I’ve just got back from St Giles Church where eleven Yew Tree Youth Theatre members performed a piece of devised theatre, written and directed by Gemma, at the Miners Memorial service. They were the youngest and smallest cast to do this in the three years we’ve had the privilege to be part of it, but this didn’t stop them being an absolute credit to themselves and the youth theatre.
The remembrance of miners is of even greater significance this year as the industry has suffered 5 fatalities in this country in the last month…one of them in Yorkshire. As a consequence the bright and vivid colliery banners that are a familiar feature of the service were adorned in black in remembrance. Each year I am humbled by the fact that the material we create a play out of is a way of life for the people who attend the ceremony to pay their respect to loved ones they have lost. The sorrow and pride, often in equal amounts, is tangible in the atmosphere in the building and on the faces of all of those that gather together to remember, to find solace, to celebrate and to mourn.
Having Yew Tree as part of the service is a brilliant thing in a number of ways but one of the most important ones for me is that it ensures that there are young people engaged with the remembrance of miners and the mining community. In the creation of the piece and the attendance of the service youth theatre members are reminded of and learn about this vital aspect of their heritage and how key it is to the foundations of the community they live in now. Aside from Yew Tree there were only two other non-adults in attendance. I have a hope that in someway we are ensuring that the importance of this history is given a voice in the future and that those involved in the mining community see that the next generation genuinely care…
As the service ended and people made their way home we were asked if we would be happy to perform again next year (testament to the courage, talent and sensitivity of the cast, writer and director) and our answer was immediate and definitive as for as long as we are welcome we will readily be there…
Monday 10 October 2011
Sunday 3 April 2011
The State of the Arts
This week has seen a landmark event in the world of arts with the announcement from Arts Council England of who and what they are going to fund from 2012 onwards.*
Since then I have had many heated debates with people about the nature of funding and the place it has in society…there is no doubt in my mind that the arts in all it’s guises not only enriches society but binds it together. It can repair communities damaged by conflict and deprivation, it can strengthen individuals holistically enabling them to play a positive role in their community. It does this only if it is rooted in true quality and integrity. The extent of good that can be done in the making, viewing, participation and reflecting of art is immeasurable figuratively and unfortunately often literally, and it is this difficulty in measuring the impact of art on individuals and communities that makes justifying what we do so very difficult. The bottom line is that the arts make any society and therefore this country a better place and like anything there is a price to pay for this. In cutting the funding for the arts the government are taking immense risks that will inevitably lead to huge gaping wounds in our precarious social cohesion, in the same way as cutting funding for education, youth services and health jeopardizes projects and services that play a critical role in everybody’s lives.
However I am not someone who thinks that funding should be automatic, that everyone is entitled to it and I am very proud to be artistic director of a youth theatre (and arts company) that has managed to maintain an enviable state of independence. This meant that on Wednesday I had no need to panic, that I didn’t need to worry that someone else was going to be able to decide whether we survived or not. Through a combination of your fees, the generous deal we get on some of our workshop venues, some funded projects and external commissions we have made Yew Tree Youth Theatre as independently stable as it can be. Yes, we are constantly looking out for ways of boosting our income and maintaining that stability but we have a 15 year track record of doing that. Equally important is that on the foundations of that financial independence we create art and arts experiences of true quality and integrity, whether that be our public performances or our rehearsals and workshops.
There’s a sense of pride and accomplishment as I reflect on all of this. I have no doubt that the next couple of years are going to be a real challenge, just as the last one has essentially, but I’m quietly optimistic that we can do it…and I’m certain I’m going to do everything within my power to keep doing what we do…so much depends on it.
*For anyone who hadn’t been aware of this…in response to the cut in funding from the government Arts Council England asked all arts organizations to apply/reapply for funding. Their decision for who should be/shouldn’t be funded and how much they got was announced on Wednesday. Some significant people have had their funding cut entirely, others have had it reduced drastically and a lucky few have been funded for the first time or have been given a raise.
Since then I have had many heated debates with people about the nature of funding and the place it has in society…there is no doubt in my mind that the arts in all it’s guises not only enriches society but binds it together. It can repair communities damaged by conflict and deprivation, it can strengthen individuals holistically enabling them to play a positive role in their community. It does this only if it is rooted in true quality and integrity. The extent of good that can be done in the making, viewing, participation and reflecting of art is immeasurable figuratively and unfortunately often literally, and it is this difficulty in measuring the impact of art on individuals and communities that makes justifying what we do so very difficult. The bottom line is that the arts make any society and therefore this country a better place and like anything there is a price to pay for this. In cutting the funding for the arts the government are taking immense risks that will inevitably lead to huge gaping wounds in our precarious social cohesion, in the same way as cutting funding for education, youth services and health jeopardizes projects and services that play a critical role in everybody’s lives.
