Layla’s Leavers Blog-

So, it’s time to write my leavers blog. Here goes nothing and I know some tears will be shed writing this. Like Sarah said it’s an end of an era.

I started Yewtree at 7 years old, as I joined through my mum seeing Yewtree on Facebook, as I was wanting to start acting, and so she signed me up. Later I joined the dance school and did Peter Pan, along with Sarah. So, I joined Jade Company, making loads of friends, Eliana, Kirsty, Lyla and Violet and later people like Estelle, Orla and Kenzie. I can’t really remember any plays from back then, but I remember one. The Grinch which we did, and the boy who played the Grinch was sick that day, so he couldn’t perform. But Tom saved the day, and we were able to perform. I also had to sing away in a manger, first time singing in a play (when Sarah didn’t have to force it out of me). Another memory of Jade company I have is at Christmas we would make our own versions of Christmas songs, and my group were given the 12 days of Christmas, and we made Yewtree themed. And for number one we chose to sing, ‘And a Tom Osborne stuck up a tree’, which made Tom laugh his socks off. I left Jade when I was 12 and then went to Sapphire, but I didn’t stay long due to other things going on and I joined Emerald. 

When I joined Emerald, it was a whole new company, made for the kids too old to be Jade and too young to be in Gold. Our first show was directed by Hannah, who was one of the older members of Yewtree at the time. The play we did was about two girls who went to a toy hop and Christmas and all the toys came to life and told them the meaning of Christmas. Me and Ashley were the two little girls, Eliana I think was a doll of some sort and Estelle and Orla played our parents (which was funny due to the fact Orla had to wear heels to be taller than me). The next play we did was with Sarah, and it was a physical theatre piece about growing up, using so many amazing songs about children growing up, which was great for us to do at that age, because most of us were becoming teenagers and seeing the world in a different way. Around this time, I started doing LAMDA and I got a speech about Cinderella’s stepsisters, and I LOVED IT! My other speech as Charles Dickins (can’t remember the book) but I forgot it during my exam and got really upset. And if you have ever been in a LAMDA class with me, you have heard this story, cause Sarah loves to tell it to show how far I had come in my LAMDA.  And I loved LAMDA and kept going. Then Christmas rolled around again, and we got Tom of our director, and we did Murder on the Polar Express. And I was cast as an annoying child (Maybe casting real life, because I was annoying as a kid). And to say I didn’t like that play was an understatement, I loved doing it though. That was my last show with that company and in the new year I joined gold company. 

When I joined gold company, I didn’t really know many people. I knew Tom, Wynn, Maddie, Lara, Dec and Ellie, which I knew from doing other things with them and the dance school,  and people like Dan, Ben and Chloe from my short time in Sapphire, but meant new people like Faith, Mia, Connor and both Taylors (Taylor Hanson your best and worst were the funniest I had ever heard, they were like 5 minutes long every week) and that was it which made me a bit nervous. But I was welcomed really well, making new friends. The first show we did that summer was Remember where you came from, which was a piece about the many mining disasters that took place. I played a little girl who lost her father down the pit, Wynn playing my mother. This was real boost of my confidence as I had to stand in the middle of the stage while Alan was singing. The one thing I remember was Alan saying to Sarah who’s playing the boy in the scene I was in, as my character was based on a real boy that lived during the time and lost his father. And he said, oh she can just cut her hair, I said no. Then we did a summer play, and I can’t remember what it was called, but I played a mean girl, that’s all I remember of that play. The three Musketeers was our Christmas play that year and I shared a part with Orla, which was so fun as we knew each other from Emerald and she was an amazing actor, I played Kitty, the maid to one of the big Bads, and I worked with Maddie, who was always a pleasure to work with. My favourite memory of that play was trying to show Jacob how to do a jump backstage with Dan, and he couldn’t do it right, it was so funny (Sorry Jacob). And that’s when I met, Cait, who is one of my closest friends and the Angus twins, Jenny and Cat, and Emily, who I gelled with straight away.  Summer shows rolled around again and that’s when my best friend Lucy moved up to Gold, I was so happy to have her in Gold. That year we did 15 minute Hamlet and I played Marcellus, it was so fun to do a play like that due to sheer joy it was to run around trying to get props on and off, to get to the place you need to be on time, and Taylor’s Hamlet was a joy to watch. And we had a new person Jess, who played Ophelia, who was amazing and such a lovely addition. Beauty and the Beast was one of my favourites, as we had Joe, Sam, Becca, Leah, Arwen and Callum join us, which was a treat, as they were amazing actors, and Arwen quite the improv Queen. I played a maid and shared the part with Cait. Working alongside Cat, being a duo of funny maids. And oh, that fight scene was so funny. 

Around the time I decided to sign up for connections, after much persuading from Lucy. And we got the play Look up, which will always be in my top ten plays I have ever done. I got the part of Crystal, along with Jenny. I was in Chloe cast, and she played Jack, the leader of a bunch of teenagers who didn’t was to grow up, in my cast was Dan as Jade, Lily as Anna and Lucy as Ellie. This was also the first time I worked with Jeevan, who played Kerry, and he was so funny as Kerry. But that year connections was cut short due to Covid, so we didn’t get to go to York, which was sad. Connections helped me break of my shell and Sarah said it was breakout role. During this time I had a lot of help from Helena, who helped me with the confidence needed to play that kind of role and with my big speech near the end, thanks Helena. 

