So this is the New Year...

-
It seems ridiculous to be saying goodbye to 2014…it was so packed full of delicious youththeatreness it flew by at a breathtaking, break neck speed and now it’s done…all too soon – On reflection I will remember the YTYT year of 2014 for stretching me as a director more than any other and teaching me all manner of things that I have squirreled away in my toolbox of vital knowledge and implements a YTYT director needs… I will remember it for the chance to revisit scripts from years ago restaging them with different actors which is a fascinating process and I will also remember it for the wonderful kick I found in staging some of the writing that I am most proud of…I will remember it for a great deal of laughter, a host of important lessons and of course some pretty stressy situations…but I think I will remember it mostly, as ever, for the wonderful people I shared it with and in that I am including, those young people that have joined us this year…for there have been over the course of 2014 excellent new additions to our happy crew who have made a real difference to the youth theatre…for them and of course for those with long service medals of varying amounts of years I am exceptionally grateful…you’re all great and immensely cherished…that’s not just a trite nice thing to say of a New Years Eve…it’s a genuine compliment – the members of Yew Tree, those that have left and still take the time to visit, parents and friends who support them and us are a pleasure to know and a privilege to spend time with…thank you for a wonderful year.


Now, however, it is time to look forward and we will be back with a bang from the outset…January sees the start of the new term with a full program of YTYT workshops…we have a performance at The Hepworth, Wakefield of a brand new piece of YTYT theatre on the 17th of January and we are being visited by the fabulous Splendid Theatre Company on the 15th of January…my first day of rehearsals is on Friday with a “What’s Next” session for the YTYT members applying for drama college, a Connections rehearsal and a rehearsal for the Hepworth play…the rest of you lovely lot I’ll see from the 10th onwards…I simply cannot wait!!

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