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 time we stepped into Studio 1 to rehearse that odd play about camping teenagers, we discovered something new. Our understanding of the play - and subsequently of our own skills - deeply developed. Sarah, and the entire creative team, taught us something new every session: new skills, new techniques, new discoveries.

Connections week, during February half-term, was something I dreaded at the start of the rehearsal process, but once I'd taken a liking to the play and the experience, I was nothing but ready to spend a week at Yew Tree Youth Theatre from morning until afternoon every day. We did a puppetry lesson, character analyses and run-throughs - and somehow I wasn't tired, I was enthralled. Being given the Thursday off was less of a blessing than it was a curse. Sarah and the creative team made the whole experience so enjoyable, that when it was over, I wanted more.

Speaking of it being over, the performance at The Sheffield Crucible was exhilarating. Performing in a space like that was - and it sounds almost silly to say - magical. On a large stage, with fantastic lights and sound and a larger audience than I'd performed in front of before, this was no ordinary YTYT performance. Despite some minor wobbles in the dress rehearsal, I thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so, in fact, that I could not wait for the next Connections to come around - this is how truly entertaining YTYT is. Compared to some of the others in that cast, I felt quite new (I joined in the Spring of 2022, some had been there for nearly a decade) but the way in which Sarah ensures every single person is welcomed and settled into the companies is fantastic. So, there I am in early April, waiting for the next Connections - but that process would start in July, and a lot would happen between those months.

In fact, a week after the Connections performance at the Sheffield Crucible, was my first ever LAMDA exam. These Acting exams consist of two monologues and some theory questions (which I find the theory is the most difficult part). In April, it was my Grade 4. I was so nervous, but the time I'd spent preparing this and the feedback from Sarah a few days before really encouraged me to give it my all. I am so glad that I came out of that with a Distinction, which compelled me to continue with LAMDA. Remember LAMDA, you'll find it comes up twice more. 

During all of this we were preparing our Summer show in Gold company - Chaos, a former connections play, by Laura Lomas. At first, this play confused me - and I know it did others - with its non-linear structure and abstract nature. But eventually we settled into its intended oddity and embraced the physical theatre of it all. I played the roles of Aleph and Zara; I thought connections would be a challenge, but I did not know what Chaos had in store. Firstly, physical theatre is not my friend; it has frequently confounded me. Secondly, I had a monologue near the end of the play which proved a huge challenge finding the right level of emotion. But every week, Sarah pushed me to take it further, build up the emotion and the rage and the anger and I believe by the end of it I'd unlocked myself and taken my acting to the next step. As for the physical theatre, while it's still not my greatest ally, I can say I formed an accord with it and managed to perform it with as much enthusiasm as I could give. 

Around this time were my year 10 mock exams, my first glimpse of the stress that school would soon bring. While YewTree didn't interfere with my ability to do these exams, I did decide to perhaps cut back on a few extra projects at YewTree. Key word in that sentence: perhaps. Because there was the National Coal Mining Museum's anniversary of the 84/85 Miner's strikes for which we did a performance, there was my LAMDA Grade 5 (which luckily went as swimmingly as the one before), work experience with Sarah, in July, the 2025 Connections plays were released (which I managed to somehow read all 10 in one day), in the Summer, I recorded one of the stories for Wakefield Litfest about the Bandstand at Lowe Hill, and in the Autumn we performed at the Miner's Memorial service, located at the beautiful Selby Abbey. It surprises me how much I pushed myself to do during this period, but never did I feel overwhelmed because of how it was all paced. I managed to keep myself busy without feeling overworked. Each different project I took part in provided a different challenge, a different experience and a different type of fun.

