What's happening at YTYT

I have a strange job…it’s great but it’s strange…the Halloween at Nostell project has been a perfect illustration of the strangeness...and as I sit here on the eve of the week in which it will actually happen I’m reflecting on all the things that have been done to get it to this point… Months in advance… There were the preliminary meetings – just a couple - where I planned with one of the Nostell team how things were going to work…this all went smoothly…should have known this wasn’t a good sign…from this an artistic idea for the courtyard theatre emerged and further consultation with another member of the team was planned for the attics… I wrote up the concept for Little Beth and was pleased with it – the second draft anyway – and then hit writers block…the worst case I’ve had in a while…well that and the fact that I had about 3 other scripts to write too didn’t help… In the meantime I started recruiting youth theatre members to take part – the take up ...

The marvellous Tiff was persuaded to blog about this weeks site specific writers session  Imagine the scene: A lone girl sits silhouetted against the train tracks, the light from the overhead streetlamp glistening in the puddle by the bench. She twists the pen in her hand as she finally lowers it to paper. And now factor in that it is freezing cold, she is sat on a plastic bag because the seat is wet and she is currently on a disappointing total word count of about 10 words. That’s right, last Wednesday the Yew Tree Writers hit Wakefield Train Station! (I say “hit”, it was a lot less dramatic than that)   Due to being currently homeless now that Drury Lane Library has closed (God bless its soul that its library-ness rests in peace), we took refuge in the nearest place: the train station. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this, but train stations are wonderful places. There are all kinds of people getting on trains that could be taking them to anywhere and anything, th...

A little insight into the way YT does work experience from Michael... So, my week has been particularly interesting. Well, interesting is one way to put it, exhausting might be more accurate. It has been interestingly exhausting. For those of you who are unaware this past week I’ve been on my Yew Tree work experience, to be honest It’s been great. Scooting around Wakefield in the Yew Tree mobile, from places such as the grand kingdom of the Hepworth, to distant lands like Sarah Thomas Dance School. I’ve had great fun this week with team Yew Tree doing workshops, attending meetings, leading games and buying Ribena. I’ve mainly been hanging out at the Hepworth Wakefield helping to run some all-day workshops with some great primary schools from across Yorkshire. It’s been really interesting seeing how art can inspire children and just how creative they can be. I’ve grown quite fond of the Hepworth over the past week, I really like the building. I imagine that that’s what a building desi...

Every year for the past four Yew Tree Youth Theatre have had the honour of performing in the NUM Yorkshire’s Miners Memorial service.   Today was the date for the 2012 event and so 16 of us, aged between 7 and much, much older headed out to Doncaster to the Minster…that big ornate building near the bridge that takes you into the town.   Preparing the play is a unique experience for myself and Gemma as writers and directors and for the cast as performers.   We take real events from relatively recent history, events that are tragic, poignant and hard hitting.   We then turn them into a piece of theatre to show to an audience who have been directly touched by the incidents in the play or others like them.   Our aim is to tell stories from the world of Yorkshire mining with sensitivity and empathy.   We also want to create through theatre a reflection of the strength and solidarity of the mining community…a community that has worked hard an...

Tom Osborne blogs about the Miner's Memorial Service held today So then Yew Tree, today was the long anticipated Miners Memorial Service. Thirteen loyal Yew Tree foot soldiers (including myself) voyaged into the dark depths of Doncaster to perform to relatives and friends of men and women who had died in the pits. As I came rushing in at the last moment I had not been there for the run through but I was told there had been a few mistakes. However when the time came to actually perform we did it to the best of our ability and put on a performance that moved several men and women to tears and made us all feel extremely proud of our selves. Performing in that kind of environment for just one performance is worth ten days in a professional theatre. We received several lovely comments from various attendees that made several of us shed a tear as well. All in all it was well worth the time and effort involved.

It’s been another busy week…I started it at a Primary School where we made a play in two days inspired by the Paralympics.   Once of the things that struck me about the process of creating this was how difficult the children found it to get on with each other at times…they seemed to be looking for the chance to have a go at someone else, put them down or find fault…and frustratingly they couldn’t see that this was getting in the way of them having a nice time and equally making the piece of theatre the best it can be…they were so locked in patterns and behaviours even at this young age and refused to see things from any other perspective.   It wasn’t until this action resulted in things going momentarily horribly wrong for one of the children that she was able to see the part she had played in her own misfortune… In professional theatre it doesn’t matter if you get on with someone or not, you have to cooperate in order to fulfill the artistic duties you ha...

