-
We had a last minute goodbye blog...here's Hannah Clifford! 

After almost 12 years of pure enjoyment it is time for me to move on and start my new adventure in London. It all began in the back room of Drury lane library, where we would all nervously introduce ourselves and continue with sharing our best and worst news from the previous week. One of my favourite shows (aside from playing of the iconic Disney characters Snow White) with Crimson Company has to be “Say Something”. This very moving yet uplifting performance was to commemorate and remind the public of the events of WW1. The brilliant thing about YTYT is not only do we perform in theatres but also public spaces from outside garden to art galleries. Last year to celebrate Halloween, I was fortunate enough to play one of the spooky witches from the classic play ”Macbeth” at the Hepworth art gallery situated in Wakefield. This was a delight to do as I got to work with different members and create a twist on the traditional. The lovely thing about Yew Tree is that depending on how old you are you get to move up through the groups and experience new and exciting projects. Due to college and other commitments I had to leave for a short period but was welcomed back by Sarah Osborne and her company.

Black company has allowed me to prepare myself for university and mature as a person. “Maybe this time” was my latest show with the company. I had previously performed this play with yew tree many years ago so it was very interesting playing a new part and thinking back on the last version. I have been able to share his opportunity with some of my oldest friends and it's sad but lovely too see that they are also leaving and starting a new life at university. From Saturday afternoon game sessions to Thursday night devising physical theatre pieces, I would not have changed it for the world! I don't get much to time to reflect on my yew tree life but it's heart warming see how long I have actually been there and what wacky and off the wall experiences I have had.  


Now the grown up part, I honestly cannot believe I am tackling university so soon! I had prepared myself to get a job in September and audition next year giving myself a bit of time to rest, yet here I am packing up all of my belongings, throwing things in to boxes and saying my goodbyes. It's honestly been a pleasure to work with some amazing human beings at Yew Tree Youth Theatre, making life long friends and I wish you all the best of luck in everything you do! London, I'm coming for you!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chloe's Leavers Blog - finally :)

-
  Please excuse how this was written, I do a very silly drama school course, and I haven’t had to write more than my name in 9 months. I’m sat in my silly dorm bed writing me this on my DSA laptop (a win for the mentally ill girlies), realising how utterly bad my ability to Words has become. Anyway.. Leaving YTYT was one of the oddest experiences of my life, and yet, I don’t remember it at all. I’d spent the last few years, waving off some of my closest friends as they went on to conquer their dreams, in a tearful circle, yet all I have is a fuzzy memory and a video saved in an instagram highlight. I’d sell a kidney to try and bring back that experience, to do my final show unclouded by new medication and intrusive thoughts, but as that isn’t possible, I thought I’d finally write my leavers blog, even if it is a year late. I started Yew Tree in 2017, as a way to explore drama outside of the agonising GCSE setting, and across the years, it became a lifeline for me, providing confidence,
Read more

Arwen's Leavers blog

-
I made a start writing this leaver’s blog when I was on a bloody needed holiday over a month ago, on the glorious Isle of Islay in Scotland. I’m re-writing it now, because I think it was naff to be honest. And I’m not in the same mindset as I was then. Also I might have had a few too many drams of whisky whilst writing it there, so there’s that. A line I’ll keep from it however is: “How am I meant to do justice and summarise in my writing the enormity of an impact that Yewtree has had on me these last 5-ish years?” How can I articulate all the skills that I've learnt and developed? The experiences I’ve had? There’s so much, where and what do I start on? So I’ll do just that, and put some of the skills I’ve learnt into use: “You can’t be a creative, a critic, and an editor at the same time” But in fairness - I don’t think I could share and articulate all those things. And I’m not sure that I want to, they’re for me. I can’t put that expectation on myself. The past year I’ve felt as
Read more

Celebrating the past in the present...

-
  Next year Yew Tree Youth Theatre will be 30 years old.   We haven’t quite decided how we will celebrate - any suggestions would be gratefully received. No doubt there will be some nostalgic perambulating down memory lane and some haphazard but joyous celebrating of three decades of creativity we have shared.   Some variation of those two themes would feel fitting. This blog however is something different. This blog is a celebration of the present of those who attended YTYT in the past. Alumni, graduates, previous members – I can never seem to find the right term – but whatever word is chosen I know for sure they are part of the fabric of the youth theatre and I’m grateful to have known all of them, mainly because I have learnt so much from them.   I also can’t put a number on how many people have spent significant time with YTYT over the last 29 years.   I know we started with a group of 8 and now have about 80 members, I know at our peak just before COVID we had about 130 young pe
Read more