Riverside Youth
Riverside Youth serves primarily as a feeder group for the Riverside Players. We have three categories of groups dependant on experience and age. Riverside Youth is indebted to the Anthony Roper Trust who subsidise our group as a whole and enable us to charge just £1.50 per child for each session.
RIVER TIDDLERS
The first of our youth groups is the River Tiddlers. This group is run by Scott Le Crass, a dynamic young teacher and actor. He ably assisted by Trisha Morris and Jan Stanyon, Naomi Wolfe and Laura Davies. All have advanced police checks and are committed to developing and encouraging personal confidence, team building and group skills.
The River Tiddlers meet every Wednesday during term time at 5.45pm until 6.45pm at Eynsford Village Hall, although on the third Wednesday of the month we use AnthonyRoperSchool, as the village hall is not available to us.
River Tiddlers will accept children from 7 years with little or no previous acting experience. Most of our current group consists of girls, so we are particularly in need some boys to even up the numbers! Scott has a very exciting term planned so if your child has an interest in drama this is the time to come along and join us.
For further enquiries about the River Tiddlers please contact Jan Stanyon email StanyonJan@aol.com.
RIVER-TWEENIES
Our second group is the River Tweenies- this is a relatively small group consisting of youths, both boys and girls, who have some acting experience and show enough maturity to work as part of a group or individually if required. Our drama sessions with the River Tweenies aim to develop an awareness of dramatic styles, conventions and stagecraft. This group is also run by Scott and his team and meets Wednesday during term time at 6.45pm until 7.45pm at Eynsford Village Hall, although on the third Wednesday of the month we use AnthonyRoperSchool, as the village hall is not available to us. The cost of each session is £1.50. For enquiries about the River Tweenies contact Jan Stanyon email StanyonJan@aol.com.
RIVER-TEENS
The River-Teens Theatre Company was established in 2006 shortly after the Riverside Players mass outside production of Oliver! The group of twelve to eighteen year olds meet every Wednesday at The Anthony Roper School in Eynsford, at 6.30pm, through to 8.30.The main thrust of the group centres around improvisation and team building exercises, interspersed with play readings and discussion groups.
Last Spring the River Teens put on a tremendously successful production of Blood Brothers, and it is envisaged that a large percentage of the group will be cast in Riversides next adult presentation, Once A Catholic.
The main aim of the group is to provide a platform for the younger members of Riverside to develop their abilities ready for the main adult group.
For more information contact Cathie Parker at cathiepathome@hotmail.com
Another grant success!!!!!
I am thrilled to announce that our latest grant application ‘ Theatre To Go!’ has been successful to the tune of £10,000. It has been awarded by the Youth Capital Fund to purchase mobile staging and lighting equipment for our thriving youth groups.
Anyone who saw our recent youth production of ‘His Dark Materials’ will realise that we have been poor relations when it comes to having use of the stage. As the main group traditionally make all the dosh –they have the monopoly of the stage and the youth group are forced to fit in between shows. Not any more!!
Equipment for our ‘Theatre To Go’ will mean that we can erect our stage and lighting in the hall, school, church, in fact any venue, and not be restricted by the main groups' activities. This will mean that we can increase the frequency of our productions and give those technically minded youngsters more opportunities to design, rig, operate etc. This can only be of benefit to the future of the group as a whole.
I am, yet again, indebted to Jo Easter for her support and also to members of the youth group who endorsed the application. Thank you guys!
Jan Stanyon, Chairman
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RIVERSIDE YOUTH AT THE ORCHARD THEATRE
Sponsored by Kent County Council the Triangle Awards is an event that celebrates the efforts and achievements of young people in our community. Too often we hear and see negative aspects of young people portrayed, so it was very heart warming to see the Orchard Theatre packed with young people who had their endeavours and good work recognised. Two members of Riverside Youth Nina Rickards and Sarah Williams were short-listed for the top prize in the category of Personal Achievement in the Arts. Nina was nominated for her leadership and approach to drama and Sarah for her personal development and progress in the Arts. Neither won the overall prize but to reach the short list stage is a real achievement in itself.
Further accolade for our youth was received when they gave a masterful performance of ‘If I were not upon the stage…’ The audience were confused for a few s Our young performers were treated like stars by the Orchard staff and deserved the praise of the mayor and other dignitaries who were present to witness this wonderful piece of theatre. Our performers were Stephen Dodd (policeman) Sam Chance (builder) Sarah Nicholson (painter) Annie Callahan (aerobics instructor) Josie Moore (gardener) and Nina Rickards (karate instructor). Well done everyone, you did us proud!
Jan Stanyon and Trisha Morris. (Posted 05/07/06)
If We Were Not Upon The Stage...
Youth group enquiries:
Please contact Jan Stanyon
Landline: 01322 864412 or email StanyonJan@aol.com
Previous Productions
Blood Brothers
by
Willy Russell
May 2007
His Dark Materials
performed by
Riverside Youth Group
Eynsford Village Hall
Wednesday October 4th 2006
It was an ambitious risk taken by the Riverside Youth Group coordinators in deciding to produce a 'one off' abridged version of Philip Pullman's "Northern Lights", condensed into a captivating 35 minutes on Eynsford Village Hall's stage. After all, the trilogy produced at the National Theatre a few years ago lasted six and a half hours! Nevertheless, I knew nothing of the plot, its intention or possible interpretations, and was grateful to Scott Le Crass (director) for his quick synopsis and audience scene-setter, without which I might have been particularly confused.
However, I was quickly enthralled. Each of the older beings was silently shadowed by a smaller "soul/daemon", usually crawling, while they negotiated their path together from fantasy to uncertain earthly mortality suggesting the use of the aurora borealis as portals, and a alethiometer as the visionary conductor. This combination of roles and attitudes offered a wide range of opportunity to the age mix, probably under 8 to 16, each using a subtle piece of dress, costume, skin, or mask to denote their character, human or animal. The kids, some more certain than others, but all clearly enjoying themselves, rose to the challenge. Worthy of particular mention, Sarah Nicholson delivered the master with striking, subtle confidence, while Nina Rickards took command of Mrs Coulter with creditable authority. Josie Moore as Lyra had memorised a daunting script with alacrity, and reproduced the accepting adventurer in search of her destiny with mystical simplicity. Veteran junior "luvvies" Larry Watling as Iorek Byrnison the bear, and Howard Frankson as Lord Asriel made strong use of space and voice. The little ones, hopping, jumping, keeping time within the aura of their unseeing "daemons" acted their magical socks off with appropriate pace, awareness and discipline.
The stage was particularly assisted by Sophie Naisbitt's simple and effective backdrop depicting the aurora borealis on which Grace Reddy projected a selection of curiously interesting slides which fleshed out the story line usefully. This added extra dimension to the visual intrigue and developed as the tale unravelled. It was good to see Riverside Youth continuing to encourage and support progress within the production and design teams as well as "on the boards".
I left the hall amazed, yet again, at what Riverside teamwork can always manage to pull off, and felt particularly happy at how its future will doubtless shape up. These kids were a credit to the time and energy, tears and possibly alcohol, dedicated by the coordinators. They should all be "well proud" of themselves. I find myself now thinking of reading the book; a real tribute...the engagement of one member of the audience with no real vested interest.
Sally (Rotweiller) Coston
(Posted 5/10/06)