What's happening at YTYT

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of company this week.   It’s a long time now since we decided to create names for each of the groups of YTYT – and when we did there was a lot of debate about what we should go with – numbers were considered but we didn’t like the idea of there being a hierarchy between the groups…we even at one time dallied with idea of naming them after dragons but didn’t think it would catch on (I was a little bit sad when we let that idea go.)   In the end we went with colours hence the arrival of Purple, Crimson, Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, Black and later Jade and Orange were added…other companies have run their natural course – we’ve had Green, Red, Amber and Ivory – the latter of which at times makes a happy resurgence when it’s needed.   There are also others about to be named – we may well be adding a Scarlet Company to our ranks in the very near future and the grown up group is getting to the point of entitlement.   Each group was na...

We have a debut blog from Louis this week... When people think of the Beast, more often than not, their first thought is of the rich voiced, well-spoken Beast we all know and love from Disney. Which is pretty far removed from the interpretation of the RSC’s script has provided us with, which comes with roaring, growling and threats of cannibalism, all of which I’ve been getting to sink my teeth into (pun intended) for our performance of Beauty and the Beast. It has been an interesting task to say the least, balancing humility and tenderness, whilst attempting to maintain a presence of animalistic power and ferocity. A feat made especially difficult due to the complexities of the script, in one scene my throat being shredded in a tirade of furious roars and growling, only to be brought down to earth by Beauty and having to change the tone of my delivery without losing the character. To add to that, as if the frequency of the Beasts outburst of roars wasn’t enough, the stilted ina...

This week our first half term of Yew Tree for Grown Ups workshops drew to a close.   Starting this group in April was an absolute experiment – I really wasn’t sure how things would turn out…applying the youth theatre model - of weekly sessions where participants play, create and develop - to a group of adults was definitely a voyage into the unknown. To begin with I wasn’t even sure how interested people would be but requests to join came in meaning the next question was whether or not they would enjoy the Yew Tree approach when they actually got into the room. Five weeks later and the answer is a quiet but definite yes…we have gathered a group of people to the workshops from very different backgrounds and life styles who also have very different relationships to the theatre and the idea of acting.   There are some who really only want to dabble their toe in the water of the business of making theatre and some who have been waiting a while for the chance of diving into th...

Yasmin is our guest blogger this week... At Black company we have been rehearsing for our production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ which we will be performing at Netherton Working Men’s Club on Monday and Tuesday 8th and 9th June. The play is so much fun and rehearsals have been really enjoyable. The script is a real challenge because its so action packed and we constantly have to be on our toes because there’s always something happening. This means that when we get it right, the scene we’re working on is great and when we drop the ball it can be a bit of a disaster! The best way to describe the play in my opinion is a pantomime with dashes of integrity. There are characters such as mine and Rachel’s (Beauty’s horrible sisters) that are utterly ridiculous and then there is Beauty and Witch who are a calm and meaningful presence in the play. I think the variety of characters and their purpose in the play creates a fun and interesting balance which will draw audience members in fr...

If any of you have ever visited Sapphire Company you will know it is a big company…lots of lovely people in it with lots of things to say and lots of creativity to share.   Monday nights are a genuine pleasure because I get to spend two hours with them and it’s the best way to start the week. This week however was a little different – due to the horridness of exams – SAT’s, GCSE’s, tests etc we were about a third of the company down.   Although we missed the absentees of course, something lovely happened that I thought it was worth noting.   In the games –   fyi there was a joyous game of Amoeba and some fabby bean gameness – and also in the devising, the performing and the reflecting there was a chance to see some of the quieter, smaller personalities emerge as they got chance to have more of a voice which was delightful.   My hope is that now they have raised their excellent faces above the parapets they carry on doing so when the others arrive back. ...

Alice Narey for your delight and delectation... So this is my second blog and in quick succession of the first one. However, I’m writing this one for an entirely different reason. After writing the first one I realised that actually I enjoy writing blogs more than I thought I would which is something I really wasn’t expecting. So, number 2, here we go… This week at Gold we were looking at both our second Hepworth piece which is called ‘Plinth’ and building on our Christmas performance of ‘The Snow Queen’. After playing a few hilarious games such as murderer, the bean game and another game which name escapes me but all I know is that it was as ridiculous as all of the rest but involved an unusually large tennis ball… I shall say no more… Our second Hepworth piece is based around the idea of people’s different opinions on what is important to them and in theory what they would put on a plinth if given the chance – hence the name ‘Plinth’. Last week some people volunteered to wri...

There’s all sorts of things going on at YewTree Youth Theatre at the moment so it’s tricky to pick what to focus on...I’m devising with Sapphire and Gold for their Christmas shows, Black Company is very much in the swing of rehearsals for Beauty and the Beast to be performed in June, we are starting to make plans for our 20 th Birthday party in September, Gemma and Crimson Company are rehearsing scenes from Connection plays whilst Purple are enjoying delving into the world of James and the Giant Peach and that’s to name but a few of our current projects… After some deliberation I decided to pick, “ Plinth ” the piece that we are devising in response to the Lynda Benglis exhibition at The Hepworth, Wakefield as the focus of this week’s blog.    The process of making “Plinth,” began when we went to have a look at the gallery last month.   After a thoughtful and thorough look round the current exhibition we decided that we wanted our piece of performance to ask two ...

So it's my (Libby) first week back at yew tree after two amazing trips. Thursday was Black Company and it was amazing to see how much the play has been put up on its feet since I left after the read through. The scenes are really coming along and I'm excited to see how it all looks when it's finished,  A moment that stood out to me most was when we rehearsing the moment when Beauty's family are fighting over the mirror, because already you can see the different relationships between characters very strongly, the relationship between Beauty and her sisters is my favourite! They're just so comical, and every time there is a moment between them you can't help but have a little chuckle. . (Taking reservations for Beauty and the Beast now if anyone's interested) Saturday was Gold Company, and I have to say there was definitely some Kendal blues going on, and a lot of illness...oh and a guest Linda! Who is a professional writer from Leeds who wanted to see w...

The traditional cast Kendal blog Sam: We were discussing how Connections each year is filled with traditions. This year, I felt I almost knew what to expect, similar kinds of things go on: we start with the iconic Kendal steps photo, we do a bit of singing in the malt room, check into the hostel, run a tech rehearsal (and receive compliments on our efficiency, of course), then we perform for the last time, eat pizza, eat more pizza and not get much sleep. Then, day two, we will wake up early and go hunter-gathering for a breakfast before playing that’s out then watching shows and partying some more. Despite this apparently packed schedule, what I noticed this year is that much like how an actor will perform the same play many times but with different intentions and thoughts, we uphold these traditions but enjoy the richness of these moments with a set of incredible people. The point I am trying to make I suppose is that being part of Kendal – and connections in particular – remi...

The first blog of May is always a bit of a special one because invariably we’re in Kendal just about to perform our Connections play or celebrating our performance.   This year it’s the latter and I write this waiting for the cast to wake up, listening to the rain in a Youth Hostel room looking out over the grounds of the arts centre feeling entirely content.   Last night saw my company of 17 very talented young people reach the pinnacle of this year’s Connections experience.     It’s been quite the journey – choosing the play in September, casting in November, rehearsals until the first performance in February, a brief rest and then rehearsals for this performance.   In this time they’ve grafted, dealt with frustrations, enjoyed victories, learnt a little more about the world and themselves and made something entirely excellent .   Hacktivists is a tough play that explores complex issues – there was a lot to get to grips with in order to make it come ...