Participating...

The 24 hours starting on Thursday evening this week were utterly inspiring for the most understated of reasons and three particular events of this time are going to form the heart of this blog.  They are three events that demonstrated the importance of creativity and the power of the arts but not in a grand way, in an every day sort of a way that proves that life with art embedded within it is the best sort of a life...and that the opportunities to do this are on our doorstep…

First event – Black Company of Yew Tree Youth Theatre met for the first time in 2013 this week – now considering it was the 3^rd of January and everyone is still in holiday mode, imagine my delight when 29 young people walked through the door.  More delightful still is the fact that 9 of them were visitors - YTYT members who are now at University but taking time out of their precious 2 weeks with their family to check in with us.  I looked round the room at the undergraduates now studying a huge range of subject in addition to the few studying Drama (Maths, Spanish, English, Games design and Physics were all represented) and thought how wonderful that YTYT has this power.  That even as people develop, grow and find their own path in life they have somewhere where they can be united with people with whom they have shared experience, a common purpose and similar values…it makes me more than a little proud.  In addition it was lovely that as we started our new project for this term all of these wonderful creative people, that we miss out on most of the time, had some input into the shape of it, so when they see the finished version Easter they will have a little bit of ownership…

Second event – The following morning I took my children to the cinema…we went to see Rise of the Guardians – a film I was concerned would be a little too young for them but I wanted to see it and as they are growing up so fast I’m taking advantage of any time when they are happy to do things with me.  Anyway there we were, with our popcorn, expecting a relatively good children’s Christmas film, however what we got was so very much more.  In the guise of an animated action adventure, this film reminded me of so many things I believe in and articulated them in such a way that by the end of it not only had I had a wonderfully entertaining 97 minutes but also I knew how I wanted to live the next year…with wonder, hope, dreams and fun, making the loveliest memories I possibly good.  It reminded me that in a way Yew Tree Youth Theatre and all within it are guardians of sorts and that we can make a real difference to people’s lives and that, that is both a responsibility and a privilege.  Finally it reminded me about knowing what it is that is at our centre and making the most of that in all our interactions, in all the moments of our lives.  Lessons can indeed be learnt in the most unlikeliest places and a good story, well told, is one of the richest conduits for learning that exists…

Third event – That afternoon I took my cousin and her two children to the Hepworth.  They live in Hull and it was the first time they had managed to get across, although they’d wanted to for some time.  When we were having lunch before going up into the galleries themselves her 8 year old son was doing that thing that children do where he was pushing boundaries and to a certain extent his luck.   I think both the adults in the mix were wondering if the whole thing was going to go horribly wrong, and wondering how to avoid a fall out.  However we need not have feared because as soon as we got into the galleries the artwork quickly did it’s magic.  As I wheeled around my cousin’s one year old daughter in her pushchair to the sculptures she pointed at, my cousin and her lovely son shared the loveliest time looking at the work on display.  They shared their responses and views about the art and almost immediately all the tension from earlier dropped away entirely the shift in atmosphere was magical to watch…

So there we go in less than 24 hours – less than 3 miles from my door all that brilliant arts stuff was there for the taking or rather the participating…good start to the New Year is what I say…