What Does The Future Hold?
- Published Date: August 8, 2016
Early Years
When I was much younger, maybe four or five years old, I attended a Jigsaw Arts Summer School. For the next two years I would continue this routine. Then, 8 years later, I started attending the Jigsaw Finchley weekend school on Sunday mornings. I made many new friends, and the experience was one that was invaluable, and is still unforgettable. When I decided to leave Jigsaw Finchley, I was invited to join the Jigsaw Youth Theatre Company (JYTC).
Youth Theatre
At first I didn’t know what to expect from JYTC, as I thoroughly enjoy all the three disciplines of performing arts. It was strange for me to be in an environment that focused specifically on drama. In September 2014 I attended my first ever Youth Theatre session and it was explained that we would be participating in the National Theatre’s ‘Connections’ Festival.
My First Show
The weeks went by and we started learning our lines and blocking scenes. I was playing Mr Ellody, the owner of an accordion shop, in the play The Accordion Shop, by Cush Jumbo. Under the brilliant direction from our wonderful director, Kate Cohen, I was able to create a fully realistic character, and the performance as a whole was wonderful.
The Next Steps
I took a break for a term as my exams were approaching at school. When I returned in September 2015, there was a very different group of people. Over the first few weeks we all became very close, and we started to rehearse for our next performance, The Beauty Manifesto, by Nell Leyshon. We decided to double cast the play, and this raised some eyebrows, especially when certain cast members where unable to make the rehearsals!
What does the future hold?
Personally, I would like to receive my GCSE results this August, and then spend the next two years studying for Drama, Spanish, Maths and Chemistry A-Levels. After that I would love to continue on to a performing arts school, such as Mountview or ArtsEd, and then hopefully perform in the West End.
Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page.