Greenfield Youth Theatre performed ‘We Lost Elijah’ at Northern Stage, Newcastle on Thursday 25th April. The group is made up of Greenfield Community College students with a passion for theatre, and is directed by Advanced Skills Teacher Lesley Watt of Greenfield.
The play, which was also performed at Greenfield in March, was part of the National Theatre Festival ‘Connections’ – a nationwide celebration of new plays for and about young people. Each year National Theatre commissions renowned playwrights to write plays for 13-18 year olds.
“We Lost Elijah” tells the story of the disappearance of Elijah, whose older brother and friends were charged with getting him home safely while riots were raging. Somehow though, somewhere on the route, something happened and they didn’t make it home together. The play explores several themes including identity, manipulation, self-doubt, self-esteem, acceptance, rejection and deceit.
Advanced Skills Teacher at Greenfield, Lesley Watt, said “I chose this play knowing it would be challenging and interesting. I was certainly ‘hooked’ the first time I read it and felt this young and inspiring cast would relate to the complex issues it explores”.
A director for the National Theatre, Anna Jones, watched the home performance at Greenfield in March, and spent time discussing the process and final piece with the cast and director / producer Lesley Watt. Anna was very impressed with the quality of the acting, the interpretation and the set design.
Unbeknown to the cast playwright Ryan Craig was part of the packed audience at Northern Stage on Thursday evening. He asked to meet the cast after the performance and answered questions about his development of ideas and intentions for the script.
This was an amazing ending to the day. He congratulated the talented cast on their fantastic programme.
Headteacher, David Priestley said “this was an excellent experience for the cast working with professionals. They have shown commitment to the process and produced a quality piece of theatre; working with professionals has allowed them to take skills to the next level.”
