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First blog post
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Good things come to those who wait.
Well it hasn’t really been the 12 months anyone expected or planned for has it.
This time last year, like many, we thought the lockdown would just be for a few weeks and then things would return to some sort of normal. So we held onine auditons for our production of We Will Rock You and even had a some online rehearsals. We thought we may need to postpone it until later in the year, we didn’t think we’d have to wait until this year but here we are and fingers crossed come the 18th April we can start our AYTC Snr classes again and start working towards this show again.
That obviously wasn’t the only thing that was affected and its been are hard year keeping our heads above water, like many businesses, we are now looking forward to making up for lost time.
Our Little a’s and AYTC Jnr classes will return on the 15th April with the hope each of them will be able to put a show on the stage later this year.
We had to cancel all our Pantomimes, we had hoped maybe we could do some of them over Easter but looks like we’ll have to wait until December now but that gives us more time to book and take bookings for more venues.
So, its early days and we are still waiting for confirmation but there are green shoots showing for our Acorns to grow.
Reach For The Heavens
In 2004 we went down to London to watch Mary Poppins and the song “Anything Can Happen” really struck a chord with us, years later when we started Acorn the lyrics
If you reach for the stars all you get are the stars………. but if you REACH FOR THE HEAVENS you get the stars thrown in.
well these kept ringing around in our heads and it became our ‘mantra’
For us Reaching for the Heavens doesn’t mean dreaming big and aiming for the impossible, hoping you’ll achieve the acceptable. To us, it means, working hard towards your goals but not stopping when you reach them, to continue working towards new goals. To try and make each show better than the last, to work with a group of young people and not just help them perform to the best of their ability but to help them believe in themselves and grow in confidence.
This month, 7 years ago we started rehearsals for our first show, 6 years ago in May we held our first youth company meeting and we have been “Reaching” ever since. We soon realized that it was the people that made Acorn and that Acorn helped those people grow, especially the members of our youth company.
We may not have the huge budgets of some, and we lack a proper theatre to perform in but by Reaching for the Heavens our shows always surpass our expectations and the bound made by those who share our philosophy seems unbreakable.
During this forced time apart we have been keeping intouch with our Acornians and we asked some of our older members,who have left us to go to University or moved away for work, what Acorn had meant to them. To be honest we were surprised by the depth of feelings they had towards us and what their time with us had meant/means to them.
Some more lyrics from the same song also mean a lot to us.
“No one does it for you, no one but yourself”
We started Acorn, we “reached for the heavens” all alone, no financial support, no huge team to help out just our families and friends who we managed to twist arms of. It cost us a lot but reading what people think about what you’ve created makes it all worthwhile and makes us want to keep on reaching and seeing what stars we can stars we can get thrown in in the future.
Below are some of the things they said.
Lewis Lockwood
To me, acorn always felt like family! As it did and still does to many. I loved the excited feeling of waking up on Sunday mornings knowing I was spending the day with my friends doing what we loved! Acorn helped me grow as a a performer and really inspired me to peruse performing as a career, transitioning from school to college and then to university. My confidence grew immensely and I always received heaps of support from Cev, Sarah and everyone else involved! Even now when many of us have moved on and the new generation of acronians arrives we still keep in contact and have those special bonds! I have nothing more but to thank acorn for everything they have done and still do for me
George Kelly
For me rehearsals were the highlight of my week because I got to spend time doing what I’m passionate about with friends that were equally as passionate. I think being around people that loved performing as much as me gave the confidence I needed to audition for drama schools and pursue performing as a career.
Caitlin Jewell
Acorn will orever have it’s special place in my heart for many reasons, the shows and the fun but mostly the people. I grew as a person within the 5 years of being at Acorn, I changed from the shy 14 year old girl to a 19 year old that didn’t want to leave. I gained so much confidence and it made me want to go on to do Musical Theatre in college, which later lead me to doing a Dance degree in Uni. I loved the times backstage in the dressing rooms having the most fun with my girls, taking photos and getting mine and Katie’s ‘show photo’ that started in Joseph and somehow became a tradition every show we did. My best memory is probably painting myself green in a limited time and taking it off in a shorter amount of time for the 5th Anniversary and being stained yellow for over a week. I tried to keep this short but there’s so much I have to say. Acorn will forever be the family I never knew I needed and that’s all because of a leaflet I saw for auditions for Joseph.
