A while back Florence told me that she wanted to be on stage. It was a matter of fact statement more than anything else and as she told me she just really needed to feel that way again, after she’d been in a show with her ballet school, I knew exactly what she meant. I had the same passion in my heart at her age, still do in fact, and the thought of stepping out of the wings into the bright lights is both exhilarating and terrifying in a way that’s almost addictive.

She asked me if she could join a theatre company and so I asked the Norfolk Youth Music Theatre, the same group I’d acted in when I was young, if she might be able to join. She was too young right at that moment but I was told when she was nearly 9, the required age, she could audition. Well… Audition she has and guess what?! She got a part! Come October we will be watching Florence tread the boards as part of Fagin’s Gang in Oliver and I’m so grateful that there are such opportunities for her in my home city.

When I was a child, as well as the NYMT, I went to Italia Conti full time (to say I had opportinities is an understatement) and before that I took L.A.M.D.A examinations with the Norwich Theatre Royal. I loved them. Really and truly I just loved doing anything to do with theatre and as Florence seems to be a chip off the old block it’s wonderful that she gets to explore everything Norwich has to offer children who want to act – this is plenty!

And tonight she and I went off to see the Theatre Royal Youth Company perform Grease which is on until Saturday. It was wonderful to show her that though the company may be young, they can still be powerfully strong on stage and their performance was wonderful! They are so young and of course fears could be seen and there is lots to learn but still they put on a show which many companies would find floundering – this has BIG shoes to fill let’s not forget and is in its 40th year since the famous film was made with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.

Having studied musical theatre and choreographed shows myself, I always think the trick is to perform like no one’s watching which is a very tricky thing to achieve at any age but for those so young, even harder. I have to give great commendation to the girls playing Frenchy and Marty tonight who were clear stand outs for the show but for me, the actress who showed a stage maturity which belies her age played the part of Jan tonight and she was in character the whole time, not a step out of place while she offered such wonderful character acting to her part. The dancing as well as the singing was also of a very high standard and the principle dancer in the lilac dress will go far for sure; displaying such a poised performance for one so young she offered wonderful expressions and just like the actress playing Jan she acted her socks off when she was centre stage, right, left and simply standing around in the background – THAT’S the ticket!

Some amazing voices as an ensemble with so much potential for their future careers and for a little girl of 8 watching every second with glee it was a great introduction to youth theatre ahead of her own stage debut and… what a wonderful treat for us both to see together! We all know and love the songs from Grease and I’ve a feeling now that our journey down to Dorset tomorrow may be filled with the music on her Spotify list!

Thanks to the Norwich Theatre Royal Youth Theatre for a fab evening out. They’re a very talented bunch as a whole cast and we have to remember that a youth company is youth behind the scenes too – it’s not always centre stage that runs the show! We are totally ‘Summer Lovin” of this show and its cast and creatives – bravo Theatre Royal Youth, BRAVO!

If you’d like to catch the company perform Grease (it really is brilliant) then see the Norwich Theatre Royal website and their box office to book tickets. The show has a Thursday and Saturday matinee at 2.30pm and Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening performances at 7.30pm.  tickets are now limited for all shows so be quick!

We were invited to see the show as guests if the Theatre Royal Norwich. 

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