter two groups were one and the same in people – only the name changed.)   Friends my age are a little bewildered as to why I would want that kind of imposition on my time, I can’t help thinking that if they came along to a Gold Company session they would understand instantly. I’d missed out on Gold for the two weeks leading up to yesterday – a rogue workshop for the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the celebration that was Flock to Ossett had taken me away. To say I missed it was an understatement and it was so, so, so lovely to be back.   There are new starters and people who have been there for a large majority of those 6 years and together they are literally a recipe for the most sunshiny start to a weekend. After the usual playin

Alice blogs about being on tour with Yew Tree Arts For the past two weeks Yew Tree Arts have been touring 'Yearbook' around high schools in Wakefield to year 7's.   It has been my first experience of working solely as a touring actor and having no other jobs or responsibilities - not even youth theatre lines to learn     I have really enjoyed it so far (which is lucky being that I start drama school soon...could have been awks...)   It is however, absolutely exhausting; on Tuesday I was up at 5.30 and that was absolutelyhideous.com. But when you look back at how many young people you've come into contact with that day and how many insightful answers or 'liked and learnts' there were from the kids who didn't put there hands up for the rest of the session it's completely worth it. It's also really easy to enjoy work when you absolutely value what you're being paid to do.   ...which leads me nicely onto what Yearbook is actually about. It is an

Natalie has written a kind of outgoing blog :( it's that time of the year again...still the blog is a delight even if losing her isn't I decided to step up and write the blog this week because sadly I only have two gold sessions left EVER! Also I haven't done one for a while and Saturday's session was excellent as always! We started off as usual with a few entertaining games of funky seaweed, aeroplanes and foot stomp/ninja warrior (not together though as despite constant pestering this is still not allowed). Then we started devising Cinderella and today was the large ball scene! Different groups looked at the scene from different angles - exploring the roles of various characters. Highlights were Ash and Ed developing some cross gender aspects of the play, 2 hyperventilating stepsisters, Beth's sweaty hands, a Buttons with many names, a waltz and a group of fairy godmothers analysing the use of a pumpkin instead of a limo! The play as a whole is shaping up brilli

This week the blog is very late…very late indeed…Jack got his guest blog to me in plenty of time so the fault is entirely my own…sorry team The problem has been that there has been too much celebrating going on…far too much having a lovely time…in fact having a lovely time was pretty much all I did over the weekend and so despite my good intentions to try and fit blog writing into all this celebrating and having a lovely time I failed entirely… The first celebration and having a lovely time was the culmination of Flock to Ossett on Saturday.   It was an absolute triumph. To see such vivid colour, such a lot of people with so many smiles, such loveliness, such vibrancy bringing to life the centre of the town was magic.   I was so pleased with Black Company’s performance and so glad we could be part of something that showed precisely how participation with the arts can revitalise both people and places…in fact entire communities.   The whole day was a celebration of bot

Jack Iredale blogs about Flock to Ossett After weeks of promoting, hours of rehearsing, it arrived. June 30th. The day of Flock to Ossett. And it. Was. Brilliant. I had a good feeling about it when, walking into Ossett, you could see knitting everywhere, on bollards, on those things people put round trees to protect them...tree fences?... and my personal favourite...a fully knitted bike. Though the giant woollen caterpillar hiding in the grocery store was funny as hell. As for our performance of the myth of Ossett town, it went down a treat. We had to battle against wind, and at one point, church bells, but we pulled off another great performance, and the reception towards it was heart-warming.   The last thing on our agenda was to take part in the parade. As one of the people leading it, turning round to see a full samba band, and 9 schools worth of kids holding up giant sheep, with the rest of our little band of news paper sellers in the middle was amazing. The amount of people lin