Teenage Dreams

KYDZ Keighley Youth Theatre has a great approach to Youth Theatre, not only giving young people the chance to perform, but the opportunity to get involved in so many different elements of the production.  It is also great to see young people progress in performance and all areas of artistic development and stage management.

Sevi Ledgard had written this clever story which was perfect for this group of young people to showcase.  Set in Moorview High School the story follows a group of Year seven pupils who join the school apprehensive about all this transition means.  Some of the pupils had known each other in the primary sector, but others come with no friends or having been homeschooled.  The tensions between the friendships as they grow and develop are explored along with a wide range of other very relevant issues.   The show covers themes including bullying, family problems, economic challenges, smoking, relationships, gender, sexuality, divorce and transitions.  Throughout Act 1 and 2 the issues were handled sensitively and with young people delivering lines that they clearly related to in circumstances some of them had potentially experienced. 

The story initially tracks the Year seven as they stumble through their first year.  The characters were played by younger members of the cast with clearly defined roles and the recognisable characters of the mean girls, shy girls, younger siblings, boyfriends/girlfriends and enthusiastic newcomers keen to make friends.  All of the performers worked well together and created very realistic scenes.

Act Two saw the characters having moved into Year ten with the intervening three years having created changes in the friendship groups and the characters now being played by some of the more senior company members.  The storylines developed and the challenges became age relevant and recognised the many issues faced by teenagers today. 

The transition between the two sets of characters was cleverly managed by the use of costume colours and make up.  What was also very poignant was that the two sets of actors displayed many of the same characteristics and performed in the same way.  Congratulations to everyone who delivered this as it must have taken a lot of work in rehearsals.  One consistent through the story was the beleaguered Mr Thomas who followed the pupils through their time at Moorview.  Whilst initially being very enthusiastic, he was understandably drained three years later and I’m not sure whether there was any room left in his office with the number of pupils he sent there.

The show was interspersed with songs appropriate to the scenes and story line and was all well performed.  This was particularly evident in Act Two when some of the more experienced members took to the stage.  The opportunities for development at KYDZ are very clear and it is great to see such a large group of young people take advantage of all that is offered.  Set, costumes, hair & make-up, props, lighting and sound were all to a high standard.  A key thing which comes across is that they definitely are a team who work well together and enjoy sharing a performance space.

Well done to the Directors, the Leadership Team, the Cast and Crew and everyone who makes it possible for these talented young people to take to the stage – it was a very entertaining and thought-provoking show.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.