YPT Press Gang
Press Gang are a group of budding young writers and journalists. They watch plays, write reviews, interview actors, sit in on rehearsals and explore the egg’s Young People’s Theatre companies like no-one else.
Press Gang members meet fortnightly to for editing workshops, discussing plays they have seen and share reviews they have written and ideas. In addition to working with the group’s Producer, the company also receive workshops and master classes from visiting writers and journalists.
Press Gang is managed by:
Hannah Entwistle, Acting YPT Producer on : 01225 823430 hannah.entwistle@theatreroyal.org.uk
Amy Patterson, YPT Co-ordinator on : 01225 823409 egg.reception@theatreroyal.org.uk
Current Press Gang Reviews
Ellie Child YPT Press Gang Review The Lark
The car smells of dog, it’s getting ridiculous, someone should really clean it. Time to read the good ol’ egg brochure; which play am I going to see this time? Joan of Arc?! Certainly didn’t see that coming. Note to self: in future; read about play prior to night of performance, possibly even before booking tickets.
“Hello, yes, I’ve reserved a ticket for The Lark under YPT Hub” “Just the one?” “Yes. Just out of interest, when exactly does the performance finish?” “It’s scheduled for 11:45”
I am now wishing I had done that English essay beforehand.
In the dimly lit auditorium, I stare, stunned, at the set, as seats fill around me. I try to recall the usual layout: as far as I could remember, the seats, in one big block, faced the stage, which was raised above the seats. So, I ask myself, “What is the significance of this small, shallow stone pit in the centre of the room, surrounded by the usual chairs?” Intriguing, unique. The lights dim further, and for some reason a shiver races up my spine, as bells chime loudly, shattering the silence, everyone in the room suddenly finds themselves enchanted by the centre stage, poised on the edge of their seats to see what happens next (English essay forgotten). Characters (or just very strangely dressed members of the audience) begin to enter slowly, one by one, and it is instantly clear, from their stance as they emerge from behind the curtain, the way they observe their surroundings, even how and where they move to sit in a line, their status and their authority. Eventually, five or six people sit on chairs, and another three are seated at the opposite end of the stone arena, and it is clear that they all await the arrival of someone, someone important. When Joan is seated, facing the five in line, the dialogue begins, and as the story gains pace, the situation is revealed.
Flashbacks worked well throughout the play, every actors performance captivating and a particularly fascinating aspect to the play was how every character was intricate, their thoughts and opinions, emotions and ambitions, had been thoroughly thought out, and were expressed well; the strongest performances being that of King Charles, who bought light to the play, and Joan herself, who sustained a highly likeable character, able to easily provoke emotion amongst the audience. Interestingly; each character developed throughout the performance, cleverly altering misleading first impressions to become something the audience saw very differently by the end of the play. Every line in the script had a hidden meaning, and I was surprised at how often my perception of someone was changed by their usage of a particular word or phrase. The language told me a lot about the time era in which the play was set; the characters repeated reference to “witches” and “the devil” was fascinating and exciting.
I would, evidently, recommend the play to anyone, regardless of English homework, which, now I come to think about it, I really should have done by… let’s see… ah yes: yesterday.
YPT Press Gang Review Mate
Our first experience of Feargus Wood Dunlop’s comedic genius was watching him compere the National Theatre Connections shows back in May: many happily rollicking moments of rolling wit, providing an unforgettable introduction to his comedic style. So off we went to talk to him prior to a performance of his most recent project, ‘Mate’ – a brand new comedy concerned with the lives of two friends, Will and Toni, who share a flat. Their lives are pleasantly uneventful until a third mate, Wes, shows up. “Wes isn’t unpleasant or unliked, he’s just a mate but you know…”, says the blurb for the show. “But you know …”? If we wrote something like that, Melissa (our editor) would have us each writing “I Must Not Be So Vague” as homework! But having met these guys, we sort of, you know, know where they’re coming from, like …
When we entered the egg auditorium and saw Feargus sitting between company manager Amy Patterson and fellow actor Josh Golga, our first instinct was to run away – these guys are professionals! However, as Melissa was blocking the exit, we had no choice but to pick our way through the empty Lucozade bottles and Domino’s pizza boxes and seat ourselves opposite the simple yet effectively disordered set to begin our chat.
First things first, it must be mentioned that Feargus – comedic genius though he is – is not at all daunting in the flesh; in fact, he was perfectly friendly and civil to the extreme as all three company members of the New Old Friends theatre company chatted informally about ‘Mate’ (although they did seem a little irritated that we interrupted their very important game of Hand Tennis!). We learned that the initial inspiration for the project fell into Feargus’ head over a year and a half ago, but it wasn’t until he had booked the egg for a week that he decided to actually get something down on paper! Feargus was the main writer for the piece, but over the rehearsal process, collaboration and adlibs from the other cast members have transformed ‘Mate’ into the show it is today – as we explained earlier, a perfectly paced three-hander about two guys that live in a flat, with Feargus and Josh joined on stage by actor Andrew Dawson (who wasn’t at our interview because he was doing something strange by a cash machine. Or something …
Now you may be thinking that this interview write-up is a little lacklustre – but worry not, we have a genuine excuse. Upon turning off the Dictaphone at the end of our 17 ½ minute chat, the company continued to talk at length about how their show came into existence and, in short, supply us with journalistic gold that would have been endlessly useful in writing this featurette. But seeing as (a) the Dictaphone failed us completely (darn this new technology!) and (b) we were all, lets face it, a bit starstruck, we had no choice but to rely on our goldfish-esque memories to convey the tiny amount of information we could recall… sorry guys! So visit the New Old Friends website (www.newoldfriends.co.uk) for further information, and make sure that you make new old mates with this lot at your earliest opportunity. When we grow up, we wanna be like them …
YPT Press Gang Review Broken Wings
After watching their impressive show, we (the members of YPT Hub) clambered up the stairs to the Roper Room to be greeted by the cast and crew of Broken Wings. The piece we had just seen was specially written for this group by Sarah Daniels as part of the exchange project with the American Conservatory, based in San Francisco, and our informal chat yielded surprisingly detailed insights into the production process.
Lee Lyford (Director) explained that the cast had read through the script with Sarah Daniels before they rehearsed, which was a “great help” in understanding the play’s complicated flashback scene structure. The play could have been structured in a decidedly linear way, but instead was presented as a story told backwards. To help with the complexity of such a structure, Sarah Daniels was always on hand via emailto write new lines and “to fill any gaps”!
For YPT, the play was a chance to do something small and intimate, in sharp contrast to recent productions such as the spectacular His Dark Materials. As such, the success of Broken Wings relied heavily on the superb acting talents of the cast, complemented by a multifunctional, symbolic set made further atmospheric by the melodic warblings of Anthony and the Johnsons.
All in all, Broken Wings was a moving, atmospheric piece, at once funny, thought-inspiring and challenging.
Jack Baker YPT Press Gang Review Broken Wing
Broken Wings was a mind-blowingly good piece of theatre; my words, I feel, cannot fully do it justice, but as a member of YPT Hub it is my duty to attempt to do the impossible.
Upon entering the auditorium, I was greeted by a set so versatile that there was no way of telling where the action might take place or where I was about to be taken next. This was a great effect that aided the telling of the actual story, which revolved around the idea of grief and retribution. Broken Wings really takes us on an emotional journey as lives are played out in reverse, the characters united by grief and their various individual responses to their experiences.
Brilliantly written and fantastically well performed, YPT once again pulled another excellent piece of theatre out of the proverbial bag, just as they always have done in the past and no doubt will continue to do in the future.