Amelia Bailey
Acorn has helped me in numerous ways, one being the growth of my confidence. Before joining the company I had never been involved in anything theatre related, but on my first day I was welcomed with open arms and help was always there when I was uncertain of anything. Looking back on my years as an acorn member it is safe to say I’ve been given countless opportunities to shine on stage in a multitude of shows. This not only gave me the chance to showcase my talent, but moreover, to believe in myself. Along the way I’ve made some life long friends who I feel, in fact, that I’ve known for much longer than a mere four years. As I start the next chapter of my life at University, I will be sure to visit my acorn family and even get involved in productions again when I can! In the meantime, good luck in all future productions! I’ll be front row cheering you along.
Nicola Watson
“I was part of the Acorn Family since it’s very first production. I loved every show I was in, and even came back to watch some of the shows after I moved on. During my time in Acorn my confidence grew and my theatre skills were nurtured and developed expertly. I met some incredible people at Acorn – many of whom I am still in touch with. I loved every second of rehearsal, learning from some amazing directors, choreographers and musical directors. Every single production was like creating magic. Although I didn’t enter a career in Musical Theatre, I firmly believe that the skills I learned at Acorn have spurred me on to get the job I have now. Being part of Acorn was a great highlight for me; the laughs, the sense of togetherness, the emotional curtain calls. I always look back on those memories with a smile on my face”
Tess Wadsworth
When I was younger I was quite shy but after joining Acorn and being surrounded by so many wonderful and outgoing people it helped my confidence grow and I was able to start putting myself out there. I met many of my closest friends through Acorn, and I have watched them go on to do amazing things. Cev, Sarah and their family were so supportive throughout my time at Acorn and provided me with so many opportunities performing and backstage. There will always be a special place in my heart for Acorn and everything they have done for me
I’m still waiting for my potatoes.
Now I don’t know about you but I’m finding things a little different to how I expected them to be. I thought I’d be able to use this time to get everything done that I needed to and clean my flat and get myself in shape etc etc etc. However I do find myself unable to focus on anything and trying to do everything all at once.
I also find myself focusing on the negative and worrying about everything from my health, my loved ones health, how will I pay for things etc,etc,etc.
Then something clicked. I was messaging my friend the other day, general chit chat and she said she was making her lunch. About 2 hours later I spoke to her and asked her how her lunch was and she said she was still waiting for her potatoes. Basically she was taking her time over things to fill her day. Whereas I had been trying to do everything at once and doing nothing in particular.
So I made a list of everything I needed to do and it wasn’t really that much, considering I have nowhere to be at any time. Then I had a mild panic because I didn’t have a time scale as to when things needed to be done by until I realised it didn’t matter because I currently have all the time in the world and if things aren’t done by the time things get back to normal then they wouldn’t have been done anyway or they wouldnt have been done as well because we can now take our time over things and do them properly.
I keep seeing that Shakespeare wrote King Lear whilst he was in quarantine from the plague, well if that’s how it works this Pantomime I need to write is going to be awesome.
If you’re anything let me me then you need to tell yourself to slow down and take you time, do things properly. There’s no rush afterall.
Maybe we all just need to wait for our potatoes.
A picture paints 1000 words
As it’s Sunday we thought we might simply share some of our favourite photos with you.
That photo was taken from the first full Cabaret we performed in our own Studios. It was performed by our adult company and ladies from Mystique Burlesque another company we run. Here’s a few more.
Our first play was Allo Allo but after that we produced Rita,Sue and Bob too which as well as been great fun and very well received it also made enough money for us to start our Youth Company.
In the few short years of our existence we have achieved many things but aside from the productions and friends we’ve made we would be lying if we didn’t admit to been proud of the recognition we’ve received from our peers.
Mainly winning best comedy and 3rd overall at the Wakefield Arts festival with our play Thick as Thieves.
We were also extremely humble and proud to be invited to perform at last years NODA NE annual conference.
So we’ve achieved so much already.
Wait until you see what we have planned for the future.
Hello I’m………
Hello I’m Cev and I write all these witterings. I haven’t had the best couple of years for reasons those who know know and those who don’t don’t need to but I have come out the other side of a tunnel stronger and I feel we all can do the same.
I founded Acorn to be a place where like minded people can come together and rehearse and perform in a friendly environment. I was lucky enough to find performing has a hobby when I was young and grew up surrounded by like minded people and I my happiest childhood memories mostly involve singing, dancing and acting
Apart from my children, Acorn is the best thing in my life, I don’t always feel like that but when I’m sat watching rehearsals or a show, even just sat in reception and I see the joy in the faces of the people there it makes all the stress and strain worthwhile.
Theatre has provided me with some great opportunities and I’ve met wonderful people and achieved things I never thought I would due to my passion and the support of wonderful people and Acorn is my way of giving something back be it simply helping a shy child find their voice or been able to offer a young actor their first paid gig I want to help as many people as possible.
We had a bad year last year and this year is having its bumps in the road too but I honestly think that this will end up being our best year and we will end stronger than we have ever been because we are surrounded by love, passion and people who support us.
