On April 5th, Vicky Biles from York Theatre Royal came to talk about the work YTR does with young people in the community, especially those who would otherwise have little of no contact with the dramatic arts.
YTR runs a number of Youth Theatre groups for different ages, not only in the theatre building itself, but out in the community in a number of different venues. The youn
g people have the opportunity to explore many aspects of drama from writing, to performance, or ‘back stage’ work.
Another initiative is ‘Pay It Forward’ where regular theatre goers are encouraged to buy pantomime tickets which can be given to families who would not otherwise be able to attend and for whom this is often their first experience of live theatre.
In the wider community context, Vicky touched on the regular Community Projects run every couple of years which can involve up to 500 people, with only one or two being professional actors. Several Rotarians recalled the 2023 production of “Sovereign”. Vicky put out a teaser that another major project of the summer of 2025 would shortly be announced. She couldn’t, at this stage, reveal the subject, but said she thought it would be something that would appeal to to many in the room.
Vicky’s talk stimulated a lot of questions and she was kept busy after the meeting closed!
Mike Fieldsend