The last weekend of June saw the Yew Tree Youth Theatre host their second Shakespeare festival at the wonderful Clarke Hall a small stately home in Wakefield. With over 80 performers aged between 6 and 24, performing extracts from over 10 Shakespearean plays the preparation to ensure the events success was significant. In addition there was a high degree of gambling going on as we were utterly dependent on the weather…rain would have been disastrous.
In actuality we were compromised not by inclemency as there was glorious sunshine for the entire weekend but instead by the World Cup as the England Germany match meant we had to finish early…still everything else about the weekend was idyllic...
Now anyone who knows me will know that I am consistently proud of my youth theatre and the artists that work with them…we have built a community and culture based on the values of creativity, care and development and the results of being able to enjoy this culture for are significant. During the Shakespeare festival however this pride reached new peaks and this and all the other positive things I’ve said about the weekend can be attributed to the generosity that flowed in abundance throughout the whole event.
From the people who maintain Clarke Hall both paid and as volunteers allowing us free reign in their beautiful grounds and house, fitting us out with costumes and giving up their time…to the young people who in blistering heat and unfamiliar surroundings invested all of themselves in their performance. There was generosity everywhere in the parents that spent their weekend supporting their children…in the comments and compliments of the 200 strong audience, in the desire everyone had to help, to make things easier…nothing was too much trouble…for anyone…
And the result of this generosity…a complete revel in true Elizabethan style…artistically the gorgeous setting and costumes created an atmosphere conducive to delightful performances…but there was a deeper layer of reveling to be experienced. The weekend witnessed retired people reveling in their enjoyment of the work and world of young people, young people reveling in the experience of all things historical. Preconceptions were set aside and an openness took its place. All of the clichés about the universality of Shakespeare were proved to be true as his work provided a bridge between people of all ages, experience and walks of life.
Now here’s the final bit of magic because in those kind of interactions, the generous, reveling, open kind…there’s all kinds of learning to be done…learning that happens without people really being aware of it…whether it was about themselves, people they knew, strangers, Shakespeare or theatre, everyone went away having learnt something, everyone left just that little bit richer…
What a joyous way to spend a weekend…
"O wonderful, wonderful, and most wonderful wonderful! and yet again wonderful, and after that, out of all whooping!"
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Monday, 14 June 2010
Superheroes...
I had the pleasure of spending a lot of last week with groups of year 6 children from Castleford. The project was called Superhero and it involved feeder schools visiting the theatre in their soon to be high school, watching a piece of bespoke theatre and then engaging in a workshop about the issues within the play. The aim of the event was to prepare them for and equip them with the skills and understanding needed to deal with changes in their lives.
Obviously their imminent graduation into high school was at the heart of the project but both myself as the creator of the play/workshop and Targeted Mental Health in Schools as the commissioner wanted a wider focus for the work. There are so many life changes to be dealt with, sometimes on a week-to-week basis and that’s hard enough as an adult but harder for children who have often little say or control regarding the change. When you then start to think about children who are already vulnerable, expecting them to deal effectively with change seems like an almost impossible ask. As a consequence “Superhero” touched on moving house, moving schools, bereavement and family arguments, I realise this sounds utterly depressing but it wasn’t…promise…
Anyway the main point of this blog is almost a side issue to all of this. What I set out to highlight is how eloquent and insightful children can be when given the right environment. In fact I really wanted to say how brilliant children are. Now this isn’t news, lots of people have said this, lots of times…because it’s true. What it isn’t, however, is accepted, no matter how many times right minded people give examples of this eloquence there still doesn’t seem to be enough general effort made to create an environment where that eloquence is given voice. Similarly children aren’t given enough credit for being eloquent or brilliant, too frequently they are underestimated and underrated.
I’m spending this week analyzing the data captured from the project. This includes comments the pupils made on the characters and their situations and things they professed to have learnt from the experience of seeing the play and taking part in the workshop. Despite the tedium of the actual job of typing up far too many post-it notes I’m finding it fascinating. From the boy who promised to help his Mum tidy his room so they would both feel better to the girl who stated she realised that calling people names lowered their confidence there are so many insightful comments. What’s more they are comments from individuals who are open to change, who are up for the challenge of developing themselves. Impressive in any circumstances but breathtakingly so when you take into account they are growing up in one of the most deprived areas of the country.