Watch us fly or better still come and fly with us. Everyone’s welcome at Oak Tree Studios.
It’s the work you do when nobody is watching
During this time of social distancing and self isolation each of us has to be responsible for our own motivation or lack there of.
We made it clear before we even started rehearsals that we expected hard work and commitment from them all and we worked them hard but we’re not there now to help them now, so it’s up to them to make sure they put the work in.
We have just started a new Cabaret troupe, the aim of which was to give a first professional experience to those preparing for college or university whilst providing an excellent nights entertainment for pubs, clubs or private functions at affordable prices. Our first performance was almost upon us when the government advice came out and so we postponed until it’s sensible to be in groups again.
Rehearsals had gone well and we were almost at performance level so it’s now down to each member of the troupe to work as hard as they feel they need to.
It’s hard to motivate yourself when there is no date to work towards but as we tell all our members ” it’s the work you put in when nobody is watching that makes the difference.” Basically we mean, anyone can work hard at rehearsals but the ones who work at home between rehearsals are the ones who improve and shine.
Hardwork will always outshine talent if talent doesn’t work hard.
We are working hard to make sure everything is ready to go when we can go, no one will see what we are doing but they will see the results and maybe that’s how it should be. The audience doesn’t need to know what goes on behind the scenes to enjoy the show but the show will be better for it.
We have faith that they will all work hard but we also know we will be able to spot the ones who have.
The best way to motivate yourself is to have pride in yourself and know that to show yourself to your true potential you have to put the work in. If you’re satisfied with been ok then that’s fine but if you want to be awesome you need to work, work and work again, especially when no one is watching.
The Heart of Acorn
Ask anyone who has been to any of our rehearsals or show who the most important person in Acorn is and they will all give you the same answer,Sarah
Sarah founded Acorn with Cev and she is without doubt the driving force behind it, she is choreographer, producer, director, receptionist, teacher, office manager, parents point of contact, shoulder for people to cry on and anything else that needs doing (except making drinks and changing toilet rolls)
If she has a fault it that she takes on too much and tries to keep everyone happy but she never stops smiling and does everything she needs to (eventually)She leads by example and during rehearsals she never stops working and performs at 100% be it on stage or just in the studios.
Sarah runs our fitness classes and is at the studios more than anyone else, so if you pop in and see someone looking for her car keys that’ll be Sarah, when she’s at home she spends her time organising,planning and emailing until whatever time she needs to to get everything done.During the past year everything has been hard work but Sarah never let people know how difficult things were and almost alone held things together, without her there probably wouldn’t be an Acorn today a fact most don’t know and some don’t appreciate but many more do.Even now it is Sarah who is the face of Acorn making sure she keeps in contact and adding fun wherever she can.
Sarah has a smile and a personality that lights up a room when she enters it and we all love her and owe her a huge THANKYOUPlease keep doing what you do but PLEASE ask for help more and put your keys on the hook provided
Looking back to move forward
T
These are tough times for all of us, unusually, everyone of us is dealing with the same uncertainty on a daily basis.
As we all change our daily routine for the greater good we all will have to find our own ways of coping with the challenges this brings.
We have decided to use this, enforced, break to prepare for the future. We are still working towards our next show, We Will Rock You, been on stage in June. Obviously this is very up in the air at the moment be we have to work as if its going to go ahead. So we have invited our young members to video their auditions and our production team will get together, virtually, and pick a cast from that.
Our newly found Cabaret troupe was due to have their first show this weekend, this has of course been cancelled but we have been in contact with the venue and they have invited us to be a part of the grand reopening, whenever that may be. This means our troupe are having to learn to be professional and keep going the routines and songs on their own, to ensure we are ready to go as soon as we can.
So here we all are in our own little boxes, alone or in smaller groups than we are used to. What are we going to do to get through, well here at Acorn we have been reflecting on what we have achieved and how we can moved forward.
Never before have any of us had so much time on our hands so lets use it wisely, we have time to think over where we are and how we’ve changed, for better and worse. If its better then how did we get there and can we continue to make it even better. If its worse then the same question, how did it happen and how are we going to improve.
In all honesty we have taken our eye off the ball a little and somethings haven’t gone as well as we would want them to but now is the time to fix them, we have been brutally honest with ourselves and are now work to fix our faults.
When we come out of this moment in time people will need entertaining, they will want to go see shows, have singers in their pubs and parties for their children. Acorn will be ready to meet those needs and we will be keeping you all informed as to what we are doing so watch this space.
2020 Vision
2019 has been a very challenging year for us for several reasons but it ended on a high with a successful panto run. It was well received by everyone who watched us and every venue/school who booked us has rebooked us for this year.
