Taking things for granted...

-

I’m just going to put it out there…you lot…you youth theatre members, you take things for granted…not all the time…but sometimes, it’s the truth, you do, and in this blog I’ll be up front, I’ll tell you why...

First of all you take for granted the opportunities you get…for example in this one week Black Company have performed on the stage of Wakefield Theatre Royal and followed it up with three performances in the auditorium of The Hepworth Gallery…Gold and Crimson can also boast a performance at the Theatre…Sapphire, Purple, Orange, Ruby, Ivory, Jade and Amber all have finished a full term of exciting creative opportunities…from exploring story, to stage fighting, from acting truth to play for the sake of playfulness and every other thing in between.  You all just accept that as part of being in a youth theatre you have access to these opportunities…So I’m just saying it’s perhaps worth recognising that to most people these chances are way out of the bounds of their expectations…it’s a pretty good thing you have going on here…

Secondly you take what you achieve for granted, you create work of the best and highest quality…you do this with consistency…your poise and preparation is such that, for example, in the case of Black Company in the space of a week you can do a performance with an altered cast without missing a beat…you command the most loyal of followers and equally you command the respect and admiration of strangers of all ages…

In conclusion you all occasionally need to take a moment and appreciate the equation of opportunity and credit that goes often unnoticed within YTYT…it’s in your best interest…just take a moment to relish the sense of achievement you are more than entitled to feel and the opportunity that gave you the chance to feel it…

And the thought that inspired this blog…the, “Thank you,” I get from one member of the company after everything that we do, it is understated and genuine and it is one of the things many that makes it all worthwhile…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 w...
Read more

Yew Tree Youth Theatre. 2024 - Fred

-
What a year (That's a good thing, by the way). My favourite shows, my favourite rehearsals, my favourite year; so you can hopefully gather that I've enjoyed it all.  But in all reality, my blog should start in 2023, as National Theatre Connections began then.  I had been cast, along with Izzy, in the role of Noush, which quickly I became attached to. As the rehearsal process continued into the year of 2024, I only grew to like the role even more. Kiss/Marry/PushOffCliff - as the play was called - soon shaped up to be a fantastic show. The year before (I know, this is meant to be 2024, but everything, after all, is interconnected) I'd shown interest in NT Connections but had shied away, thinking I was not capable enough for such a task. This time, however, I was prepared - or brave, or optimistic, or however you could describe it - and chose to take part. It was indeed the right decision. Never before from a show had I received such enjoyment, even from rehearsals. Every tim...
Read more

Robin's Connections Blog

-
 Kiss / Marry / Push off a cliff was my second connections play that I have done with YTYT. As soon as I read it, I fell in love with the script. Although it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, it drew me in with its pure weirdness and mystery. I was so intrigued as to how we would tackle many of the problems that were initially presented to us. After all, showing someone getting pushed off a cliff while inside of a sleeping bag in a youth theatre production isn’t a simple task. However, with the combined effort of an equally talented crew and cast, I believe we were able to do a pretty good job. I could ramble all day about how much I love characters as a whole. In truth, they are what drew me to connections in the first place. I love being able to delve into their motivations and fears in detail and develop a whole other being rather than myself. I remember there was one character that stood out to me in my first reading. I knew from the start that Marco would be a tricky character. B...
Read more