To be of service...

This blog has been a long time coming…in that there’s been half an idea floating around in my head for almost a week. However this morning the last piece of inspiration I needed appeared, in a ridiculously busy supermarket of all places, allowing me to finally put metaphorical pen to paper.

The initial inspiration was the culmination of a project that had run throughout December. I had been working with a group of adults recovering from mental health issues to produce a Christmas celebration. It is rare that both the process and the product in an arts project are equally fulfilling but this was one of those projects. For the purposes of this reflection it is the product that is the focus and on this occasion the product was indeed a celebration. It took the form of performance…of the dramatic, musical and dancing persuasion and in addition it took the form of an entire community coming together. This was only made possible by the willingness of everyone to do things for others. They cooked for each other, they solved problems for each other and they supported each other in thought, word and deed. They were of service to each other and it was a wonderful thing to behold. The result was a room full of happy people who for the hours the celebration lasted forgot about hierarchy’s, status, history and protocol and simply enjoyed each other’s company. The magic of Christmas made manifest.

And the supermarket? A much more minor incident but still…I was waiting in the Christmas shopping madness when the woman in front of me at the checkout spoke to me. She was driven to conversing with a complete stranger through her frustration at forgetting something. When I found out what it was I offered to go and get it for her…she accepted and the problem was fixed. When it was my turn through the checkout the assistant asked if I knew that the woman I’d helped thought I worked there. The logic I suppose is obvious, why would I help her if I didn’t? Why would someone offer to do something just because they could? It’s a shame really but on a positive note it has motivated me even more to be of service whenever possible…the effort it takes is usually minimal and the results can be magic…

Rising to the challenge...

Izzy is sixteen, she had sex with her boyfriend Si after drinking too much vodka at a party and for a while she thought she might be pregnant. Neither Si or Izzy wanted to rush into having sex but because of pressure from their friends and a belief that everyone else was doing it they did. In the time between sleeping with Si who she had been going out with for several months and the negative pregnancy test Izzy’s life went into fast forward and she grew up immeasurably in a matter of weeks. Despite not being pregnant Izzy can not see how things can go back to the way they were, she feels differently about everything including Si. Their relationship is over, any future they might have had is now impossible and both of them have to reassess their present in light of the consequences of their decisions.

The above is a synopsis of the play, “Say the Words” that Yew Tree is currently touring to great acclaim in the Wakefield district. The three week tour is booked out and over the course of the tour we will perform at 14 schools (including community and hospital schools) in over 40 performances to over 1,400 young people. These numbers make us take it very seriously. From the story development to the writing and directing, to the rehearsals, performance and the workshops we take it very seriously. We take it seriously in terms of every individual who will see it, who we know nothing about and who may have very strong resonances with the subject matter. This is serious stuff we’re exploring, serious and sensitive stuff. Deal with it too lightly and we trivialise something important, deal with it using a heavy hand and we alienate our audience…people we could potentially help and support.

All this considered we could be weighed down so much by the fine nature of the balance between success and failure we could simply cease to function. Cancel everything for fear of getting it wrong, I see this happening so often. Surely however action is the key. Assess the challenges, get a clear picture of the needs, the issues the possible paths to success and the possible pitfalls and then do something, find a creative way to move forward. Already the response to, “Say the Words,” is so very positive and we’ve only just got going. It’s a clear accolade to the philosophy of using a creative approach to a difficult challenge.

We have to keep rising to these challenges in order to allow young people the opportunity to learn about the world they live in and the decisions they’re going to have to make. We have to do this through innovation, through creativity and yes sometimes by taking a risk. The response for our latest project has been positive from the schools but more importantly it’s been positive from the young people, the audience it was created for. Its success is measured by the fact that they are saying the words, talking about the issues, having a voice. However this project is a luxury and it’s a luxury there seems to be less and less of in the current financial and educational climate. Surely there should be more of it…in all aspects of learning…