Friday

Friday morning and what treats lie await for the weekend.?
Well, it's a working weekend as tonight I'm heading up to Manchester courtesy of Virgin to spend tomorrow in some Jewish centre auditioning existing members of the NYT for the forthcoming season.

We have a massive intake each year now at the National Youth Theatre, some 6 or 700 hundred new members. Quantity is the way to get the funding these days. No one at that stage really gives a kick about quality. At the end of the first year the members can reapply to join the main company by taking a casting audition. Not all of them do. In fact I think it's quite a low percentage. For many of them having done the course and got their certificate thats it. been there .Done that. Got the badge. For me membership of the National Youth theatre - when quality did matter - lasted for five summers returning each year to be in a play and spend time in London, getting myself to and from rehearsals, cooking and managing my money. Not that I did that all that well. In my second year I discovered that with I. D I could access my savings account at the Nat West and it dwindled from £100 to virtually nothing over seven weeks as I used it to supplement my Postal orders sent from home and visit the theatre etc.

The most important part of the experience was the learning how to manage my life. That is the greatest thing it gave me. I don't think I was a better actor when I left. I'm not sure I'm a better actor now, but I had met people whose parents were divorced, who came from public school, who came from all over the country and social strata and it was a wonderful melting pit of education from my peers.

That's the reason I support the NYT and have done since I was a member. Not because it's a showcase or hothouse for talent- you should see some of the people we have on courses these days - they'd be better off in a greenhouse!. It's because it provides an opportunity for 600 kids to come together from all over the country, from every class and social and religious group and to work together at one thing for two weeks. And they do. Ad they love it.And so did I.

Nest week sees me off to Brussels for a morning to take part in a workshop abut storytelling for CNN and a visit to Yorkshire on Monday to catch up with Mum, so as January limps out of our lives, things are beginning to get a little busier. The work isn't falling off the trees and things are tight, but hopefully it will begin to move a little faster as February lurches into view

Third in pub quiz last night - We're slipping team!

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