Guest Blog: NhT Members Reflect on Year 1 of Neighbourhood Theatre - August 2017
by Carol Morgan and Roxceina Hibbert
As Year 1 of NhT finishes, and Year 2 begins, we asked two NhT members, Carol and Roxceina, to share their thoughts about the first year of the project - a year they describe as being full of “creativity, collaboration, making new friends and having lots of fun!”. Here’s what they had to say:
Roxceina: It's a chance for people that are not in theatre professionally to participate and be included in a friendly and safe environment, at the Young Vic, which has a great reputation.
I had been part of the Young Vic Taking Part and Two Boroughs projects. These projects, along with the Neighbourhood Theatre, has made theatre accessible in our local boroughs. The Young Vic certainly put its money where its mouth is, as Theatre is usually associated with the “white middle class and educated”. The Young Vic in general is breaking these barriers through great choices of production, and [this is also] definitely apparent in [the core] Neighbourhood Theatre Company: we are a diverse group, who, through our stories, want to try and improve the situation politically, and improve life in general, through participation and feeling valued, which Neighbourhood Theatre certainly gives us.
I wanted to be involved [in NhT] but wasn't sure how it would work. What I discovered was I had a lot to offer and skills I didn't realise I had.
We have a group of culturally diverse and empathetic people. The Neighbourhood Theatre Company has shown me it is important to be part of your community, part of a peer group - belonging to something which is outside of the usual routine.
Carol: When I was younger I had had some acting experience and I wanted to pursue more opportunities with this. As part of a Young Vic Taking Part Project, I auditioned and got a chorus part [in the Main House production of The Trial]. This was such a great experience. I wanted to continue being part of the Young Vic. The ensemble had given me confidence to pursue my theatre interests and I was much encouraged by others in the working groups, the coordinators and workshop leaders.
I have respect for the work that the Young Vic does. The theatre – it’s thoughtful and thought provoking, and tackles emotive issues on contemporary views as well as more light-hearted and classical pieces with a modern twist, and I wanted to contribute and be part of this.
Neither of us really knew what to expect in the first year. But it was an opportunity to be around theatre culture. I knew from my past experience there would be opportunities, support and encouragement.
What the Neighbourhood Theatre has offered people is a chance to achieve goals that they didn’t know they had or had ever dreamed of. It has offered a structure, a process and plan - from giving your point of view at a discussion group, or a larger commitment of being a cast member for a play over weeks. There has been an integrating of cultures. There has been support by NhT of the wider community - for example, participating in Kitchen Conversations, where refugees from the local boroughs meet together with Neighbourhood Theatre members and share food and have the opportunity to share each others’ stories. A completely enlightening experience for me. We [also] had the opportunity to participate in devising workshops with the writers for the community show And Yet It Moves, which was fascinating, and informative about other people’s narrative.
The Young Vic provides a great space to meet friends and chat and to introduce others too.
August 2017