We didn’t get to do much drama during 2020, and the Christmas show was princess and the frog, where I played the witch, which was fun to play a villain and evil character. Also, Connections, we did Witches can’t be burnt, and I played Maddie, who was a skateboarding girl, who was half Transvulcania, and I shared the part with Mia. And this is where I met Olli, who is an absolute joy of a human, and was a great addition. We could only do two performances, one for each cast. And I hated my costume. At the start of 2021, we started to write and perform our own murder mysteries over zoom, which was a treat, I was put with Joe, Lucy, Lauren and Cat. But Cat chose to leave Yewtree, and we had Fern pick up where she left off. Lucy played my mum which was fun, Fern the family Doctor, Lauren the maid and Joe the stable boy. I loved that play as we had full creative control over it. My last Christmas show in Gold was a new telling of Peter pan, where I played Tinker Bell. And to say that was one of the worst times in my life it was, I was struggling a lot with my mental health, and I didn’t know who to turn to. But I got through it and did the best I could. But it was made better when Alise, someone from Aladin, joined and it was a treat to work with Alise again. And Russel, who is just such a joy to work with.

At the same time, I was doing my third connections, Hunt, where I played Lisa, and oh was she fun. Lisa was the silly, doesn’t really think before she speaks kind of person, and I go to work a lot with Grace, who played Niamh, and we were so funny together and I loved being a duo with her. This play was also my introduction to John, who was the assistant director, and he was so helpful, giving us a lesson in swearing, that was fun. This is where I got re-introduced to Nat, who also did Aladin.  And working with Emma, who is just a joy and I love working with, and Alice Lamb, who is just the funniest human ever. Hunt was also a sad time because I had to say goodbye to Lucy, and I think that was the hardest goodbye ever. But Lisa and Hunt will always have a special place in my heart, and I loved my costume, not the eye lashes. Around the time we finished Hunt, we did Merlin and Morgana, where I played King Arthur, and when I say I had a lot to learn, that is an understatement! I loved working with Jeeva, as he played Merlin (which I think was his dream role, as he stayed in Gold to do the play and helped write it). And I got to work with Bella, as she played my son, and it was so fun to watch her play this evil character as she is a lovely person. 

Another project happened during this time, Brexit the Musical, where I played Laura Kuenssberg, and took the audience through the journey of Brexit. I loved playing Laura, she was so fun. But I had to sing, which I knew had to happen. I had a solo called, what is fear? And if you asked me what I feared then I would say that song. Bu after some help from Sam, and Ash and Sarah pulling it out of me, I sung my song and rocked it. And seeing Oz and Sarah cheering me on at the back of Horbury working men’s club, was great for my confidence. And seeing my mum smile, made me smile. But the best part was seeing Jamie, who wrote the songs he wrote being sung was amazing to see. And Jeevan singing what could be better.

 After 5 years in gold, I moved up to black company. We did two shows, Radio, which is amazing and Little red Riding Hood, where I played the granny. I also met Ricky during this time, who I can only say is an absolutely funny person. Then it was time for my last connections, which was The Heights, and I played Bizzy. Sarah had done this play before, but it was so much fun. Bizzy was a small character, but so important. I got to work closely with both Arwen and Eliana as Dara, and both were so different in their portals of the character. But scene 19 was the hardest to do, as I had been kidnapped by Lily, played by Nat and Olli and I has never done a scene like that before, so working with John we dug deep into my fears and it turned out amazing. At that time, I also did my last LAMDA exam, which was really hard to get through as LAMDA had been a big part of my life, and finishing was so hard, but I did it and got my medal. After the Heights, black company did the Prince of Denmark, and I played Ophelia, sharing the part with Becca. I was in the same cast as Olli and Nat, Olli playing Laertes and Nat playing Hamlet. I loved this play, the writing was great, the music was amazing (Thanks Ash) and I loved playing Ophelia. But the hardest part was saying goodbye to Eliana, Arwen and Ricky, as I had grown so close to all of them, but Eliana was the hardest, we had grown up together, but I can’t wait to see what she does next, and I am so proud of her. I also got to get to know Penny, who is a lovely person, and I became friends with quickly.

My last show was 15 minute Hamlet and I got a bit of déjà vu. I loved this play the first time, and I loved it even more the second time. I played the same part as last time, but it was so fun to play Marcellus as an older and better actor. So, I took my final bow on the 20^th July 2023, my eyes full of tears of happiness and sadness. So, yeah, my time at Yewtree is at an end. 

To Lucy, thank you for being my best friend, being my support system, and just being there for me, love you Lucy. 

To Jeevan, thank you being for being such a great friend, for making fun of me when I cry and just being overall a great person. 

To Leah, Becca and Sam, thank you for coming to Yewtree, for being amazing friends and seeing and helping show my talent (And Sam, thanks for being my support in Brexit, wouldn’t have done it with you).

To all my of Yewtree friends over the years, thank you for being my friend, and helping me on my journey. 

To Black Company, thank you for welcoming me, being the best part of my week and helping me smile even if I didn’t want to. 

To Gold Company, you guys are great, and thank you for being the steppingstone to be who I ama nd the actor I am.

 

To Tom and all the older member of Yewtree (Ellie, Dec, Helena, Wynn, Bobbie etc..) Thank you for being amazing role models, thank you for being so kind. 

To young Layla, thank you being so funny, so happy, but not for all the crying, jeez I cried a lot. 

To Oz, thank you for watching so my plays, being a great tech guy and thank you for running the smoke machine, I loved whenever we had smoke, it was great.

To Yewtree, thank you for helping me grow as a person. 

And last, but not least Sarah. Thank you for believing in me, when I didn’t. Helping me grow as a person and actor and overall being a great support system when I needed you.

Ok, after all that, goodbye Yewtree. See you later. 

Layla xxx