What's happening at YTYT

Yesterday we put the final touches to the production of Journey to X we will take to The Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal.   It’s been a real challenge putting it back together and getting it to the standard needed to represent Yew Tree Youth Theatre on a regional level and last week it was all looking a bit like we might not meet that standard. Yew Tree Youth Theatre have a reputation for being brilliant at Kendal…like really brilliant…it’s lovely that we’re held in such esteem but with it comes pressure…we have to meet the bar every year and to be honest I’m not really happy with that as I want to exceed it every year.   Hence why my reaction to the penultimate rehearsal last week was one of disappointment and frustration.   Lines were sloppy, reactions were formulaic, scenes were tired and characters weren’t multidimensional.   This wasn’t the case for everyone all the time but there was far too much for it for my liking. Yesterday however was a whole new story…my cas

I suggested at the start of term that for some of Gold Company this would be the last term they could blog about Gold as they'll be leaving in the summer... Jess Moore took the invite... As much as anything… Yew Tree Gold Company is somewhere you can come at the end of a sometimes rubbish/hard week and have a lot of fun with brilliant people! Even when we are working towards a performance, we still have a lot of fun! I joined Gold Company 4 years ago, but I feel like I’ve been there my whole life. Yew Tree are my second family and I’m not really sure what I would be doing with my life if I hadn’t joined. I can’t believe how many people are in the company now compared to when I first started… it takes like 100 years to do best and worst but I never get bored of hearing people’s stories! We get lots of opportunities to create our own performances, and some brilliant stuff is created. There has been Saturdays when I have had headache all day from laughing too much at things that peo

The reverse of Sam's view from Sapphire session comes from the director of the project Jack Iredale... As I’m writing this, I still need to put the final touches on the plan for Monday. But I thought it might be a good time to reflect on last week’s session, and where the ideas for this came from in the first place. As some of you know, my degree course requires me to create a piece of theatre with a group in the community, and sapphire company have bravely stepped up to the challenge.   My first real hurdle was coming up with what I wanted to the piece to be about. Sarah had said to me that a good director knows what they want their piece to say, and for the life of me I had no idea. And it was in the process of looking for inspiration that the light bulb went on. I wanted to see what inspired other people. And I wanted to make a piece that both inspired the actors and its audience. With this basic idea in place, I got some ideas of what inspires me, namely places, people and mu

The lovely Sam from Sapphire...always a pleasure to read... I am writing this blog because I was tickled, tickled until I collapsed... It took only three seconds. But although mildly interesting I daresay that it may be wise to proceed with my original goal. So here goes, another blog. Not that I have done many. Inspiration - a word that has evolved from another: enspiren - to fill the mind, heart and soul. This, I feel, is a rather beautiful etymology for such a seemingly plain word. This in itself should inspire and demonstrates an important life lesson: Inspiration is but a key, what you do with this key is up to you, but the more doors you try to open the greater the chance of finding great treasures you have.   Okay, I think I need to step back a bit. I have just shown my blog up until this point to my family, who don’t really get it... I don’t think I have inspired them. To put things more simply, inspiration is an amazing thing and is what shapes this world. Half of Sapphire

This week at Yew Tree I was told in a very public arena that Wakefield was privileged to have Yew Tree.   It’s a statement that has stayed in my mind since it was said and the thoughts it sparked have inspired this blog… We are lucky enough and work hard enough to merit so many lovely comments, reactions and actions as we go about our creative business…I never take any of them for granted…but the wording of this was different to the majority of affirmations we get…it made clear that our impact was something wide reaching…something more encompassing than I had thought… This has then been backed up with a couple of other things that have happened this week…none of them majorly significant in isolation but still, illustrations of the role that Yew Tree plays not just in individual lives but in the life of the city of Wakefield.   We are linked with so many organizations, initiatives, individuals and strategies all of which are a privilege to know and work in partnership

Mel is our guest blogger this week... So... After not being present for 4 months at Gold, I decided to man up and sort myself out, and I'm so glad I did. There are so many new faces and just ones that I haven't seen for a LONG time, which is always lovely. Todays session started off with the longest best and worst on record and then games galore including ninja warrior (hey yah) and a bit of situation wink murder in the lair. The creative task of doing a journey was a bit of a struggle at first but after a bit of help we were well on our way. Watching the other groups was absolutely HILARIOUS as always and its always the best part of being at Gold, I've missed it sooo much!!! Don't think I'm going to be staying away for that long in future

