Eden's 2025 Year in Review Blog

Hello! My name is Eden and I have spent around 8 months at Yewtree now, so just short of a year! I cannot begin to put into words how grateful I am for Yewtree and how much they have helped me build my confidence and be the actor I have always wanted to be. Firstly, I shall talk about the reasons for the start of my time at Yewtree:  

I started Yewtree as I wanted to act and express myself more than I do usually. I had always been nervous about acting in shows and plays in front of people like I had done previously in my primary school. There were two main inspirations for me to join Yewtree. The first was that my friend who goes to my school said how good it was and how much she enjoyed being an actor there at Yewtree. Having aspired to go into acting in some form already, I thought it would be fun to join a drama group that my friend goes to as I wouldn't be alone. The second reason is how inspired I was by all the small acts I was watching and how I realised that that was I wanted to do. 

Now onto the start of my Yewtree journey!  

In May, I started at Yewtree! Initially, I felt quite nervous as there was no one I knew apart from my friend, and I highly doubted myself about my ability to act. Despite this, everyone at Yewtree were really welcoming to me and made me feel at home. Soon enough, I felt like I had been a part of Yewtree for a long time. My first ever play with Yewtree was 'In the Hands of the Gods' (Greek mythology) which was thoroughly enjoyable for me. I joined later than the casting of roles, however, I shared a role with another actor and really enjoyed the part I played. 

After my first ever play, I believed in my ability to act more than I had ever done previously. Additionally, I had got to know everyone in Yewtree really quickly and immediately enjoyed spending my time with them. In sessions after 'In the Hands of the Gods', we did multiple fun sessions, such as a 'Parents Evening Murder Mystery' scene that we acted out for a session which I thoroughly enjoyed and Mafia Freedom Cry-Based Scenes which was also extremely enjoyable. Once we had done some relaxed non-rehearsal sessions, we started planning on our next play for Christmas. Sarah chose three different plays for us to explore and choose from. Once we had explored the different plays, we voted for a final decision on what our Christmas play would be and I could not have been more pleased with what the collective decision was. In the end, the play that got the most votes was...... Rumpelstiltskin! 

Rumpelstiltskin was a whole rollercoaster for me. From the amazing modern twists to the brilliant music choices for each and every scene (shoutout to Sarah and John for these) the whole thing was wonderful. I went for a very large part of Rumpelstiltskin to challenge myself, however I landed the part of a boasting parent which was the perfect part for me. The whole play was exceptionally funny and altogether the best play I have done in Yewtree so far! The journey was incredible from start to finish, with touch ups, laughs, and bonds, I have never been in a community quite like Yewtree.  At the end of all our rehearsals and hard work, we performed the play in Osset town hall on the stage. I was quite anxious as I had never been on a large stage like that before. However, as I stepped onto the stage with my fellow actors, I felt amazing. Everyone did really well and it was a huge success. Now, onto some special mentions!

My first special mention is two incredibly special people who we could not be the Sapphire company we are without. These two people are Sarah and John! You light up the room as soon as you walk in and make Yewtree and Sapphire company feel like home and such a wonderful community. You help us when we fall and praise us on our achievements. You listen and laugh with us and I would like to say how incredibly grateful I am for the both of you. Thank you!

My second (and final) mention is all of the members of Sapphire company, past and present. From the people who welcomed me at first and moved on to greater companies, and to the people who have joined and become a part of such a magnificent community. To all of you, you welcomed me when I joined and became some of my best friends i've ever met. I would not enjoy Yewtree half as much if all of these wonderful people weren't part of Yewtree. Thank you!