Lyric life

A jet lagged Anne-Louise Sarks (Director) and Matthew Whittet (Writer) arrived from Australia and with that rehearsals for Seventeen begun.

We began the five week rehearsal period of this delicate and enchanting play revealing the intelligence and maturity of teenagers today, a refreshing contradiction to the media’s view which brandishes them as knife-wielding, hoody-wearing louts.

After a great read-through we discussed the actors’, a lovely bunch of 60+ year olds, own experience of being a young adult and how it compares to that of a seventeen year old today.

Less booze, less sex (although we were assured this wasn’t for lack of trying!), no social media, no fried chicken after school and no twerking. But loads of fake eyelashes, cigarettes, torturous methods of school punishment and that feeling of teenage love… When your heart swells to something a little too large for the body you’re still growing… That feeling was the same.

However the dance moves are not the same, Rihanna’s hips were yet to take school-discos by storm as she was still a mere glint in her grandmother’s eye.

Thus the entrance of Imogen Knight our Movement Director. This woman gives off inspiration like a kettle gives off steam and within just a couple of hours of moving about the stage to Sia, Drake, and the Beib’s himself.

Every now and then for a split second you’d be totally convinced the veteran actors were in fact vulnerable, playful, defensive, real teenagers.

So! It is with a new wardrobe of box fresh Adidas garms, a new diet of caffeine free diet coke (in place of all the beers they drink) and a new vocabulary full of foul language that we end our first week.

Paloma x

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