What's happening at YTYT

It seems ridiculous to be saying goodbye to 2014…it was so packed full of delicious youththeatreness it flew by at a breathtaking, break neck speed and now it’s done…all too soon – On reflection I will remember the YTYT year of 2014 for stretching me as a director more than any other and teaching me all manner of things that I have squirreled away in my toolbox of vital knowledge and implements a YTYT director needs… I will remember it for the chance to revisit scripts from years ago restaging them with different actors which is a fascinating process and I will also remember it for the wonderful kick I found in staging some of the writing that I am most proud of…I will remember it for a great deal of laughter, a host of important lessons and of course some pretty stressy situations…but I think I will remember it mostly, as ever, for the wonderful people I shared it with and in that I am including, those young people that have joined us this year…for there have been over the course of

Sam in his wonderful and inimitable style reviews his YTYT 2014...to great effect! So, for this blog, I have done a little timeline of a few of the things I have been involved with during this year at YTYT in the form of many mini blogs. I don’t know if you’ll find all of it so interesting and I have tried not to be self indulgent but, with things like this, there is an awful lot to say. Anyhow, have a look at my chronological, titled and hopefully informative little summaries of some of my most memorable Yew Tree projects! Kendal 2014 For me, it has to be said, the highlight of 2014 was in fact Kendal 2014. Going away on a residential and staying in a, errm, funky, youth hostel to perform a play we had spent quite a few months perfecting was a great opportunity. I won’t lie, I didn’t eat so well and I had my first ever KFC but, life is all about the new experiences so I remember that box of chicken fondly. Okay, so Kendal perhaps wasn’t glamorous, but performing “The Wardrob

We have finally stopped and as always it is only when you stop that you can appreciate what you have achieved.   December was an absolute riot of youth theatreness…the final rehearsals and performances of the Christmas shows…A Vampire Story, final sessions and Wintery Words and Christmas Coffee.   It was wonderful and exacting and there were times when I couldn't see that it was possible - but it was and we did it and what's more I'd like to say we did it with a certain amount of style.    It’s hard when you are in the thick of all of that to reflect and so in the quiet of this weekend I’ve been enjoying doing just that.    I’ve been reflecting on the sheer volume of what we achieved but also of the quality inherent in that achievement.  I’ve been reflecting on the lovely comments we have had from yew tree members about their experiences of the term but also by parents and friends on how much they enjoyed the performances they saw.  I’ve been reflecting on the investme

And this lovely blog is from Rachel Johnson...who we are delighted to have had back for a little while before she heads to London in the New Year to perform in a show she and her company have created... So after three years at Uni I'm back in good old Wakefield and the last couple of weeks have been especially nice getting involved in another yew tree project, seeing vampire story and just generally being around the team again after so long!   Being asked to write this blog made me think back to when I first left Yew Tree to start Uni back in 2011. I clearly remember feeling very lost and unsettled while I was in my first term at Warwick and then coming back to Wakefield for my first weekend visit since leaving. I went to a gold company session while I was back and I remember feeling so at home again and comfortable and happy there and everything and everyone was familiar and I really did not want to go back to uni after that! It's funny because, after three years of get

Toni is our first guest blogger - written fresh after the Christmas games session fray! This years Christmas session had a bit of a swap around. Since Gold has moved into a new building with a slightly smaller room and are going straight into rehearsals of a project to perform at The Hepworth, we had the Christmas session at Sapphire with a couple of Gold members as guests. After playing the usual favourites (now including the very stressful list game- which once I was out, had my favourite round yet, Jane Austen novels) we did the annual Christmas jingles! They're always the the highlight of the days leading up to Christmas and no doubt you'll be seeing them very soon so I won't give too much away. However, just to last you until next week, it's worth mentioning we'll be seeing the return of some old friends, a number of rather good and enthusiastic singers and a 7 year old's account of the Nativity Play. They're always as fun to make and perform as

