Foundations

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I got the rare chance to go visit Crimson Company yesterday…it was lovely to check in with youth theatre members I don’t normally get the chance to see unless we’re in the middle of Christmas shows.  Under the care and inspiration of Gemma they are a lovely set of young people who like Gold Company spend their Saturdays exploring, collaborating and playing. At the moment they have exciting things going on as they are creating a new play for our 20th birthday celebrations.  It will explore the role of women over the last 8 decades and is inspired by a picture of  a 1930’s Miss Wakefield that no one can find the identity of…I love the idea of delving into history to see what can be discovered and am very much looking forward to seeing their creation.  It’s another brilliant example of actors creating a piece of theatre that teaches them something about the individuals and communities who built the foundations they now stand on and in so doing something about themselves.  In September you’ll get chance to see “Just a pretty face,” premiered not only as part of our birthday bash but also as part of the Wakefield Lit Fest.


“Just a pretty face.” is going to be double billed with “Mugged” by Andrew Pane, a story about a group of young people who’s lives are changed through an unexpected tragedy.  It’s also a story about the indiscriminate distortion of truth by the media.  Directing this production is a trip into history of a much shorter length but in truth it is equally as interesting and revealing.  It’s the first connections play I directed and needless to say I have learnt a lot since then.  The original cast included young people – now adults - who went on to significantly shape Yew Tree Youth Theatre many of whom still have a strong connections to what we do today.  Yesterday as I heard the voices of our current generation of actors in rehearsal I was struck by how rich a legacy that original cast unknowingly bestowed on us.  They paved the way to the vibrant, prolific, creative collective of young people YTYT has become.  They taught me that there are no limits to what young people can achieve, they illustrated the depth and commitment that comes from giving young people a voice and how feeding their passion reaps the most wonderful rewards…we…Crimson Company…the Mugged cast and in fact the entirety of the youth theatre essentially now stand on the foundations they built…and I for one am very grateful to them.

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