Jamie talks all things Youth Theatre

We’re delighted that our Youth Theatre sessions are able to resume in person. Here, one of our Education Officers, Jamie Hutton talks all things Youth Theatre.

Adapting during the pandemic!

I first started working for The Courtyard Youth Theatre way back in 2019. I was all ready to get to grips with running sessions, getting into schools and working with young people to create and explore live theatre in Herefordshire.

Then, in March 2020, everything changed. The Coronavirus pandemic hit and we found ourselves in a lockdown. We all had to adapt to the pressure of a different way of working.

But pressure is a privilege. Even then I never would have guessed how quickly our Youth Theatre members would adapt to creating drama in this new way.

After just a few weeks of meeting on Zoom they were devising and performing scenes every bit as funny, creative and inspired as those we had been sharing in person. By the end of our second term, we were writing scripts and creating films that everyone of us could be proud of.

What’s coming up for young people?

Now, with things beginning to open up, I’m looking forward to new prospects on the horizon. One of which, our Facebook Live workshops, a legacy from our days working online. We were amazed at the audiences we could reach by putting our sessions online for free. We are excited to keep providing these workshops for schools and families, well into the future.

Speaking of families, after a year away we can’t wait to bring back the Family Festival! Always a whirlwind day of workshops and activities for all ages, this year’s theme of Movie Magic promises to be as popular as ever.

Not only do we love to bring more people into the Courtyard, we also love to bring The Courtyard to them! From September we’ll also be able to provide our schools workshops, giving schools the chance to perform Shakespeare and Roald Dahl, and explore some of the texts they are learning at school through drama with our literacy project.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the last year it’s just how adaptable The Courtyard Youth Theatre and its members can be! I can’t wait to start this next chapter of working with them all.

If you’d like to know more about the sessions, workshops and projects we deliver, email takepart@courtyard.org.uk or call 01432 346526.