What's happening at YTYT

  What Oz Said: Lurking in the Background  Firstly, I want to get my sorry bow in early… I don’t normally write stuff…ever…That’s Sarah’s superpower and I try hard not to get involved. However, I suppose I have a unique perspective on YTYT having been there on the journey all the way from the beginning. I will try my best to be original and interesting but if this turns out to be all about how great Sarah is, I apologise.  Secondly, the other thing that those who know me will attest to is my sharp distaste for deference and anything that approaches it - so the idea of writing something as a 51 year old, privileged white male who has largely stood at the back of shows, turned lights on and clapped enthusiastically for 30 odd years… and then being taken seriously as a writer with some deep perspective… doesn’t sit terribly well.  I got involved with theatre at school. Actually, truth be told I was talking in a science class aged about 12/13 and got roped into helping s...

I have so many memories from Yew Tree - it’s hard to single out a specific one. I’ve been hoping if I waited long enough, one would pop into my brain.  Recently I was working from home, and I put on some background music. Working in silence seems to shorten my attention span, but I get too easily distracted if I know any lyrics.  I popped on an old playlist called ‘Original Scores’. I made it whilst at uni so I could listen to music from films to fuel my concentration through all the chapters of required reading.  Its first two albums are Yann Tiersen’s score Amelie (2001) and Hans Zimmer’s score The Holiday (2006). They’re both there because we used them in Yew Tree productions. Each time I hear the songs we used, it takes me right back to the rehearsal rooms. Song: Comptine d’un autre été, l’aprés-midi  Date: March 2016  Place: Unity Hall, Wakefield This song was used for a companion piece we devised for our Connections production of Eclipse by Simon Armitage....

For almost a decade, I have had the privilege of being a part of a community of people that not only shaped my journey in theatre but also helped me become the person I am today. At the ripe age of 6,   Yew Tree Youth Theatre   quickly became my second home and – as it is in its 30 th   year – I have a reasonable excuse to write about it. 30 years is a remarkable milestone for any organisation, however for many people who start an originally small drama company it seems near impossible. Yet  Yew Tree  made it happen! The legacy of what is now the youth theatre we know and love today has been built upon years, and years, and years of hard work – both from the actors and the behind-the-scenes crew. Reaching three decades of  Yew Tree Youth Theatre ’s existence is insane, and to say I’ve been a part of nearly a third of it?! However,  Yew Tree  isn’t just a drama company: it’s a community, a family, a place where people come together to create. In ea...

I’m certain that of the many Yew Tree histories submitted as part of these anniversary celebrations, mine is a little unusual. I didn’t start young, nor am I from an especially theatrical background (I am, somehow, my own fault), nor did I feel particularly called to the stage. Rather, I was 17 and in need of something constructive to do. Turned out to be quite good fun, so I stuck around for a good 18 months before swanning off to uni. Yet probably the distinguishing feature of my Yew Tree experience is that a few years and one global pandemic later, being at a similarly loose end, I popped back in. I’ve been volunteering with Sarah and the youth theatre now for about twice as long as I ever attended in the first place. This has been in any number of capacities: running warm-up games, assistant directing, occasionally fetching coffee, now by contributing to this zine. And it makes sense to me to predicate my contribution on the unusual perspective I might have, having been on both sid...

Youth theatre has a hugely important part to play in amateur theatre and as NODA North East Youth Co-ordinator and District 13 representative I am doubly blessed to have Yew Tree Youth Theatre (YTYT) as part of the district. In addition to performance skills young people can gain so many benefits from being involved in youth theatre including building confidence, communication skills, creativity, teamwork, and emotional development.  YTYT provides a safe and supportive environment for self-expression, social interaction, and personal growth, which will ultimately boost self-esteem and well-being.  Through watching the YTYT productions I can see how youth theatre helps young people overcome stage fright, develop self-assurance, and believe in their own abilities.  Improving communication skills is achieved through participating in activities and it also enhances verbal and non-verbal communication, including clear articulation, active listening, and effective exp...

I’m not an actor. I’m a university lecturer. My experience demonstrates that being in a theatre group doesn’t mean you have to work in theatre in the future. I’d like to explain how the skills that I developed from being part of YTYT 20 years ago have been transformative and shaped who I am today. Communication  Performance is a form of communication. As a lecturer and leader in higher education, I “perform” regularly as have to speak publicly and articulate my message clearly. One of my strong beliefs as an educator is that it is my job to make my audience understand my point; it’s not the audience’s job to decipher my meaning. I also bring a human approach to my lecturers by being expressive when I speak and actively listening to my students. Before being a lecturer, I taught English abroad for several years which meant that I was often communicating across language barriers. The use of non-verbal and paralinguistic features of communication (body language, gestures, facial expre...