And Jess is our second... Right then… blog time. I shall talk about black company first, because I think it’s my favourite piece of theatre that Sarah has written recently… not that her other stuff is bad haha I just like deep stuff me and its pretty deep! We’ve done a good strong amount of the drowning movement sequence, and with the lighting and soundtrack it’s going to look so effective. Don’t worry guys it’s got some nice light hearted funny stuff in it too My favourite part of it so far is how each George steps down from the bridge and into their scene… sooo good.   We are also rehearsing for the Miners Memorial Service at the moment which I’m really glad I could be a part of this year as it’s such an interesting and brilliant thing to be in. The fact that you’re performing something that has such a personal effect on people is hard to get your head around but I remember the comments and admiration from the people in the audience last time I was part of it and it gives your...

Ellen is our first guest blogger I’m not sure what to say exactly but, I’ve got to start some where so, I’ve been meaning to write a blog for two weeks but now I’ve finally got round to doing it. I’m a Sapphire company member and it rocks.  We are working on the Christmas play (it’s Aladdin) it’s awesome I play the mother and I’m really happy that I’ve been chosen to play it. The reason I like it so much is because I get to shout at Sam (Aladdin) but in a friendly sort of way. We are very close to being able to do a brief run through and I’m only going to say this once but the Genies enter the stage to the song “It’s a kind of magic” with super cheesey dance moves it’s hilarious. Oh and spoiler alert but there is no flying carpet or little pet monkey which isn’t fair but Sarah said so! Despite that its going great and with a little work we will be able to do a full run through! Yeay!! That’s not the only exciting thing because I don’t really do ‘extra curriculum activities’ but t...

We’re at that time in the term where there is a shift of gear…up till now it’s all felt new, new term, new projects, new starters.   It all has a bit of an unreal feeling…there’s a frivolity and a freedom…it feels fresh and upbeat and lovely… Now, however, there is a sense that the real work has begun…and with this comes a sense of responsibility…well nobody likes that do they? There’s also the frustration when rehearsals don’t quite progress in the way that was expected…an equally unwelcome feeling.   What’s the solution?   The bottom line is that in order for rehearsals to go well there is a certain amount of onus on the actors to do some work in between rehearsals – a tough ask when our lives are so full of course work, family obligations, part time work and the day to day needs of an average human being…there’s also a requirement that actors come into rehearsal with the necessary attributes to get the job done… So what can you do to redres...

Leah reviewed our performance at the Litfest as part of her coursework and generously allowed me to share it with you... The Literature Festival is a new event to Wakefield. It features young and old writers, poets and readers from all over the area. It took place in the grounds of the Orangery and was supported by the Arts Council England. Yew Tree, a local theatre company, took place in this year’s Lit Fest with an event called ‘Write It! Perform it!’. The people in this group are part of Yew Tree Youth Theatre but made this new group especially for the writer’s event.   All of the material that was used in the performance had been created in a mere week! All written by the performers of the group.   The wonderful thing about the setting was that it was dark when the performance took place. This darkness made the whole performance more eary and ominous.   Seen as th ought I watched some of the scenes before the festival even begun, I noticed the darknes...

Sam from Sapphire writes about being Aladdin... Cockadoodie Hippocampus I never know how to start blogs, which is a shame really because I usually just end up talking complete rubbish for a while until I can think of something to say; oh, life could be considered a trial... So, now that I have at least written a start, of sorts, I daresay that this would be an excellent opportunity to begin. Stuck again... Here goes: Being Aladdin in a Christmas extravaganza is rather a kerfuffle; Learning lines takes a terrible toll on your sister who thinks that it is the pinnacle of complete and utter ridiculousness (although not in as many words) that it takes me so long to imprint these few words into my cockadoodie hippocampus… Bless her. The thing that I like the most about rehearsals is just seeing how everything evolves, grows, and develops, like a flower, at the careful nurturing hands of each person – or maybe that’s just me being poetic… But seriously, everyth...