What's happening at YTYT

You may have noticed that his blog is a day late…I’m blaming one thing…a thing I have very little control over I’m blaming change… My role involves an awful lot of helping people manage change – whether that be organizations, professionals, youth theatre companies or young people…I have become very good at offering advice and support as guidance in navigating the rocky terrain that is transition…for other people I have lots of ideas, lots of words of comfort, lots of strategies to share... However during the last week I have been navigating my own change…with my daughter Amy going to university I, along with the rest of the lovely people in my household, am coping with an Amy sized hole in our home…and it’s hard… Until now I hadn't really realised how much dealing with a substantial change in your circumstances can diminish motivation and hope, create lethargy and a lack of joy.  In short I have discovered it’s an antithesis to the culture our household is centred on. ...

This week at Gold Company we were well under way with our Christmas production of a fairy tale like no other...no really, that’s what it’s called – “A fairy tale like no other…” Confusing, right? But do not fear, the clue is in the name, it is indeed a fairy tale like no other and I think I speak for everyone when I say that I’m loving it. It’s looking and sounding hilarious. We spent our morning making animal noise in some sort of wooden version of stonehenge…it was interesting to say the least *shrug* modern art. After getting over that we managed to create boats, loveable giants, cliffs of insanity and did character work for around 47 characters per person (okay, that may be a slight exaggeration but still it’s going to be challenging) This week was especially enjoyable as we have an addition to Gold Company and having to explain our little antics and inside jokes made us realise just how crazy we are...Taylor handled it pretty well. Hopefully, he’ll return next week. I...

Thursday night was one of those nights that will go down in YTYT history…we performed Remember the Oaks for the last time in the Miner’s Hall at the NUM building in Barnsley.   The first thing that made this performance so exceptionally special was the venue itself.   The Miners Hall is beautiful…full of the colourful banners of the local mines, seeped in history and the site of so many battles of words, philosophy and values.   Just to sit in it is a privilege…the walls seem to hold an essence of all the room has witnessed and so the air has richness, an atmosphere of significance…it’s a wonderful place to make theatre. Our performance of Remember the Oaks was the first piece of theatre to be performed there and considering it was built over a century ago that’s pretty significant too.   It was the perfect venue for our play that remembers the 361 miners who lost their lives in The Oaks mining disaster 150 years ago this year.   We performed it in a more...

The lovely (and very YTYT busy) Ellie! Hi! So today everyone at Gold Company was told Sarah needed a guest blogger, so being the great person I am, stepped up to the challenge! My Yew Tree week often starts off at O range company on a Thursday as a volunteer, and this year they're putting on a Christmas show of "When Santa got stuck up the chimney." But however unfortunately this week I had to miss this session, due to the fact I did some stage managing for Black company's "Remember the Oaks." Which leads me to my next point... So astray from my typical Thursday night at Orange, I find my self on a car journey to the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) hall in Barnsley, to stage manage for Black Company. As I got there I focused my attention to the actors, checking if they had the right props, costume and if they had any quick costume changes with need of assistance. The show was ran once through before the doors opened at seven and the audience began ...

Thinking about performing in terms of heads, guts and hearts is not a new way of thinking at all – in fact it’s been around so long it runs the danger of being overlooked – but I was thinking about it last night and I woke up thinking about it this morning so I thought it was worth blogging about this week… I love working with thoughtful artists – of any age from my youngest member of the youth theatre to the professional actors I direct – actors and dancers that use their head in rehearsal and performance …who look at the given circumstances, the character, the need, the want that lies at the centre of the material they are working on and think about the energy and intention – the quality of movement that will express all of that…they’re also amazing team players – their thoughtfulness translates into consideration and empathy…an exceptionally valuable combination. I also love working with instinctive people who have the courage to go with their gut.   Who are brave and g...

We had a last minute goodbye blog...here's Hannah Clifford!  After almost 12 years of pure enjoyment it is time for me to move on and start my new adventure in London. It all began in the back room of Drury lane library, where we would all nervously introduce ourselves and continue with sharing our best and worst news from the previous week. One of my favourite shows (aside from playing of the iconic Disney characters Snow White) with Crimson Company has to be “Say Something”. This very moving yet uplifting performance was to commemorate and remind the public of the events of WW1. The brilliant thing about YTYT is not only do we perform in theatres but also public spaces from outside garden to art galleries. Last year to celebrate Halloween, I was fortunate enough to play one of the spooky witches from the classic play ”Macbeth” at the Hepworth art gallery situated in Wakefield. This was a delight to do as I got to work with different members and create a twist on the tra...

A cheeky extra blog from Hannah :) On Tuesday 30 th August, I was invited by Sarah to go with Amy and Tom to the residential home in Lofthouse and show them a few of our dances. These included the Foxtrot, Waltz and the residents’ favourite, the Jive. Nervous and excited, we headed to Lofthouse and were greeted by the very welcoming carers and an especially enthusiastic lady who was staying at the home. She even got a turn at dancing the foxtrot with our very own Tom who did really well leading her through the basic steps. Even more residents were seemingly impressed with Tom suggesting we have a raffle for him…Maybe next time ladies. We performed the dances twice, once indoors for one half of the care home and once in the garden for the other half. It allowed us to chat to some of the residents about their dancing days, remembering where they used to dance as young people and what they enjoyed most. One keen lady spoke about how she used to be a ballet dancer and connected wi...

Yesterday was a good day.   A good day because as I went into the 6 hour rehearsal for the production of Aladdin I’m directing I had a really clear goal…I wanted everyone in the cast who was at the rehearsal to end the day being better than they were when they walked into the room.   I suppose that sounds like the least I could hope for but after a 6 week break – a lot of the cast unable to make the rehearsal and an awful lot to get done it wasn’t necessarily a given.   I went into the rehearsals hoping that despite all the odds there was a chance for progress – and I got what I hoped for….a set of young performers who discovered they could do more in the production than they’ve done before – as a dancer, as a character, as a performer, as a creative mind.   By the time we got to the end of the rehearsal some people had made little steps some had taken strides and some giant leaps. All this means that Aladdin is up and away and sprinting i...

Always fab when someone blogs for the first time - today Jessinna member of Crimson Company blogs about her involvement in WY Performers  Aladdin rehearsals On the 3rd of September, there was a Aladdin rehearsal from 10:00am till 4:00pm rather than the normal 2 hours. And while I did enjoy the rehearsal very much, as I got to spend more time with my friends and more time performing, I was extremely worn out   by the end of it - although probably not as much as the, very talented, dancers. We got so much done and worked on a lot of scenes giving us all a chance to see what we've done so far. And I, personally, am very pleased with what I saw and am now very excited for the show after witnessing a lot of scenes, dances and songs really come to life. We began the session with some warmups causing a few of the less athletic people, such as myself, to really wish it was time for lunch already. For the first part of the morning, the main focus was on the dances. Since I only ...