In December this year we will be performing, the traditional favourite, Dick Whittington so keep an eye out for booking details coming soon.
We also worked closely with Kirklees Light Railway throughout last year culminating in our Elves working in the Workshops all through December. This relationship helped us to provide paid work for our young performers and we look forward to growing these opportunities this year.
In Spring this year our Youth Production Company are excited to be performing, the Queen musical, We Will Rock You. An announcement about auditions to join AYTC will be announced very soon.
Our younger groups, starting from age 4, continued to grow last year and the hope is this will continue throughout the year as they go on to perform more of their own shows and grow their confidence outside of our studios too.
We’re not just a youth company though and our 16+ company will be performing a couple of plays this year in our own performance space at the studios. The first will be a modern farce and this should be in April so, again, keep an eye out for audition information very soon.
Our biggest plan for this year will be to build our professional side of the company and create a travelling cabaret troupe that can perform in any venue at any party. We have a wealth of young talent at our fingertips and we will offer them the chance to be paid to perform and start their career gaining experiences that cant be learnt at college. Making them more rounded performers. The Troupe will offer singers, dancers and comics to entertain at any event in any space.
So here’s to a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2020.
I went to Subway once (the issue with my shyness)
I suffer from severe shyness, its so bad that ordering simple things like coffee in Costa makes my heart beat quicker and as for going into a Subway with all the questions they ask and decisions you have to make, well i tried it once but never again.
My shyness isn’t just something I can just ignore, it affects every minute of my waking day, every decision I make. If i could I would stay indoors all day (this current isolation is perfect for me) however I also like people and not to be around people makes me sad ( so maybe it isn’t perfect)
So what is shyness? well I don’t speak for everybody but my issue is not wanting to
A. look stupid
B. inconvenience anybody
I always feel like the least important person in the room and why would anybody want to talk to, assist or generally spend time with me, so if I’m in a situation that I’m not sure what to do then I get out of it as soon as I can.
Why am I telling you all this? What has this got to do with a theatre company?
Well basically, my education and experiences as a performer have made my life possible, the skills I’ve learnt on stage have helped me mask my issues, possibly too well, and made me able to function on a day to day basis. Let me try and explain.
When i’m in a show I’ve rehearsed, I’ve been given words to say and know what everybody else is going to say. Even if things go wrong I can dig my self out of that situation because I’ve thought about it going wrong or I’ve been there and done that before. I’ve also rehearsed with the people there and know them.
Now lets take you back to my first visit to Subway by mysel, I wanted a sandwich and had subway before but someone else had always ordered for me with me saying just get whatever or picking something off the set menu for them to order, I walked in and there was no-one else in, straight away i was asked what I wanted, I didn’t know but not wanting to look stupid I said Ham (dull) then I was asked what bread i wanted, normally I would say brown but they offered me a list of breads i’d never heard of. At this stage I am now sweating, my heart is pumping and I’m not wanting to inconvenience the young lady serving me so i just pick the one at the top of the list. Then came all the other options which I mumbled yes or no to with out knowing what i really wanted, paid my money and left. I was so stressed and angry with myself I had lost my appetite and threw it away. Vowing never to go back alone to a Subway.
It was that incident that made me face up to my problem, at about the same time I performed on stage at NODA conference in front of hundreds of people, I went on stage not, knowing what I was going to say, talked for about 5 minutes, joked, laughed and felt at home.
I sat down and asked myself, how can I do that but be too scared to ask a shop assistant how much something is?
I realized it because I was confident because I knew what I was doing, even though I had no script to work from I didn’t say or do one single thing on that stage that I hadn’t done or said before. Also I believe in myself on stage, I know people like me on stage, maybe not everyone but enough of them to mask the ones who don’t.
I also realized that in real life that was the case, there is nothing I haven’t done or situation I haven’t been in, I also realized that the only person who really didn’t like me was me.
So since then I have treated life like a show, I have rehearsed what i’m going to do, not obsessively but in my head and I’ve looked at myself and decided I’m not too bad and because I’ve started to like me I’ve noticed other people aren’t too bad either so why wouldn’t they have time for me. I also realized most of my life I have been doing that and that if I hadn’t learnt how to be somebody else I would never have done anything.
Now I have started to be myself using the skills theatre has taught me, I always knew it had made me a better version of myself than I would have been without it but now it is time to put all my skills to good use.
I once saw a sticker saying life isn’t a rehearsal. Maybe not but if we use our past experiences as rehearsals we can make our future life a performance.
I’m still shy and I will still be happier in a corner but I now find stepping out of the corner easier.
Maybe one day I will go back to Subway.
Little Acorn Productions 