To conclude, I’m making a stand for the 11 year olds of the world and saying surely it’s our responsibility not just as teachers but as adults too, to create an environment where children can be impressive, eloquent and brilliant…and yes occasionally breathtaking…
Obviously their imminent graduation into high school was at the heart of the project but both myself as the creator of the play/workshop and Targeted Mental Health in Schools as the commissioner wanted a wider focus for the work. There are so many life changes to be dealt with, sometimes on a week-to-week basis and that’s hard enough as an adult but harder for children who have often little say or control regarding the change. When you then start to think about children who are already vulnerable, expecting them to deal effectively with change seems like an almost impossible ask. As a consequence “Superhero” touched on moving house, moving schools, bereavement and family arguments, I realise this sounds utterly depressing but it wasn’t…promise…
Anyway the main point of this blog is almost a side issue to all of this. What I set out to highlight is how eloquent and insightful children can be when given the right environment. In fact I really wanted to say how brilliant children are. Now this isn’t news, lots of people have said this, lots of times…because it’s true. What it isn’t, however, is accepted, no matter how many times right minded people give examples of this eloquence there still doesn’t seem to be enough general effort made to create an environment where that eloquence is given voice. Similarly children aren’t given enough credit for being eloquent or brilliant, too frequently they are underestimated and underrated.
I’m spending this week analyzing the data captured from the project. This includes comments the pupils made on the characters and their situations and things they professed to have learnt from the experience of seeing the play and taking part in the workshop. Despite the tedium of the actual job of typing up far too many post-it notes I’m finding it fascinating. From the boy who promised to help his Mum tidy his room so they would both feel better to the girl who stated she realised that calling people names lowered their confidence there are so many insightful comments. What’s more they are comments from individuals who are open to change, who are up for the challenge of developing themselves. Impressive in any circumstances but breathtakingly so when you take into account they are growing up in one of the most deprived areas of the country.
To conclude, I’m making a stand for the 11 year olds of the world and saying surely it’s our responsibility not just as teachers but as adults too, to create an environment where children can be impressive, eloquent and brilliant…and yes occasionally breathtaking…
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Whatever Happened to Grace Connor
The way my creative process for script writing usually goes is; either through commission or workshop (or both) the subject is set, then I write, then I cast, then I direct either professional or youth theatre actors and then I sit back and enjoy the results.
However this week saw the culmination of a very different process. On Tuesday I saw the talented CAT’s youth theatre (based in Southampton) perform “Whatever Happened to Grace Connor’” a play commissioned by them and written by me. I’d travelled down to Southampton earlier in the year to workshop ideas with them. Once back in Wakefield I set to work writing something that befitted their ambitions and talents. Once the play was sent they got to work in rehearsals and I pretty much moved on with the demands of two solo shows to write and a number of training commissions.
Going to see their performance was definitely a highlight of 2010. First there was the anticipation, wondering what a director had done with it; the lack of my usual control over interpreting my writing was both unnerving and exciting. Then there was sitting front of house and seeing the audience arrive to watch something I’d written. Finally there was the rediscovery of the play seen through and interpreted by theatre makers both directors and actors.
Of course there were things I’d seen differently and of course there were surprises but this wasn’t a bad thing. It’s a brilliant thing to see what your work says to people who can’t see inside your head. Listening to the laughter of the audience and the comments they made as they left, having no idea who I was, was of course gratifying. Possibly the most gratifying thing, however, was watching an ensemble of 16 actors who owe me nothing commit to a performance of my play, making every endeavour to perform it to the best of their considerable talent. I felt a genuine gratitude to them for creating something of such value out of my words…
And the final bonus of the evening, I got to chat to the cast at the end about the journey to performance and their positivity and enjoyment of realising “Whatever Happened to Grace Connor,” made the long trek northwards well worth it…an achievement in itself…
However this week saw the culmination of a very different process. On Tuesday I saw the talented CAT’s youth theatre (based in Southampton) perform “Whatever Happened to Grace Connor’” a play commissioned by them and written by me. I’d travelled down to Southampton earlier in the year to workshop ideas with them. Once back in Wakefield I set to work writing something that befitted their ambitions and talents. Once the play was sent they got to work in rehearsals and I pretty much moved on with the demands of two solo shows to write and a number of training commissions.
