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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...