We began our preparations for performing Journey to X at Kendal yesterday…three hours of rehearsals where our job was to start something we thought we’d taken as far as it could go back in March.   It is always a strange part of our year putting the connections play back together as although many aspects of the production stay the same: the story, the script, the themes, the people…the reality is that without really being aware that it’s happened so much has changed. We first set off on the process of realising Journey to X as a piece of theatre 5 months ago.   Yesterday I looked at my cast and was struck by how much the cast had lived though…some of which has been dramatic, some of which has just been the general learning and development that happens by living each day.   Either way everything in some way has changed.   None of this is remarkable, it’s just what happens, but sometime things don’t have to be remarkable to have significance.   It would be so much easie

It took a bit of persuasion but Jack Iredale is our guest blogger this week which makes him better than other people... This week, we’ve done something a little different at Yew Tree. Promoting. Specifically, promoting the Flock to Osset event happening on June the 30th. We did this on Tuesday and Friday through handing out flyers to shoppers, placing them in shops, and carrying round two giant sheep. And a few lessons have been learnt from the experience. People are a lot more open to being talked to than you may think. As long as you approach them with a friendly demeanour (and a good opening line) people are willing to listen to what you have to say. Don’t take rejection to heart. Sometimes, people just will not be interested in listening to you. Instead of getting angry or upset. Instead, smile and walk away. There’s always next time. Working in teams helps. It gives you a confidence boost to know you have back up, and conversing with your partners acts as a good

I’ve been ill for over a week now…not with anything worthy of real sympathy…just cursed with a cough and cold that won’t go away…every now and again it pretends it’s going to go and then it changes it’s mind…needless to say I am unhappy with this situation and in my worse moments very miserable indeed… Last Sunday I was at my worst point…never had I felt so unexcited about an Open Mic Night…I made plans to disappear to my bed half way through and couldn’t imagine getting to the end of it in one piece…a measure of my misery when normally they are the highlight of my year… Then I heard the sound check, I was simply blown away by people who I had no idea could play and sing, never mind play and sing with such wonderful results…then the audience began to arrive, an audience that would end up being over 100 strong with people from every generation in it, youth theatre members past and present, family, friends, admirers…those that had attended many Open Mic Nights before an

Bethany Mirfin with her first YTYT blog! So Open Mic Night where do I start! There was so much talent in that room I was so shocked! And so many people I had never heard sing before and got up on that stage now its not as easy as it looks.  W ho would of thought singing infront of your friends would be one of the scariesy things you've done? Haha! Its such an enjoyable night! Its one of the few nights you get too just sit and be able to talk and socialise with EVERYONE at Yew Tree! So many of us! I wish I could be at Yew Tree forever and ever and ever! Because I just love spending time with you all and open mic tops it for me.  Well done to everyone who performed! Its definattly one of my highlights this year! X

Pleased and proud are words I get to use a lot as they are reactions I get to feel a lot…I make a conscious effort not to take any of the times I say/feel them for granted as I know there are some unfortunate people who don’t have an equivalent of YTYT in their life…this blog is going to recognise two of the times it has happened this week… Picture the scene – it’s Thursday at 5.45 – the last Orange Company session of the spring term.   A selection of parents are waiting in the room, at least one for every member of the 22 strong company.   We’ve been working on a little piece for about three weeks.   Once we’re sure that everyone is there that needs to be there is there we’re off.   The actors aged 6 – 11 years old perform with discipline, enthusiasm and flair – a credit to Yew Tree and of course their proud families.   At the end of their performance there is rapturous applause and a real buzz of goodwill, I revel in it, it’s the best feeling. The second scene is ve

James Budenburg is our guest blogger... So I’m going to write a few words on rehearsing for open mic night, I think the hardest part of the whole process was choosing the song, we all knew we wanted to do something boyband related, because we’re mad. So eventually after an hour of you tubing various artists. We had narrowed it down to either chasing cars or no matter what, so looking back I think we chose the right song.   I think we struggled for the motivation to start with, we couldn’t really get away from the PS3, I mean, put three lads next in a room and I guess we should have expected to waste time on FIFA. It took us a while therefore to get the song on its feet, but once we decided who was singing what it emanated from there, ideas came in from everywhere and it was just a matter of choosing the best ones, saying that though it took us a while to get through the entire song and the routine didn’t get put to it till today. It was really strange being quite different to the oth