Camden Youth Theatre Director, Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens, reflects on everything our youth theatre has been up to during the pandemic and what it's like to return with a live show after two years.
On CYT's first Sunday rehearsal of 2022 - my accidentally left open bottle of water, spilled onto all my copies of the script and pretty much everything else inside of my bag. I am the luckiest person in the world.
However, in all seriousness, I truly just might be.
I secretly had to remind myself that for the last two years, I had been itching to be reunited with my favourite theatremakers - the young people that make up Camden Youth Theatre (existing members and our amazing alumni) - we’d have given anything to be on the other side of the pandemic - in a theatre with soggy contents, rehearsing together again, especially when for a long time it has felt as if there were no end in sight.
Entering into lockdown with Camden Youth Theatre stretched me as a director/facilitator in the most unusual of ways - we navigated new ways of working together, established new routines and became bigger and bolder amidst all our shared fears and the growing uncertainty. We created original songs and music videos. We twitch streamed our first digital show This is the Time. We released our own podcast Morning Brush with CYT, welcoming guests from across the UK. We met in zoom conferences with members of Company Three and other youth theatres across the UK. We said heartfelt goodbyes to those making life changing transitions to Uni. We said hello to those joining us for the first time, as the world started open up. We kept going.
When This is Over is a Camden Youth Theatre Production, in association with Company Three and Nick Hern Books about those pivotal moments that change your life forever. Our boldest show; made in one of the most difficult times for all of our members. When my mum arrived in the UK from Grenada as a teenager - her story started with Camden. Or did it start with Arawaks? Perhaps Genesis or the Big Bang? Do you know where your story starts?
Come check out one of the shows to do some discovering with us!
Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens x