However I am not someone who thinks that funding should be automatic, that everyone is entitled to it and I am very proud to be artistic director of a youth theatre (and arts company) that has managed to maintain an enviable state of independence. This meant that on Wednesday I had no need to panic, that I didn’t need to worry that someone else was going to be able to decide whether we survived or not. Through a combination of your fees, the generous deal we get on some of our workshop venues, some funded projects and external commissions we have made Yew Tree Youth Theatre as independently stable as it can be. Yes, we are constantly looking out for ways of boosting our income and maintaining that stability but we have a 15 year track record of doing that. Equally important is that on the foundations of that financial independence we create art and arts experiences of true quality and integrity, whether that be our public performances or our rehearsals and workshops.
There’s a sense of pride and accomplishment as I reflect on all of this. I have no doubt that the next couple of years are going to be a real challenge, just as the last one has essentially, but I’m quietly optimistic that we can do it…and I’m certain I’m going to do everything within my power to keep doing what we do…so much depends on it.
*For anyone who hadn’t been aware of this…in response to the cut in funding from the government Arts Council England asked all arts organizations to apply/reapply for funding. Their decision for who should be/shouldn’t be funded and how much they got was announced on Wednesday. Some significant people have had their funding cut entirely, others have had it reduced drastically and a lucky few have been funded for the first time or have been given a raise.
Tuesday 1 February 2011
Reflection
I was working in a school recently and as I was packing up after the workshop the head of drama there boldly proclaimed that students can’t reflect and furthermore that we shouldn’t even try to make them. I was almost out the door so I didn’t challenge her but as I drove home I genuinely wished I had.
Reflection is an integral part of all I do as a drama practitioner but perhaps it is best illustrated in my work as director of Yew Tree Youth Theatre. Every single session we do inevitably ends with a discussion about the workshop or rehearsal that has just taken place as a way of getting a clear picture of the progress made or the skills developed or even just the experience that the youth theatre members have had. Equally whenever we share what we have created in a workshop we discuss what we’ve seen, what we enjoyed about it, what impressed us and the possibilities of what could be done with it if we were to develop it. I am in no doubt that this process allows the young people involved to get so much more out of the session than if it was simply experiential. Through discussion not only are opinions developed about both the delivery and the content of what they are observing /experiencing but equally importantly the vocabulary to be able to express those opinions.
Don’t get me wrong there is an important balance to be struck, lots of sitting around talking about things and no action would constitute a deadly dull youth theatre session. For the reflection to be useful the subject of that reflection must be animated, inspiring and engaging. There is however something entirely inspiring about being part of an honest and critical debate about for example, the relationship between actor and audience, the nuances of a complex character or the way an actor held the attention of those watching.
The practice of reflection has, as is probably now apparent, become second nature to the members of Yew Tree Youth Theatre and not just because the opportunity is handed to them but because they actively seek it out. It’s a breath of fresh air from the tick box, guess what’s in teachers head evaluation that mainstream education seems to be riddled with. Youth Theatre members value it so much that they have taken it a step further. Every week one of them volunteers to post up a blog on our site reflecting their week at Yew Tree, this transference into written word develops their reflective skills yet another step. Even more advanced was a recent podcast project where youth theatre members tried exercising their powers of reflection on such diverse fields as economics, politics and education in addition to art.
Returning to my opening thought, I wish I had said to the teacher that to dismiss young people’s ability to reflect is to rob them of their chance to develop an ability to critically appraise their work and the work of others. Equally it robs them of the opportunity to develop their ability to critically appraise their world and the worlds of others. To develop sympathy and empathy, understanding and acceptance. It’s a vital skill not only for artists in the making but equally for adults in the making. The added bonus for people like me is that in listening to their reflections there are so many opportunities for self reflection and so often things I might not have noticed are highlighted with insight and eloquence.
Reflection is an integral part of all I do as a drama practitioner but perhaps it is best illustrated in my work as director of Yew Tree Youth Theatre. Every single session we do inevitably ends with a discussion about the workshop or rehearsal that has just taken place as a way of getting a clear picture of the progress made or the skills developed or even just the experience that the youth theatre members have had. Equally whenever we share what we have created in a workshop we discuss what we’ve seen, what we enjoyed about it, what impressed us and the possibilities of what could be done with it if we were to develop it. I am in no doubt that this process allows the young people involved to get so much more out of the session than if it was simply experiential. Through discussion not only are opinions developed about both the delivery and the content of what they are observing /experiencing but equally importantly the vocabulary to be able to express those opinions.
Don’t get me wrong there is an important balance to be struck, lots of sitting around talking about things and no action would constitute a deadly dull youth theatre session. For the reflection to be useful the subject of that reflection must be animated, inspiring and engaging. There is however something entirely inspiring about being part of an honest and critical debate about for example, the relationship between actor and audience, the nuances of a complex character or the way an actor held the attention of those watching.