Going to see their performance was definitely a highlight of 2010. First there was the anticipation, wondering what a director had done with it; the lack of my usual control over interpreting my writing was both unnerving and exciting. Then there was sitting front of house and seeing the audience arrive to watch something I’d written. Finally there was the rediscovery of the play seen through and interpreted by theatre makers both directors and actors.
Of course there were things I’d seen differently and of course there were surprises but this wasn’t a bad thing. It’s a brilliant thing to see what your work says to people who can’t see inside your head. Listening to the laughter of the audience and the comments they made as they left, having no idea who I was, was of course gratifying. Possibly the most gratifying thing, however, was watching an ensemble of 16 actors who owe me nothing commit to a performance of my play, making every endeavour to perform it to the best of their considerable talent. I felt a genuine gratitude to them for creating something of such value out of my words…
And the final bonus of the evening, I got to chat to the cast at the end about the journey to performance and their positivity and enjoyment of realising “Whatever Happened to Grace Connor,” made the long trek northwards well worth it…an achievement in itself…
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
A vision of success...
The last week has been spent using drama techniques to try and teach ambition to year 9 high school students…funnily enough it’s really, really hard…
The students we’re working with have been identified as having potential but for a variety of reasons they aren’t fulfilling it. As usual the reasons for this are complex, often deep rooted and invariably intertwined: Lack of confidence, difficulties at home, a peer group that undermines their efforts to succeed, learnt behaviours or coping strategies that do not include conforming to others expectations, a resentment of education…the list is sadly endless.
However there is a universal theme that has emerged through the workshops we’re delivering and that is the student’s inability to visualize and/or articulate what success would look like for them. The question is met by the majority with general answers of “Money,” or “A good job,” or “A big car,” but very few of these potentially able young people know what kind of job or how they’re going to be able to earn the money or how they’re going to afford the car.
The consequence of this is that they are moving through life without a road map…with no destination they have no idea whether they are on the right track, no grid references to check their progress and in turn this makes things so much harder. Makes success, which is hard enough for young people with their life experience anyway, even more unreachable…
All this is indicates another potential way in which we can offer assistance as educators. In finding ways to help young people to see in clear terms what they want…in assisting them to draw their vision of success…in giving them the words or courage to articulate it to others, so it can be affirmed and developed in the telling and the hearing, we arm them with an invaluable tool to aid them in the process of actually reaching it…and that to me sounds like a worthwhile way of spending the day…
The students we’re working with have been identified as having potential but for a variety of reasons they aren’t fulfilling it. As usual the reasons for this are complex, often deep rooted and invariably intertwined: Lack of confidence, difficulties at home, a peer group that undermines their efforts to succeed, learnt behaviours or coping strategies that do not include conforming to others expectations, a resentment of education…the list is sadly endless.
However there is a universal theme that has emerged through the workshops we’re delivering and that is the student’s inability to visualize and/or articulate what success would look like for them. The question is met by the majority with general answers of “Money,” or “A good job,” or “A big car,” but very few of these potentially able young people know what kind of job or how they’re going to be able to earn the money or how they’re going to afford the car.
The consequence of this is that they are moving through life without a road map…with no destination they have no idea whether they are on the right track, no grid references to check their progress and in turn this makes things so much harder. Makes success, which is hard enough for young people with their life experience anyway, even more unreachable…
All this is indicates another potential way in which we can offer assistance as educators. In finding ways to help young people to see in clear terms what they want…in assisting them to draw their vision of success…in giving them the words or courage to articulate it to others, so it can be affirmed and developed in the telling and the hearing, we arm them with an invaluable tool to aid them in the process of actually reaching it…and that to me sounds like a worthwhile way of spending the day…
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Unlooked for insights...