I genuinely don’t know where to start this week – in a way the guest blogs say it all but as I turn over the page on the chapter of this year devoted to the Christmas Shows the overwhelming feeling I have is of pride…I’m proud of the resilience of my actors, like everyone else at the moment they have so much on, so many responsibilities and so many uncertainties…the audience on Wednesday and Thursday had no sense of that – they got to watch young people between the age of 6 – 19 launch themselves wholeheartedly into the telling of their stories…and what’s more every actor did it beautifully.   I am proud of the sense of teamwork within the company of YTYT – no problem we encountered – and there were a number over the course of the evenings as you can imagine – was unsolvable and that’s entirely down to the fact that the actors in Yew Tree know that the whole is more valuable than the separate parts and no one is more important than anyone else. But most of all…most of all I am pro

I am always delighted when a parent blogs and this blog is particularly delightful...thanks Simon Winder I am rather nervous as I take a leap into the world of Blogging, so hope it all makes sense. I really enjoyed this years Festive Fairy Tales, the performances I thought were entertaining, and full of young people showing talent, commitment and above all enjoying themselves. Having been around Yew Tree for a few years now, I kind of "know" a lot of the actors, and am able to tune in to their conversations a little. It became apparent that although the shows seemed almost flawless to the audience, there were a few occasion's where departures and omissions were made from the script. When this happened it always seems to be recounted by the Yew Tree members that whoever it was "Recovered brilliantly" and that "A N Other" filled in quickly and got the script back on track, thus leaving the audience completely in the dark about any error. I also heard t

Our second is from Ellen who gives the Christmas competition a push... I'm sure everyone has already written about the Christmas show and the amazing morning we had but id like to talk out the Yew Tree December contest, if you haven't heard of it, it's a competition were you scroll through the ytyt photos and find one that is special to you the best reason why will win a free Yew Tree hoodie but you have to put the hashtag in your description its #ytytdecemberthrowback ! I'm loving this idea because I get to see old photos from yesterday or a couple years ago, also I love the reasons why people have chosen the photo, because they are just so touching and beautiful that when ever I see one it brightens up my day and/or makes me giggle. I think that everyone should do it not just for the hoodie but it's really fun looking through all the old photos. (Bit of promo for you sarah) Thats about it from me just like to say well done again to every one for the Christmas!

Our first guest blog is from Gold Company - it's a joint reflection on The Christmas Shows... “ I loved it when we got a round of applause for our dancing because it made me feel as if I'd achieved something amazing. I'm definitely not a dancer. ” “ My favourite moment of the entire Christmas experience is when we first started creating the dance because it was great learning a new skill, and dancing fairly successfully for someone who has two left feet. ” “ Well I officially feel like the clumsiest person ever to grace Yew Tree's fabulousness. After falling twice on stage, during the dance, in the space of about 30 seconds I have realised that taking up ballroom dancing I maybe not for me... ” “ I thought that the whole play was fantastic with everyone doing a great performance. My favourite moment was when all of the princess were over the top with their reactions on what was going on stage. ” “My favourite thing about Christmas shows is working with all my

It’s Saturday night…it’s five to nine and I’m done for the day – all scheduled rehearsals have been executed as planned…I’ve checked I have all the pieces of paper necessary for tomorrow, I’ve made sure as far as possible everybody knows where they need to be, when they need to be there and what with.   As is always the case, despite handing out information since September, I’m still getting messages sent through as I watch Strictly with last minute questions but I don’t mind as you simply can’t put on a show with over 160 young people aged 5 – 19 years old without it being a full time job as we approach the grand finale of our efforts. The other reason I don’t mind is that the sheer amount of effort and energy that has been invested by the cast is both admirable and energizing…I say cast, there is an equal amount of investment from parents too.   In the next 5 days we will bring all that effort, energy, organization and creativity to a head…there’s still the last push to do but a