The practice of reflection has, as is probably now apparent, become second nature to the members of Yew Tree Youth Theatre and not just because the opportunity is handed to them but because they actively seek it out. It’s a breath of fresh air from the tick box, guess what’s in teachers head evaluation that mainstream education seems to be riddled with. Youth Theatre members value it so much that they have taken it a step further. Every week one of them volunteers to post up a blog on our site reflecting their week at Yew Tree, this transference into written word develops their reflective skills yet another step. Even more advanced was a recent podcast project where youth theatre members tried exercising their powers of reflection on such diverse fields as economics, politics and education in addition to art.
Returning to my opening thought, I wish I had said to the teacher that to dismiss young people’s ability to reflect is to rob them of their chance to develop an ability to critically appraise their work and the work of others. Equally it robs them of the opportunity to develop their ability to critically appraise their world and the worlds of others. To develop sympathy and empathy, understanding and acceptance. It’s a vital skill not only for artists in the making but equally for adults in the making. The added bonus for people like me is that in listening to their reflections there are so many opportunities for self reflection and so often things I might not have noticed are highlighted with insight and eloquence.
Sunday 9 January 2011
Inspiration...
Being inspired is the most energizing, affirming thing and it’s happened twice this week in such ridiculously diverse ways.
The first serving of inspiration came from a trip to the theatre. I booked tickets last year to go and see Me and My Girl as my first theatre experience of 2011 for a number of reasons: I hoped for a perfect theatrical pick me up in early January, Miriam Margoyles was in it - who I have admired for a long time and I’d just read Stephen Fry’s latest biography and discovered that he was responsible for rewriting the book of the musical. Little did I know at the time of booking that I would come out of the theatre having seen it entirely re-energised and raving about the joyous spectacle I’d witnessed. The production was simply magical, a classic example of the magic created when every single person in the cast, company and crew apply their creative talents to excellent effect. There wasn’t one person on stage who wasn’t entirely in the moment, every moment of the performance. Every single element conspired to delight…from the casting to the set, from the choreography to the band. That’s before you even begin to consider the leads, who employed every aspect of their bodies, voices and imagination to delight the audiences as they told their characters stories through the play.
The second source of inspiration had infinitely more depth and was entirely more sobering. I read “Must You Go” Antonia Fraser’s account of Harold Pinter’s life. It’s worth saying that before I picked it up my admiration of Pinter knew no bounds. I am, in every way, humbly admiring of every aspect of his art – as a director, actor and possibly most of all as a writer. This inside account of his art, his life, his love and his death which included in poignant detail his suffering in the last years of his life left me both inspired and in tears. It was both intimate and matter of fact and only made me admire him more.
So at the end of a weekend full of inspiration I am ready to take on the world, even in this climate of cuts and crisis, even though the prognosis is bleak I’m going to hold on to the belief that with the right balance of optimism, play, intellectual rigour, grim determination, integrity and inspiration magic is made…this is to be my bedrock of faith and from this brilliant things will happen…
The first serving of inspiration came from a trip to the theatre. I booked tickets last year to go and see Me and My Girl as my first theatre experience of 2011 for a number of reasons: I hoped for a perfect theatrical pick me up in early January, Miriam Margoyles was in it - who I have admired for a long time and I’d just read Stephen Fry’s latest biography and discovered that he was responsible for rewriting the book of the musical. Little did I know at the time of booking that I would come out of the theatre having seen it entirely re-energised and raving about the joyous spectacle I’d witnessed. The production was simply magical, a classic example of the magic created when every single person in the cast, company and crew apply their creative talents to excellent effect. There wasn’t one person on stage who wasn’t entirely in the moment, every moment of the performance. Every single element conspired to delight…from the casting to the set, from the choreography to the band. That’s before you even begin to consider the leads, who employed every aspect of their bodies, voices and imagination to delight the audiences as they told their characters stories through the play.
The second source of inspiration had infinitely more depth and was entirely more sobering. I read “Must You Go” Antonia Fraser’s account of Harold Pinter’s life. It’s worth saying that before I picked it up my admiration of Pinter knew no bounds. I am, in every way, humbly admiring of every aspect of his art – as a director, actor and possibly most of all as a writer. This inside account of his art, his life, his love and his death which included in poignant detail his suffering in the last years of his life left me both inspired and in tears. It was both intimate and matter of fact and only made me admire him more.
So at the end of a weekend full of inspiration I am ready to take on the world, even in this climate of cuts and crisis, even though the prognosis is bleak I’m going to hold on to the belief that with the right balance of optimism, play, intellectual rigour, grim determination, integrity and inspiration magic is made…this is to be my bedrock of faith and from this brilliant things will happen…
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