Casting the Hackers...

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Yesterday was an important landmark for Yew Tree Youth Theatre’s Connections production.  For those of you who do not know anything about it…this year we will be working with a play called Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent.  It’s a play about power, responsibility and the role of the internet in our lives.  Set in a hacker space in a school it follows the decisions and dilemmas of a group of young people as they try and work out what the right thing to do is in the face of unjust actions on the part of others.  It asks lots of questions about making choices, alliances and retribution.  

The text of the play is break neck in pace and will require a great deal of hard work and skill on the part of the cast to perform it to it’s best potential.  Yesterday it was my responsibility to cast the play, making key decisions as to who would play what character in order to create the right combination for the production.  It’s such a mixed feeling when I have this to do for any play – excitement about the possibilities inherent in my decision but aware of the stakes for the actors and how vulnerable they are.  Ultimately my choices will have an impact on them – I have a responsibility to both them and to the play.

Yesterday however the parts just slotted into place – as soon as the auditions were over it was clear how the casting should work.  I had such a strong vision for the production inspired by the way the actors responded to the text over the course of the hour and a half they were working with it.   On reflection I think the ease of how the pieces came together so well was partly because I work with the actors so much and partly because of their undeniable energy, enthusiasm and talent. However the main thing I noticed throughout the audition was how lacking in ego the company are despite their talent.   Their generosity and ensemble nature is a complete delight. 


All of this potential and loveliness promises another wonderful Connections process and performance – all that’s left to do is make the spells and hauntings of Halloween at Nostell happen and then we can get properly stuck in!

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