You have the power...

-
It is a startling fact that as I write this, this time next week the dress rehearsals for the Christmas shows will be starting and this time in a fortnight the shows will be over.*   This moment in the Christmas term always takes my breath away…how has it gone from those playful days in September when sessions were full of conjecture and play and possibilities to the frantic rehearsals where we have a finite amount of hours to pull everything together…and why when my rational side knows that it’s been weeks and weeks since then does it seem like those heady happy days were two minutes ago?

So it’s my duty now to tell you that it’s now it’s over to you.  Gemma and I have done the majority of what we can do.  Obviously we’ll keep doing as much as we can – we’ll run the tech’s and advise you and coach you and problem solve and champion you until you take your final bows...however ultimately the success of the productions is all about you.  Here are some obvious but hardly thought about facts about actors: Everything you do in the rehearsal room has an impact on the show.  Everything you do outside the rehearsal room has an impact on the show.  Everything you do on stage has an impact on the show.  You have the power...

The reality behind those big sweeping sentences is this: If you spend some of this week learning your lines so you are secure with them the show will be better.  If as you are doing this you are walking yourself through your journey through the play it will be better still.  If you are also thinking about character and relationships as you do this, it will be even better.  Also if you are clear and sorted about rehearsal times and venues and dress rehearsals and you have gathered your props and costumes and sorted lifts out with parents or friends or bus timetables – the shows will be improved another degree.  And if you have organized and promoted how those you value can see the shows they will be enhanced once again with a host of lovely people with whom you can share the results of your endeavour…

I will spend this week scurrying and scrapping to get everything as ready as I can, stealing moments wherever they appear to do all the things needed for the shows to happen, as will Gemma…for all those that will be doing the same…I salute you…it’s lovely to have you on board… the results will be magic

 *Apart from Vampire Story



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