Graft and Joy!

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This week has been one of those where I have reflected on how far we have come as a Youth Theatre since we started 18 years ago…of course there’s the numbers thing …8 members to over 200, 1 group to 10 but that’s not even close to being significant in the distance we’ve travelled…

Working on the Christmas shows with Sapphire and Gold I have been so impressed by those actors who are scripts down…that understanding that the sooner that piece of the process is in place the sooner they can think about other much more enjoyable things like character, intention and relationships.  There is a culture in these groups now that anyone who comes into them becomes immediately aware of and it makes each session a joy to be part of.

The lovely thing that this work ethos has no negative impact on the enjoyment factor…I don’t think there are many places that feature so much laughter on a week to week basis.  This happiness isn’t because everything we do is easy…yesterday in the Christmas Carol rehearsals at Gold we were staging scenes that are really quite complex… still the atmosphere was one of pleasure.  Rob who returned to us briefly after his jaunts across South Asia, Hong Kong and Washington DC (I say jaunts he’s been gone the best part of 13 months) made a point of saying how much fun there is to be had at Yew Tree after his visiting Black Company.  I’m proud to be part of something that for a lot of the time manages to balance the elements of hard work, artistic integrity and enjoyment.

Today my grafting is going to be channelled in the direction of finishing the Black Company play, “All I Want for Christmas.”  So many characters awaiting their Christmas Eve fate…

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