But then... then came the transition to year 11. Thoughts of college started to dominate my everyday disposition. Where next? I am glad to say that YTYT did have an influence in my decision. I'd always thought maybe I'll just go to a normal college and do normal subjects and decide what to do after then? But, I'd always had a passion for acting and writing. I'd had a thought that maybe I could pursue that into the future, yet didn't know how. CAPA is a college quite close to me; Creative and Performing Arts College, that's it's full name. I'd viewed it before as something I wasn't ready for, in a way I was scared of the prospect of dedicating two years of my education to Acting. YewTree helped my decision along. Before, the dream of acting was just a dream. YewTree turned it into a possibility. Sarah encourages everyone to follow their dreams, to explore the tangibility of their hopes and make everything yet more palpable. I am excited for my auditions now, not fearful. Connections and Chaos and LAMDA and everything else showed me that, yes, I am ready. I am capable. This is something I can do. Whether I want to chase up a career of acting or writing in the future (or both), Yew Tree has helped show me that this is something I can indeed do, and I am so thankful to Sarah and everyone who helps her.

Now, back to September. It is fair to say that the Christmas play our company conceived was... irregular. Is irregular the right term to describe a comical murder mystery set in 70s Yorkshire full of caricatures and tropes and ABBA? Furthermore, I was playing a Grandad at the age of 74. A Grandad with a passion for trains. A Grandad with a secret (wouldn't you know it, he's the murderer! I'm the murderer? It's a miracle I kept that secret). On paper, this should have been utterly impossible to pull off. But Sarah's writing and direction and our cast just made everything click. A few dancing queens and death-by-strychnines later, it was done, and it proved a new challenge to remain serious the whole way through. It was rather difficult when we included comical overreactions set to the DUN DUN DUNNN sound effect and John Broadhead's recording of a News Reporter, very proud of Yorkshire. I think the only time I actually managed to keep a straight face throughout the whole thing was the performance. Lucky then, I suppose, that I didn't break on that stage. I knew it would be fantastic from the moment Matthew came up with the name 'Death the Halls' in July.

In addition to this, I had my LAMDA Grade 6 a few weeks beforehand. As ever, the monologues were fun but the theory was dreadful. The one part of Yew Tree I won't ever miss is having to answer questions like "How were breathing techniques used to support the voice in each scene performed?" I briefly skipped around my mention of LAMDA Grade 5 earlier, as that went very well, but I wanted to say that when I was picking my speeches, I had some difficulty as I am, unfortunately, very particular. But Sarah, who seems to know me better than I know myself, knew the very speech for me. It was a speech spoken by Lucifer (yes, the Devil) from the play Immaculate, by Oliver Lansley. It told famous biblical tales from The Devil's perspective and showed him as a fed-up, yet slightly whiny, victim. It was comical, it was satirical, it was perfect. I remember Sarah giving me the speech which I quickly read and giggled to myself like a madman in my chair from how much I liked it. These little things make the whole YewTree experience all the more enjoyable. 

I mentioned earlier (many paragraphs earlier, and I do apogise for this blog's length) that I waited eagerly for connections 2025. I was elated when the play we were given was Mia and the Fish, which I had enjoyed thoroughly when reading it the first time. After the audition process, I was cast as Samaki the... Fish. Wow. I'm playing a fish. As ever, Yew Tree brings with it new challenges every rehearsal. But a challenge is by no means a negative word. I can predict that being one of the two people playing Samaki is going to be a blast. 

And that is everything. We've reached the end of Yew Tree in 2024. I write this on the same evening as the last session of Gold company before Christmas. That is very fresh in my head, but thinking back to January, I have to strain. Yet, it also feels in a way comfortable, all these memories of shows and roles I've enjoyed portraying and playing. This year has been long, so why does it feel so short? Is it possible to feel both of these at the same time? It must be, for I do. And soon comes marching around the corner next year: 2025. I'm sure next year will be equally as fabulous. Connections 2025, the next Gold Company show that we began brainstorming about three hours ago, LAMDA exams, G... GCSEs...

They say (those familiar with Shakespeare at least) that brevity is the soul of wit. Anyone reading this must clearly see I didn't get that idea one bit, but there was no way I could talk about my fantastic experience with Yew Tree this year without delving into every detail. I can't express how much I enjoy it and will continue to. This year has had my favourite shows and rehearsals and challenges and tests; there is no doubt that the next year will be any different. I should say that my favourite moment out of everything was watching Showstopper, the improvised musical, with Yew Tree at Wakefield Theatre Royal and laughing so much I thought I might drop dead. 

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this, and I hope I conveyed my deep enjoyment of Yew Tree this year. I'm very excited for next year, but until then:

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!