Daisy and Amy blog about connections week from an actors point of view...
Daisy: From the few years I have been at Yew Tree I’ve always wanted to be part of Connections- partly because of the selective personalised hoodie but mostly because it seemed like such a fun and different experience. So, a few weeks before the auditions I made the spontaneous decision to go for it. I can honestly say that that was one of the best decisions I have made. Amy: In Yew Tree, I have been able to push the boundaries of my comfort zone further and further. Now, looking back, I feel like it was worth doing a few activities that made me nervous or worried about my performance because nothing else could prepare me for the huge push into Connections. This is the first year I have been able to do Connections because of my age and I initially felt that it would be too much to throw myself into as many actors taking part were older than me. However, if I hadn't of taken part due to my lack of confidence in myself, I wouldn't of taken an upwards progression in my acting like I have. We know Yew Tree’rs can have a tendency to get rather soppy so we won't sit here and rant about how great everyone involved is (although we could) but express how fantastic it was to be a part of Connections. It has been great watching from the start how scenes have developed and peoples confidence grow. One of the biggest challenges of The Wardrobe is that there is only one scene to represent the time period, the challenges that faced it and the characters themselves, this means that everything has to be put into that one scene, the characters journey has to be shown in one burst of time. Also, performing in the round can be tough as it adopts a level of intimacy with the audience which is different to just performing end on. Some people have two characters, and although it is tricky to nail one, they still managed to know the ins and the outs of their characters. I, Amy, found that my two characters had some contrasts and some comparisons. I then had to go through the course of looking for different ways to play the same emotion. This way, both my characters would be individual people, just as the script intended. Even though the play contains some strong scenes of serious situations, that doesn't mean it has reduced the amount of enjoyable moments we had when putting it together. The construction of the set itself advanced from being the floor of a dance studio, to something that made you actually feel as if you were in a wardrobe. Creating that kind of vibe for an actor can be such a boost when trying to act as if you are inside a piece of furniture. The week of rehearsals has been hard work, every joke about Daisy being short and Amy singing ‘sweet violets’ has been exhausting but it has been an experience that will stay with us forever. So, our prior expectations were in fact, correct. It was an extremely fun, different experience and we now do have our own personalised burgundy hoodie. If you have a gut instinct to go for it next year, then please do. We can't begin to describe the rewarding challenge it throws at you, not only as an actor but as a person. Bring on the performances & Kendal 2014!
Daisy: From the few years I have been at Yew Tree I’ve always wanted to be part of Connections- partly because of the selective personalised hoodie but mostly because it seemed like such a fun and different experience. So, a few weeks before the auditions I made the spontaneous decision to go for it. I can honestly say that that was one of the best decisions I have made. Amy: In Yew Tree, I have been able to push the boundaries of my comfort zone further and further. Now, looking back, I feel like it was worth doing a few activities that made me nervous or worried about my performance because nothing else could prepare me for the huge push into Connections. This is the first year I have been able to do Connections because of my age and I initially felt that it would be too much to throw myself into as many actors taking part were older than me. However, if I hadn't of taken part due to my lack of confidence in myself, I wouldn't of taken an upwards progression in my acting like I have. We know Yew Tree’rs can have a tendency to get rather soppy so we won't sit here and rant about how great everyone involved is (although we could) but express how fantastic it was to be a part of Connections. It has been great watching from the start how scenes have developed and peoples confidence grow. One of the biggest challenges of The Wardrobe is that there is only one scene to represent the time period, the challenges that faced it and the characters themselves, this means that everything has to be put into that one scene, the characters journey has to be shown in one burst of time. Also, performing in the round can be tough as it adopts a level of intimacy with the audience which is different to just performing end on. Some people have two characters, and although it is tricky to nail one, they still managed to know the ins and the outs of their characters. I, Amy, found that my two characters had some contrasts and some comparisons. I then had to go through the course of looking for different ways to play the same emotion. This way, both my characters would be individual people, just as the script intended. Even though the play contains some strong scenes of serious situations, that doesn't mean it has reduced the amount of enjoyable moments we had when putting it together. The construction of the set itself advanced from being the floor of a dance studio, to something that made you actually feel as if you were in a wardrobe. Creating that kind of vibe for an actor can be such a boost when trying to act as if you are inside a piece of furniture. The week of rehearsals has been hard work, every joke about Daisy being short and Amy singing ‘sweet violets’ has been exhausting but it has been an experience that will stay with us forever. So, our prior expectations were in fact, correct. It was an extremely fun, different experience and we now do have our own personalised burgundy hoodie. If you have a gut instinct to go for it next year, then please do. We can't begin to describe the rewarding challenge it throws at you, not only as an actor but as a person. Bring on the performances & Kendal 2014!
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