From 2010 – 2012 Sophie Fullerlove was Forest Forge’s General Manager. Now a consultant and theatre producer she is back with the company for a year while we move forward with our new business plan. In this blog Sophie shares her love of FFYT and why, after seeing youth theatre offerings all over the country, Forest Forge’s is still her number one.
Late one evening in January 2010 I made my way to Ringwood for the first time. I was applying to be Forest Forge’s General Manager and had booked a ticket to a youth theatre show so I’d have something to say in my interview. I wasn’t very excited at the prospect. The job was more focused on the company’s professional touring work and my previous experience of youth theatres and drama clubs hadn’t given me much confidence that I would enjoy the evening. But I wanted the job, so there I was.
The production was Struwwelpeter by Group 5. It was the first time FFYT had produced the show (which was revised this year as part of Tales from the Forge event).
And it was brilliant.
Gobsmackingly, heart wrenchingly, can’t-look-away from the stage brilliant.
As I watched the production unfold, I forgot where I was, who I was watching and why I was there. I was completely focused on the stories as they appeared in front of me. The scissors. The ribbons. The music. In that evening my perception of youth theatres, how they work and what they can achieve was changed.
Luckily, and perhaps due to my enthusiasm at talking about the show, I got the job, joined the Forest Forge team, and my real education began. Guided by Lucy, I learnt that youth theatres can be so much more than a drama club or stage school. They are vital, life enhancing, creative outlets and places of safety, joy and play for young people. They change lives, make healthy, creative, empathetic and curious teenagers who in turn become resilient, caring, socially responsible adults. As one past FFYT member declared, “Forest Forge Youth Theatre: making proper adults since 1999”.
FFYT is especially powerful due to its focus on ensemble theatre, an approach that means every participant is equally valued and shares collective ownership of the art that is made. Success of the whole group is prioritised over the individual. This is more than just teamwork. Lucy and our Youth Theatre leaders create environments where every member feels supported, trusted, and heard by the group. It allows them to make bold choices and take risks – knowing that the group will catch them if they fall. This is special and allows us to create unexpected theatre experiences. It is unlikely you will ever come away from a Forest Forge Youth Theatre production having seen the concept somewhere before. We might have 6 Romeos and 6 Juliets. We may have only 1 Sherlock but 20 Watsons. Or an all-male and all-female cast for Lord of the Flies, performing on alternate nights. The possibilities are endless.
Our youth theatre members are just as likely to be found performing street theatre in Ringwood as they are in a theatre space. Our approach builds multi-faceted theatre makers and creative thinkers with transferable skills. Whether they go on to become actors or surgeons (and both has happened) they have learnt the skills they need to achieve their ambitions. We call our ex-youth theatre members ‘The Legends’ because they are.
Like all Forest Forge’s work, everything the youth theatre do is infused with our gently-anarchic, playful approach. Sessions always begin with active and creative games (there is a huge competition among our groups around the keepy uppy score board). Then there might be some improvisation, physical theatre, performing from a script or devising scenes. There could be a pause to gather our breath while we search for pictures in the clouds or look at an incredible sunset. All of this is interspersed with laughter and care. And there is never a moment where anything would be dismissed as ‘uncool’.
One of the things that makes the youth theatre special is that every participant is met where they are and as who they are. Everyone is welcome. We often meet young people who feel at odds with the world and it isn’t until they join a youth theatre group that their parents tell us, often with relief, that they have ‘found their tribe’. They also share stories of transformation. Young people begin to talk more at home about the school day, they become more confident, meet new friends, feel safe to be who they are and are less stressed and anxious.
In the 14 years since I first encountered the youth theatre, I have had a son. He is now at the right age to join the Saturday Morning Drama Club. The Drama Club is for ages 7 – 12 and is a first step into Forest Forge and the youth theatre. Not all children start at the Drama Club – and there is no need to – but I see it as something of a first step in making healthy, resilient teenagers. Anything I can do now to make the teenage years easier must be worthwhile!
We live in Frome, so sadly too far away for a weekly visit. If we lived locally there is no doubt I’d have had his name on a list since birth! I have been searching for a drama group near us and I am yet to find one that compares. So many drama clubs and stage schools are either prohibitively expensive (FFYT fees are around 50% of local commercial offerings) or run by enthusiastic but junior staff or volunteers. Forest Forge Youth Theatre is led by our Co- Artistic Director Lucy Phillips. It is not often you will find a company’s leader in the youth theatre room, but at Forest Forge we believe FFYT and our other participation work is of equal importance to the touring theatre we make and professional artists we support.
The whole team at Forest Forge has seen the impact the youth theatre can have on young people and families. It is one of our favourite parts of our work and one which everyone involved should be incredibly proud. Forest Forge Youth Theatre is just best example of a youth theatre I have found anywhere. And it’s right here.