I was one of the many, many people who got caught off guard and out of the country by an unforeseen volcano incident…
It was an interesting experience. As someone who has built their life in such a way that they can be as autonomous as possible having to accept that for a short while my future was both uncertain and in someone else’s hands was a novelty to say the least. It required a new way of looking at things, an acceptance and although I wouldn’t want to do it on a regular basis it was undeniably a useful experience. Certainly it allowed me to shift my perspective on my world for a little while and in so doing gave me an objectivity impossible in more normal circumstances.
However the real eye opener was the discovery that I am in fact dispensable…this company that I have built up from the first day of its existence and that I devote most of my waking hours to managed perfectly well without me…sessions were delivered, work was generated, projects were maintained. I wasn’t needed. It’s quite the revelation. Undermining and liberating all at the same time. If not being in charge of my destiny shifted my perspective being dispensable blew it apart…
A number of emotions have gone with this…gratitude and admiration for the people that kept everything going, appreciation of the working culture we have established that formed such a solid foundation, an unavoidable element of vulnerability and a desire to build on what happened as I’m certain the insights we all got pave the way for a more far reaching, ambitious and successful company.
I like it when in the midst of confusion and challenge unlooked for insights are bestowed and as a consequence discoveries are made and progress is achieved. I also like the fact that I’m back and I can capitalise on everything that been accomplished in my absence and on the heightened awareness that absence and new perspectives can bring.
It was an interesting experience. As someone who has built their life in such a way that they can be as autonomous as possible having to accept that for a short while my future was both uncertain and in someone else’s hands was a novelty to say the least. It required a new way of looking at things, an acceptance and although I wouldn’t want to do it on a regular basis it was undeniably a useful experience. Certainly it allowed me to shift my perspective on my world for a little while and in so doing gave me an objectivity impossible in more normal circumstances.
However the real eye opener was the discovery that I am in fact dispensable…this company that I have built up from the first day of its existence and that I devote most of my waking hours to managed perfectly well without me…sessions were delivered, work was generated, projects were maintained. I wasn’t needed. It’s quite the revelation. Undermining and liberating all at the same time. If not being in charge of my destiny shifted my perspective being dispensable blew it apart…
A number of emotions have gone with this…gratitude and admiration for the people that kept everything going, appreciation of the working culture we have established that formed such a solid foundation, an unavoidable element of vulnerability and a desire to build on what happened as I’m certain the insights we all got pave the way for a more far reaching, ambitious and successful company.
I like it when in the midst of confusion and challenge unlooked for insights are bestowed and as a consequence discoveries are made and progress is achieved. I also like the fact that I’m back and I can capitalise on everything that been accomplished in my absence and on the heightened awareness that absence and new perspectives can bring.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Vanquished ghouls...
Today I have beaten a ghoul that has haunted me for a couple of months and as I sit and celebrate it with a cup of tea and some left over Easter chocolate I thought I’d blog about it...
It has occurred to me as a result of this destructive relationship I now realise I have unwittingly been part of that most of us live with a variety of ghouls that have a range of personas. From the obvious dark shadows such as our inadequate bank balances, concerns about people we are close to and the threats to our safety to the more insidious malevolent spirits that appear as feelings of self doubt and holistic dilemmas about our place in the universe. However as a general rule we manage them, control them, deal with them and somehow come to accept them as constant aspects in our lives. It seems we accept that somehow in amongst the positives and joys that also make up our existence these negative aspects make us a whole person…a balanced individual that has depth and understanding and empathy for our fellow men and women…certainly as artists and creative practitioners insight into all sort of lives both tragic and joyous give us a vital rounded view of the world we can then use as our inspiration…
All this aside there is something magic about laying one of the ghouls to rest, even if it’s just for a while…even if it’s not permanent…and now with the click of the email that signified that my doctorate proposal is completed and sent I have that lightness that comes with the absence of a ghoul and all the heaviness it brought with it…a weight I now realise I have been carrying around with me for quite some time…yes there maybe more work to do…yes some of the feedback I get on it maybe negative but for now…it is done.