Sam Winder with the guest blog for this week With less than a week until the Christmas shows, I think it is fair to say that things are hotting up (in stark contrast to the plummeting weather conditions) in terms of rehersals for Sapphire’s Christmas shows. Note the plurality of shows; as with last year, Dick Whittington and His Cat has been split into two casts for each night and, in some ways, this has reduced the amount of work each actor has to do but, in others, we have had to work especially hard to perfect two separate performances. I have to say, it all seems to be steadily getting there and we are just working with the usual changes like keeping up the pace and making sure the ball is not dropped (to use the analogy that we often talk about). With some of the gags and the overall performance, a lot of it is about keeping on time with cues and letting it all flow so, with a little work on lines, all should be well. Not wanting to give too much away, one of the main cha

It is a startling fact that as I write this, this time next week the dress rehearsals for the Christmas shows will be starting and this time in a fortnight the shows will be over.*    This moment in the Christmas term always takes my breath away…how has it gone from those playful days in September when sessions were full of conjecture and play and possibilities to the frantic rehearsals where we have a finite amount of hours to pull everything together…and why when my rational side knows that it’s been weeks and weeks since then does it seem like those heady happy days were two minutes ago? So it’s my duty now to tell you that it’s now it’s over to you.   Gemma and I have done the majority of what we can do.   Obviously we’ll keep doing as much as we can – we’ll run the tech’s and advise you and coach you and problem solve and champion you until you take your final bows...however ultimately the success of the productions is all about you.   Here are some obvious but hardly though

Amy Winder is our guest blogger this week I find that, in the early stages of rehearsal, there is nothing more satisfying than working through the script, setting out different scenes and getting a better idea of the thoughts and feelings about each character. After only two rehearsals and one read through, Hacktivists is in pretty good shape. We've got a great set, the first scene and a bit is on it's feet and we know watch out for when we're acting (not knowing what's going to happen before it happens). I've thought a lot more about my character at this stage. Originally, I walked into the first rehearsal knowing that I was playing Denise (hacker name Spanner), a computer techie, who is particularly into the engineering side of technology. Now, I've made discoveries about her: I know what year group she's in, some of the relationships with the others and her opinions on them. Most of these things, I'd normally think about far later into rehearsals b

Yesterday was a glorious youth theatre day…I have to admit it didn’t have the most auspicious start as I’m sure the members of Gold Company would agree.   Still I like to think we brought a bit of life to the Eastmoor estate as we played Killer 12 in front of the community centre.   I remarked at the time to the company and then later that afternoon to my family that a lesser group of young people would have let the circumstances get to them…not Gold Company – there was no unruliness or rebellion and despite the inclement temperature there wasn’t even any complaining… Before too long we were in the rehearsal room and straight away we were fully absorbed in Christmas show rehearsals.   Over the two and a half hours that followed the whole cast worked so hard.   The result?   The massive achievement of finishing the dance that represents the ball where our 12 Dancing Princesses ruin their shoes and exhaust themselves every night.   The spontaneous cheer that went up when the last no

A farewell from Calum as he goes back up the road to Falkirk Many people ask me, "So how are you getting on working away?" My response is difficult because I haven't stopped the whole month. Where exactly do I start? I was welcomed into the Osborne household for the month. Looked after doesn't come close to describing their hospitality. I was told my first week would be busy and it was. Halloween at Nostell, such an amazing welcome from a truly awesome cast. As if walking ELEVEN kilometres round the grounds would be enough to tire you out, I was eager to start the Yearbook tour which was set ready to go.    It's at this point I sat back and realised how lucky I was to be there. The Yearbook tour started really well visiting lots of schools in the Wakefield district some close some far ( it's the first time I've seen 6:00 am on a clock I a long time) I must take the time to thank the lovely Hannah Speke for looking after me on busses even alt

Bobbie has blogged about last week's Open Mic Night... Another year, another Open Mic Night . How can you even sum up the talent and.....entertainment factor (Michael Brown, I'm looking at you), from just one night? It's a pretty impossible task, so I'll try and keep it short, but sweet, with a few particular highlights like........ Sara and her awesome poem! Mirv singing a Smash song because HE SANG A SMASH SONG. Just simply getting to listen to Jordan's voice. Hearing how much Clarke has grown and progressed in just a year. Hearing how well Tom and Graces voices sounded together. Shelbie sang a Jonas Brother and my sisters face lit up!! Alllll of The Wardrobe love coming back with Ellen singing Safe and Sound, followed by Hollie and a sea of tears (cheers for that Hollie...) That's me done! So, what did you do for your holidays?'

