-
The marvellous Sam Winder...

Having had a break from Mugged for a while, we have flown back into rehearsals in full swing. With Bake Off happening again, I wanted to reuse my metaphor of our script being left to proof but with a couple of changes to the cast and such a long break, have been working hard to knead the play into shape. It’s paying off too; progress this weekend was rapid and we brought it up to a level that we are pleased with – ready for baking. This is something we owe to the discipline and thoughtfulness of the cast.

A play like Mugged is one where it seems quite easy to fill out the broader brush strokes and stand it on its feet.  However, the finer details take a lot of work and the thought behind each of our lines is vital. I feel like a lot of people outside the world of art underestimate how much work goes into building character relationships and understanding the reasons for character’s actions. We have to build aspects of our characters up in order to feel as they feel and react, rather than to produce false representations of emotions like “Shock :o,” or “Joy :D” because, though the audience understands how we are supposed to feel, they have no hope of feeling it along with us. Mugged is a play where all of these thoughts can have such depth and the emotions our characters feel aren’t as simple as happy/sad or angry/calm; there is a lot to find in seemingly insignificant lines.

Contrasting the grittier, more naturalistic sections, Mugged talks a lot about the false representations of the media and the influence that has on public opinion in a slightly more stylistic way. Without giving too much away, it is interesting to observe the influence that people with no real link to real social issues can have on real people through the media. The balance of maintaining emotional disconnection without sacrificing individual character development is one our Newscasters, Gawpers and Reporters are working towards in our full cast rehearsals.

So, all in all, I’m really excited to perform Mugged. There are some great moments, and I’d love to tell you all about them but I am afraid that doing so would give away some pretty major plot twists. Instead, I just want to give kudos to Team Marky towards the end of scene one, kudos to team media for their synchronisation and efficiency, and kudos to John for dropping in to quite a sizeable part with very little warning and doing a spiffing job.


Look forward to seeing you all after the show, yeah?

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