The discovery I celebrate today is not a new one…still I feel strangely liberated in it’s rediscovery, is this: It really is worth facing the ghouls and sooner rather than later and the subsequent promise I make to myself is that I’m going to enjoy the lightness of this day, minus one of my usual dark presences before I let another ghoul creep in to take its place and also that I will endeavour to vanquish that one when it arrives as soon as I possibly can…
It has occurred to me as a result of this destructive relationship I now realise I have unwittingly been part of that most of us live with a variety of ghouls that have a range of personas. From the obvious dark shadows such as our inadequate bank balances, concerns about people we are close to and the threats to our safety to the more insidious malevolent spirits that appear as feelings of self doubt and holistic dilemmas about our place in the universe. However as a general rule we manage them, control them, deal with them and somehow come to accept them as constant aspects in our lives. It seems we accept that somehow in amongst the positives and joys that also make up our existence these negative aspects make us a whole person…a balanced individual that has depth and understanding and empathy for our fellow men and women…certainly as artists and creative practitioners insight into all sort of lives both tragic and joyous give us a vital rounded view of the world we can then use as our inspiration…
All this aside there is something magic about laying one of the ghouls to rest, even if it’s just for a while…even if it’s not permanent…and now with the click of the email that signified that my doctorate proposal is completed and sent I have that lightness that comes with the absence of a ghoul and all the heaviness it brought with it…a weight I now realise I have been carrying around with me for quite some time…yes there maybe more work to do…yes some of the feedback I get on it maybe negative but for now…it is done.
The discovery I celebrate today is not a new one…still I feel strangely liberated in it’s rediscovery, is this: It really is worth facing the ghouls and sooner rather than later and the subsequent promise I make to myself is that I’m going to enjoy the lightness of this day, minus one of my usual dark presences before I let another ghoul creep in to take its place and also that I will endeavour to vanquish that one when it arrives as soon as I possibly can…
Friday, 5 March 2010
Opening Doors
Last night I had one of those lovely sessions…one of those experiences that reminds you why you do the job that you do…
Every Thursday night I facilitate workshops with and direct The Black Company of Yew Tree Youth Theatre…a group of about 20 17 – 20 year olds. We’re starting to gear up for our Shakespeare festival, which will happen in June and before we get down to the rehearsal of what we will actually perform I wanted to play around with the language of Shakespeare. To that end I picked four sonnets to explore practically…the task instructions I gave were simple…in small groups pick your favourite, decide its meaning and present it back to the whole group fuelled with that intention…
Now here comes the gratifying bit…the task was undertaken and I watched as slowly at first and then with a gathering speed the sonnet they were working on drew them in. At the end of the session their work inspired such rich discussion using such delightful vocabulary…the group talked about exploration and understanding and the relevance of the themes to them and how the process had made them question both their understanding of themselves, the work and the wider world. Although it’s never just the words…listening to the commitment in their intonation and observing the fervor in their eyes served to underline what was being taken from their creative journey of the evening…
It’s worth remembering that all of the group have studied Shakespeare…most of them have performed his work to varying extents…what was particularly gratifying about this discussion was it was all about abandoning preconceived ideas and discovering the words and what they have to say anew.
There is something wonderful about spending an evening opening doors for people or at the very least pushing them a little wider so they have a better view…
Every Thursday night I facilitate workshops with and direct The Black Company of Yew Tree Youth Theatre…a group of about 20 17 – 20 year olds. We’re starting to gear up for our Shakespeare festival, which will happen in June and before we get down to the rehearsal of what we will actually perform I wanted to play around with the language of Shakespeare. To that end I picked four sonnets to explore practically…the task instructions I gave were simple…in small groups pick your favourite, decide its meaning and present it back to the whole group fuelled with that intention…
Now here comes the gratifying bit…the task was undertaken and I watched as slowly at first and then with a gathering speed the sonnet they were working on drew them in. At the end of the session their work inspired such rich discussion using such delightful vocabulary…the group talked about exploration and understanding and the relevance of the themes to them and how the process had made them question both their understanding of themselves, the work and the wider world. Although it’s never just the words…listening to the commitment in their intonation and observing the fervor in their eyes served to underline what was being taken from their creative journey of the evening…
It’s worth remembering that all of the group have studied Shakespeare…most of them have performed his work to varying extents…what was particularly gratifying about this discussion was it was all about abandoning preconceived ideas and discovering the words and what they have to say anew.
There is something wonderful about spending an evening opening doors for people or at the very least pushing them a little wider so they have a better view…
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