I joined CYT in 2011. I can still remember my first day, I was absolutely petrified. I was so scared that all these people would know each other and no-one would accept me. I remember the first girl I spoke to being just as scared, almost five years later that same girl is one of my best friends.
I’m trying not to make this sound like a sob story, but before joining CYT I was quite shy. It was hard for me to talk to new people, but I’ve always loved pretending to be someone else, and making other people feel something. The emotions other people feel from watching you perform is my favourite thing about acting. But I was very quiet when I wasn’t performing, being a part of CYT has brought me out of my shell doing something that I absolutely love!
This was especially the case in 2013 when our show, Burnt by the Sun, was chosen to go to a festival in Monaco. The cast were so much older than me, by at least five years, and I’m certain many of them have concluded that I just don’t talk. But going to Monaco taught me to be confident in myself and, to this day, Monaco remains the best experience of my life. Meeting new people and experiencing new cultures has shaped me as a person, as corny as it sounds. And what is more is that I’ve been given the opportunity to do it all again this summer in Bulgaria!
But as it was such a fantastic escapade, I believe the actual show deserves a mention. Burnt by the Sun is the best show I’ve been in at CYT. (Having said that though, we did work on it for two years, so it would be hard for it not to be!) Possibly my best memory from CYT is being able to play Nadia in the Salle de Garnier, for those of you that don’t know, that’s the theatre in the Casino in Monaco. How many people can say that they’ve had the privilege to perform in such a venue? Burnt by the Sun is certainly one of the best experiences CYT has offered me and I was so blessed to have been chosen to play Nadia.
One of my favourite things about CYT is the way the “grown-ups” respect you and treat you as a peer, putting many decisions into our hands. Last year I was asked to join the Steering Group, thinking that this wouldn’t be unlike a school council I was more than willing to sign up for the free tea and biscuits every Wednesday night! How wrong I was! Last year steering group were involved in most of the decisions made for our 30 years celebrations, with everything from the name to organising a flash mob. It’s fabulous to have so much responsibility but to have fun while being involved.
CYT has also made me so proud of myself, I feel like I’ve grown so much. This year I won “best actress” at the Follow Spot Awards (the CYT version of the Oscars). I think this has got to have been the proudest moment of my time at CYT. It makes you feel so fuzzy, yes fuzzy, that members of CYT voted for you. I love the community feel that you get from CYT. It’s so great to know that your hard work has been recognised and that you’ve got this massive support from people all around you.
So I guess all that’s left now is for me to sum up why CYT is so important to me and why you should definitely . Not only has it boosted my personal confidence and helped me meet some fantastic people, CYT offers such a unique experience for every single one of its members. It breaks my heart to think that CYT may not be here in a few years’ time. I’ll be perfectly honest with you, until writing this I didn’t fully realise how much CYT meant to me, but I don’t know where I would be without CYT, so please, please, please, give what you can!
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