Amateur dramatics is a powerful thing

At the weekend I went home to see my family, and while there saw a show from the local youth drama club. My sister was in it; she’ll be going to university next year, making this her last performance. The show was great fun, not exactly Shakespeare but the cast were having a good time and that spirit was infectious. At the end of the show there was a very tearful goodbye from all the members leaving this year, and it showed just how much the club meant to them, and how much it still means to me.

I joined “Parsnips” youth drama company during year 7. The move from primary to secondary school was unkind – I wasn’t ready for the change and friend-making process to start again, so I retreated into my shell. My happiness was on a downswing; that was until I joined Parsnips. I knew some of my old friends went, but I had never thought drama could be for me. At the time I was stocky and certainly not conventionally attractive, but more than anything I was quiet and nervous.

But I gave it a go, and it was the best decision I made in my years at school. I didn’t take to it immediately, but seeing my friends again was nice and the sessions had a compelling energy to them. Established and run by Claire Parsons (that’s where the name came from), her goal was never to groom future stars – all she wanted was to instil children with the same love of arts she had. And it certainly worked.

It wasn’t long before I was invested in the group. Each week consisted partly of dramatic exercises and partly of devising short pieces using what we learned. I’ve never been in a group where everyone was so “up for it”. As time went by it helped me break that shell I had hidden in. My social comfort and confidence improved in line with my time in the group, but more than that I learned the joys of entertaining others.

Throughout the seven years I had with the company I knew every week, no matter the circumstances, I would have two hours of happiness and sanctuary.

Seven years moves fast, and after many shows I finally found myself on that stage, saying that tearful goodbye, better for the experience and yet horribly sad to see it end. Parsnips was more than a club, it was a family that pushed you to be better, with a mother who worked unreasonable hours to make sure you had the best experience of your life. And that stuck with me. It stuck with all Parsnips, as the row behind me last weekend was filled with 25-26 year olds. The show was written by Claire seven years ago, and the row behind was full of members of the original cast, together again from across the country to support the next generation.

When done right amateur dramatics can be a powerful thing.