by GWT Youth Group
27th to 28th March 2008
Click here for details of the GWT Youth Group
From Where I'm Standing is a series of monologues written and performed by the youngsters themselves, stories of what it means to be a teenager. They are all between 14 and 19 years old. External pressures, and not least examinations, are greater than those experienced by their parents' generation. The actors articulate the confusion of this period of their lives. Perhaps it is too easy to forget how formative are our teenage years, shaping the rest of our lives. I welcome you to join us in order to rekindle the young person within you by sharing in our characters' journeys.
This is my first time of working with the GWT Youth Group. We have been getting to know each other for a couple of hours on a Sunday for a 10-week period. We have been exploring the expression of character in many ways including through projection of status, through rhythm, physicality and through voice.
Early on I gave the group lots of questions to answer in order to begin to create a character from their own imaginations, questions like "What's the first thing you see in the morning?"; "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?" and "What are your Spiritual beliefs?"
I wanted to introduce the group to a new variety of learning experiences in drama and in the production you will see the results of their explorations. I have been intent on you, the audience, seeing their creative work as young, fresh, expressive and truthful.
A drama group such as this should be a place where the youngsters can learn life skills whilst having fun. Drama work can teach us to trust ourselves and others, to co-operate and to compromise. It can help to discover discipline and respect and much more. I believe it should also be a place where youngsters are free to express themselves and so the actors have been given complete licence to be fully creative and expressive. Let's face it, it is a desire for this creative freedom which brings most of us into drama in the first place.
Grace Thurgood |
Alicja Robikowska, Caterina Ross , Mark Fromings
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated
Catarina Ross
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated
Natasha Kissane
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated
Natasha Kissane, Glen Chute, Mark Fromings, Jacob Friett, Alicja Robikowska , Caterina Ross
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated
Jacob Friett, Natasha Kissane , Glen Chute
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated
Jacob Friett, Alicja Robikowska
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated
Alicja Robikowska
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated
Natasha Kissane, Alicja Robikowska, Glen Chute , Caterina Ross
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated
Alicja Robikowska
All photos ©The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre unless otherwise stated