Yesterday at Gold Company marked the start of that by now well known part of rehearsals for the Christmas show...the bit where everyone realises that it's time to step up... It happens at about this time every year when the process of rehearsals and making theatre moves out of the exploring and playful bit and shifts gear into the meeting of demands and pulling everything together phase. That stepping up comes in many forms - it's about preparation - ensuring your lines are learnt in such away that whatever happens they come naturally to you, making sure you have your props and costumes, making sure you have enough energy when you show up to rehearse.  It's about discipline once you're there - focusing on the task in hand, readiness, discipline, making the rehearsal room as conducive as possible to achieving the best performance.  It's about performance...employing and applying the techniques and skills in voice, movement, creativity, character and story telling

Amy W...blogs about the launch of our Connections production "Hacktivists" Saturday, on the 15th November 2014, began like any other. I got up to my alarm clock (and didn’t fall back to sleep like I would on a school day) and set about getting ready for the day. I collected my script, props and costume (Gold company’s Twelve Dancing princesses is going swimmingly by the way, despite people standing on the full length ball gowns and Toni falling over), before heading to Yew Tree and happily humming along to Gold by Spandau Ballet. This Saturday, however, was not to be like any other. For this Saturday marked the beginning of the rehearsals of Hacktivists for National Theatre Connections 2015. It’s such an exciting thing because, having done The Wardrobe last year, a lot of us know what an amazing experience Connections is. Those who don’t only have to only had to look around at the palpable excitement in the room to know how much fun we’re going to have. If I ever was i

Olena blogged about our visit to the Hepworth last weekend Gold Company started off the week with a confusing ending to a game of coconuts where I won (apparently) and Callum helped us keep up the ball for 100 throws we set off tracking through our progress on the 12 Dancing Princesses. Fine tuning the spirits entrance and the Princesses’ cute waving, I feel we could be well on track to perfecting our performance- if we are all diligent in learning our lines to be off script by this forthcoming Saturday. After a morning of dancing and twirling around a drama studio, a few fellow yew tree members and I ventured down to the Hepworth Gallery for an extra helping into the yew tree box of imagination. Touring around the gallery our creativity began to flow. Alexandra Bircken’s leather skins draped over ladders began the focus of our ideas leading into the realm of the true (in my opinion) underlying tones of fairytales- despair, death, but ultimately hope as the climbed towards the

This week hasn’t been the easiest – as Gemma and I discussed last night there seems to be a slight tarnish on the world as people acclimatise to the darker evenings and drop in temperature that signifies the approach of winter.   I’ve been needlessly shouted at by parents in a schoolyard, frustrated by the lack of response from some of the organisations I work for and saddened by the circumstances of some of the people I work with find themselves in.   That on top of the usual business of a relentless schedule has made it a challenging week. Yesterday however restored the balance entirely.    Gold Company were a joy and we really started to make progress on our Christmas play fine tuning scenes and tightening moments to make the storytelling as precise as it needs to be.   Then a couple of hours playing at The Hepworth with some particularly committed Gold Company members. This visit was the first step to our Responses performance we are developing that will take place in January,

It's been a while...but Hannah is our guest blogger...hurray for that!!   It’s been a week where I’ve spent about 100% of my time doing something Yew Tree related. So it’s been pretty busy. At the moment I’m involved in Yearbook, which is a piece of TIE that tours high schools in the Wakefield area. It was our first week this week and we’ve already performed for about 400 year 7 students and 240 of those were in one hour! It’s been both terrifying and brilliant, but in every school so far the students have really engaged with the performance and given us lovely insightful responses in the workshop afterward…most of the time anyway. Some of them were more concerned with slapping my characters ex-boyfriend for being ‘a right idiot’. But it’s lovely to see classes that are considered low ability, or people who the teachers say never contribute in lessons putting their hands up and being brave enough to share their opinions. And of course Calum and Sarah are great as well. T