I was really excited to be invited along to see a play put on by the Sherman Youth Theatre as part of the National Theatre Connections festival. The idea behind National Theatre Connections is to give young people interested in theatre the chance to perform in front of a large audience with the opportunity to perform at the National Theatre in London if selected. I saw one performance last year and was really impressed so I was excited to see what the Sherman Youth's had to offer. The premise behind the play is a camp to discipline young people in the midst of a country in revolution. It was a very intense and chilling production and I was so pleased to see how much talent these young people have.
The play is made up of a selection of short scenes so each of the students got chance to be in the spotlight. It dealt with themes from censorship and revolution to sex education. It was dark and unsettling and I was very impressed with how convincingly the young actors dealt with these mature themes. The set, sound and lighting was crucial in helping to build the tension. Using large metal lockers, dirt chippings and a clock at the back of the stage, a variety of settings were created and the scene changes were very slick keeping the pace of the 55 minute performance up. The tension built up to a dramatic finale with an ending I didn't expect.
I always find it wonderful to see young people taking such an interest in theatre and they should feel proud of the production they've put together in the past 2 months. The show runs until Saturday and I'd really recommend checking it out if you've got time. Take a look at the Sherman Theatre website for tickets and more details.
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