September to October is one of my favourite Half Terms as we start getting those darker nights, the colder mornings and we can start being creative in the Autumnal weather! This Half Term has not disappointed and we have seen some incredible work as always from all 4 groups! As this was my last term working with the Youth Theatre, I was able to reflect on my time and summarise a few thoughts to share with everyone.
For nearly 5 years, I have been fortunate enough to work with Growtheatre; with Rachel, Sophie, the members, families, schools, organisations, volunteers and other facilitators. My journey from a 2-week University placement just wasn’t enough to simply satisfy the experience I craved, so I transitioned to a volunteer and once again, transitioned to a paid facilitator. Over the years, I have been presented with some incredible opportunities. I feel extremely fortunate to have worked with both Rachel and Sophie, 2 of the most welcoming and brilliant facilitators I have met in my professional career. Their passion for theatre and the outdoors is what makes Growtheatre so special and unique, they allowed me to grow and pave my own path as a leader and I have learnt many lessons and taken so many great qualities from both of their styles; enough to begin to find my own.
5 years is a long time, and this means meeting and watching so many Youth Theatre members grow, learn, develop and blossom. Every single member I have had the pleasure of working with has taught me that no two children are the same; to everyone of you, you are extremely special individuals and you will all go on to do such amazing things and it has been a pleasure to watch you all grow. Thank you for filling my Tuesday and Thursday nights with laughter, joy and more importantly, heaps of entertainment!
As my journey comes to an end with the Youth Theatre; we definitely made sure to have a Half Term filled with fun! We made and handcrafted puppets with the Juniors; they foraged, designed, crafted, whittled, coloured and made some incredible characters that they will go on to exploring! The Juniors always work extremely hard and they let their imaginations soar, we had a great first Half Term being back and as always, it was great to work outside and make these puppets from nature!
Our Intermediates are that awesome, we need to have two of them! Both Tuesday and Thursday night Intermediates fill the woods with adventure and laughter, and this term was no different. We explored the themes of Power and Status and looked at these through elements of performance, staging, characteristics and more. Both groups always rise to the challenge and we had such a great taster into the rest of the term!
Last but not least, the wonderful seniors. Every individual in this group never ceases to amaze me; no challenge is too great; no task is too much and their imaginations are so big. This Half Term we focused on building confidence, group bonding and we looked into different performance techniques. The group looked at strong endings and beginnings, naturalistic characters and how music can impact a performance. We merely teach the technique and the group get to work and manage to always amaze us with their abilities and great team work.
Growtheatre is an extremely special place. Connecting the outdoors with theatre, working with children, families and communities is an experience I will never forget. When you spend the day in the woods dressed as a witch, a pirate or a spy kid; well you can hardly call that work! I will be forever grateful for the opportunities I have had over the past 5 years and Growtheatre will always hold a special place in my heart.
Thank you to everyone I have had the pleasure of encountering through my time with the company, it has been an amazing adventure.
– Paige