It was either a Thursday or a Friday night, depending on the year. That detail may seem small, but for me, it defined an entire chapter of my life. Fridays were for Gold Company. Thursdays, Black Company. Both were part of Yew Tree Youth Theatre, a place that helped shape the person I became.   I joined at 15, unsure of myself, full of awkward energy and curiosity. At first, it was just something to do after school or work, a creative outlet, a chance to meet new people. But it quickly became more than that. So much more. Yew Tree didn’t just teach me how to act. It taught me how to exist. How to show up. How to be seen.   Gold Company on Friday nights was where it all began. Those early years were full of discovery. We laughed a lot, we stumbled through scenes, we figured out how to speak from our stomachs instead of our throats. It was raw, chaotic, joyful. We were kids, playing at storytelling, but there was so much honesty in it. It was a space where we could try, fail, gr...

I have loved every minute of doing Connections.  From the first day or rehearsal when we created a timeline of what we thought the important events of the show were to the final bow on the main stage at Cast it was emotional, uplifting and inspiring . One of the key moments that will stay with me is Connection week which gave us the opportunity to explore our characters in more depth and get to know each other better as we spent time together outside of rehearsals as a cast. For me this was the first experience of working with a group who came together for a single show as opposed to being part of an established company.  We had to quickly learn each other's ways of working to create a successful cast. Another memorable moment was the trip to Bridlington with puppetry and stage combat workshops on the seafront followed by a switched up rehearsal where we all played a different character and a game of That’s Out on the beach then fish and chips before we headed home. Engaging i...

Mia and the Fish. Where to start? I didn’t choose this play as one of my options in the summer last year, but I am so glad that we were given the opportunity to explore this incredible story. For the audition process, I had no clue which character I even wanted to be. Usually, I like to read the script and pick the character that I relate to immediately, making the whole process of becoming the character so much easier. However, with this script I didn’t see myself in any of the characters the first-time round, and didn’t know who to audition for. I knew this was going to be my last year of Connections, and I wanted to go out with some sort of a bang.   So, I picked Mia. And that’s who I was given. It felt daunting at first, but I was made more confident by Sarah saying that the roles we were given were the best for the play. Over time, that became clear to everyone I think – we all grew into our characters in such a fantastic way, and it ultimately rewarded us with a magical show....

Mia and the Fish was my second connections with Yew Tree Youth Theatre and I loved every second of it. When reading the script, I was initially drawn to the character of Mia, her character development and the importance of her representation in this play. After auditioning I was delighted finding out I was double-cast Mia with Jess. I was double cast last year and it was such an amazing opportunity to learn so I was excited again to be working alongside such an incredible actress.  I loved watching the show come together whether that be watching it or playing the part of Mia. For Mia it was important to understand how her relationship with her friends and sister impacts every aspect of her actions. When connections week came, I was thrilled. I loved the flocking, round by and through and the physical theatre. One of my favourite aspects of this productions was the boat. It was unique abstract but so clear what it was and rlly helped portray the story. Working with this cast for a w...

  Hi, it’s Amani.   I joined Yew Tree Youth Theatre when I auditioned for Aladdin the Musical all the way back in 2016. On March 2nd that year, I found out I’d been cast as Wish #4. 6-year-old me probably thought it was going to be yet another one-time show with one of many youth theatres I had briefly attended back then; and yet here I am almost a decade later.   Participating in NT Connections was something I had wanted to do for a long time. Unfortunately I wasn’t old enough at first, and then last year I was unable to participate due to not being available during February half term for rehearsals. However I was extremely excited to audition this year and finally take part in the Connections process.   Auditions were a little different for me, as I wasn’t aware that I was able to partake in Connections this year until the day beforehand and, as such, didn’t have any time to prepare a passage from the script. However instead I filled in for other character’s lines ...

This year at connections has to have been one of my best so far as, once again I was granted the opportunity to work on a great piece of theatre with an amazingly talented group of actors. When I first read the play I decided I wanted a part that was both large and challenging to help me develop my acting skills, so I chose Paz. In my audition I tried to capture some of the elements that make Paz a downright hate able character.   When I found out I would be playing both Paz and nova alongside Alfie I was delighted and excited to get to work. As we rehearsed the play I wanted to distinguish the characters of Nova and Paz significantly and so I tried to bring out the fun and easy going elements of nova’s character and then the manipulating elements of Paz’s personality.  One of the main highlights from this year’s connections was connections week where we as a company dedicated a week to the play allowing to make my characters much more 3 dimensional through working on parts of...

Connections 2025 marked a turning point for me—it made me realise that Yew Tree Youth Theatre is exactly what I’ve been missing my whole life.  I only joined a year ago, and this was both my first and last time taking part in Connections. I wish I had more time to perform with these people, because I’ve never met a cast so full of love, kindness, and  talent. They’re not just brilliant performers—they’re friends I know will stay with me for a long time.   In this past year, I’ve grown in confidence, developed my skills as an actor, and found a group where I truly belong.  Mia and the Fish , despite its challenges, made me appreciate the small moments in life and reminded me to cherish every part of this journey. At first, being one of the oldest and not knowing many people was daunting. But after just a few rehearsals, I settled in, and that’s when we really began to bond—not just as a cast on stage, but as friends off it too. I loved diving into new and unfamiliar s...