1066 Youth Theatre

Day 10; Our last day of normal rehearsals and we’re putting our best foot forward into the weekend ready to step into Monday’s technical rehearsal with our lines learnt, our scenes sharp, and a focused mind so we can smash through the week and feel confident in time for our first performance on Wednesday night. Today we broke down each play, identifying areas that needed work and finding ways to make pieces fit, before a full (although out of order) run through this afternoon. However, while we were not on stage we all got our own time to get to know our characters even more. I for example as Anne Bonny, a ruthless pirate, encounter many battles and fights which have been both thrilling and challenging to choreograph and consistently get right as I don’t only have to use just stage fighting but I also have multiple sword fights, all of which are different. This has stretched me out of my comfort zone both physically and mentally, as has the whole process which is one of the many reason

As the rehearsal process draws to an end and we come closer to the opening show, everybody is still working tirelessly to ensure the show is of the highest quality. As somebody who has partaken in Youth Theatre for 3 years now, it is exciting and amazing to see younger actors really come into their own and show their fantastic acting skills. Many times I have been blown away, moved emotionally and belly laughed thanks to the cast of wonderful people. Not only has the acting and show come a long way from when we started nearly 2 weeks ago now, but the whole cast feels like one big family with the whole experience of the show being a fulfilling, but most importantly, an enjoyable one. The play that has been wonderfully written by the Whiteheads is a fantastic exploration through the sea and the different myths, stories and events that occur on and beneath the surface of the vast ocean. Even though everyone is completely shattered due to the intense schedule, the show has really come toge

Day 8 of 1066 Youth Theatre has proved to be another fun yet challenging day; each play is almost finished now and it is starting to really come together. Only a week left until the shows, which is both equally terrifying and exciting. Each day has brought something different: we are constantly working, whether it’s by ourselves practicing lines with each other, going through fight scenes, dances or rehearsing on stage. This is my fifth, and last, year of doing 1066 Youth Theatre. It’s been incredibly fun making new friends and working with new actors, sharing ideas and doing as much as we can to make it as amazing as possible.  Today we tried a new piece of verbatim theatre called Doaa’s Story and we sat down and broke up the lines between us all. It’s an incredible story that we are very excited to tell and it feels like the perfect way to end not only the play, but my time in 1066 Youth Theatre. This has been such an incredible experience. It has become one of the most chal

Second day of the second week, and everyone’s well on the way to completing this wonderful show. As well as rehearsals on stage, we go off and learn our lines with friends, or work on a small bit for later. It’s really useful to have that time to figure your parts out, and help out others too. There’s a piece about a sea goddess, Sedna, showcasing a lot of people’s talents. The myth it is based on is the Canadian Inuit story of how the creatures of the sea came to be, so the dancers do quite abstract and flowing movements, choreographed thoughtfully by the dancers themselves. They are accompanied by musicians, providing music that fits perfectly with the mystical atmosphere of the story. It’s incredible to see so many talented people together and working alongside each other. I’m constantly amazed by everyone, and impressed with what we’ve managed to achieve. Along with members who had been in previous shows, new members have been blowing everyone away with their pure awesomen

With this only being my first year at the youth theatre, I have been amazed by how inviting, enthusiastic and dedicated every one has been. Not to mention talented. I have had the opportunity to work along side a variety of different actors and actresses that all bring different skills and techniques to their roles - as well as form friendships with people I would not have met if not for the 1066 Youth Theatre.  Though it is only a week since we began, it feels like much longer due to the amount of progress we have made in all of the short stories. The contrast between each of the many plays keeps us all busy as we switch from mystical stories of sirens and the Greek gods, to intense sword fights or an emotional scene. Although each day can be tiring, it seems worth it every time we run a play through and see the story forming. Today, a group of us worked on creating a way to show the sea carrying my character Cherry in The Giant's Necklace . We tested a few lifts we wante

For the last few days, Charly and I have been working on the dance choreography for our dance and music piece, which is called Sedna. Today we taught the six other dancers the choreography and it went really well. We had a few difficulties transferring it onto the stage but we are working on fitting everything in. This is my second year at 1066 Youth Theatre and it's so nice to see everyone working together as a group while the stories are coming alive. I feel privileged to be lead dancer 2 as I have never really had the opportunity before to choreograph something in a play. Lily Pierce - Dancer lead 2, Brother 1, Eva

We began today with photographs, as Peter Mould arrived to take shots of the cast whilst we worked on scenes from several of the plays that we are performing in this year’s production. After that, we began to organise our creepiest play, Ghostly Galleons - an eerie tale about ship disappearances. In this play, we tried to create a strong sense of discomfort in the overall atmosphere - providing a sinister setting to the tales.  In the afternoon, we came together to work on ‘A Bonny Pirate’ - a play about the life of the renowned female pirate, Anne Bonny. We began work on the rest of the play and also did some work with stage fighting as a crew of pirates storm the ship. After this, we also put some more work into ‘Salt’ - a Russian folktale about a foolish merchant. This year is my first time taking part in the 1066 Youth Theatre, but I have been blown away by the amount of dedication that is put into the performance by everyone involved. I feel as though the comp

Day Three.   With this being my final year of 1066 Youth Theatre I am truly determined to get the most out of this production, and its proving to be one of the most challenging years yet! Each story has its own unique physicality, from creating lavish boats to overwhelming stormy soundscapes, scenes of deep emotion to high intensity sword fights; it's safe to say that Niall and Barbara are keeping us busy! With stories beginning to come together and come to life, the production is really starting to take shape and I am so excited to see where we are in a week after having already created so much in just three days.  Today we took more ‘Actors own’ time, which allows us to break off into smaller groups to look at specific scenes or key moments as well as start to discover our characters individually. I personally used this time to re-read over the story ‘The Shore’, this time really focusing on viewing it from my character, Grace’s perspective. This helped

It’s only the second day of rehearsal but it already feels a though a week has gone by. This is my second year doing 1066 Youth Theatre and so far it just keeps getting better. Last year I came into this group knowing nobody and coming out with a whole set of friends I'd have otherwise never met. This year I'm still finding myself meeting people whose position I was in a year ago, and trying to make them feel as welcome as everyone else did to me. In the morning we worked on developing the first story, using most of the cast to create a boat. It is so great to see so many people of different ages and experience working together so well. For the afternoon we all separated off into groups to work on small projects. It is so nice to be trusted to work alone and makes you more responsible in terms of improving your own acting rather than relying on others to point it out to you. However, it was nice to finish the day as an ensemble, joining some scenes from yesterday with new

What a fantastic first day at YT! The set has really taken shape and the actors can now work on the stage. The set builders at the Stables are an amazing bunch. By the afternoon we were able to start working on the stage. The first day is always the hardest – and the best. We get to see all the actors and technicians who we will be working with. This year’s group are committed already. What always surprises me is that many of the actors have learnt at least some of their lines. Even better is giving them lines in the rehearsal and they fly with them. The bravery shown today in trying out new things in front of everyone was brilliant too. This year we are producing seven pieces under the title of Song To The Siren – Tales of the Sea. Today we have worked on group scenes which helps bond the group. It has been a rewarding first day. Can’t wait to see what this amazing group of actors produces tomorrow. To find out more about our rehearsals for this production, follow t