We are forever grateful...

-
Today the youth theatre did something excellent – they did it bravely and with an appropriate sense of gravitas and I was exceptionally proud of them.  A cast of twelve YTYT members travelled to Sheffield Cathedral to perform as part of the Miners’ Memorial Service for The National Union of Miners – Yorkshire.   This is something we have done for many years, our first performance was at Wakefield Cathedral in 2009.  Every year I am struck anew with the importance of it.  Connecting generations, connecting communities and connecting individuals…it is an honour to share an hour of remembrance with an industry which is at the foundation of our heritage.

Each year the cast alters as members grow up and leave the youth theatre, although it is interesting to note that Amy and Tom were there at the beginning and are still there now!  However each year I am told by ex members how valued their memories of this event are and by current members and their parents how impressed and touched they were to be part of it…maybe this is down to the wonderful audience who are so appreciative of our efforts, maybe it’s down to the outstanding playing of the Maltby Colliery Band, maybe it’s down to the impressive surroundings of the venues we perform in and the glorious Miners Banners that adorn them…or maybe it’s down to what we tried to articulate in the closing speech of our performance,


“Child, Man, Wife, Parent, Sister and Brother we stand on the foundations of the Miner’s legacy – the men and women who went before us and grafted for our future…it is their sacrifice that allows us safety, their bravery that allows us to have faith, their unending effort that allows us to carve the path through our lives to get to the place we belong and we are forever grateful…”

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