It was an honour and a privilege to be a part of the amazing project entitled “When Yesterday Was Young” and learn more about the North East past and heritage. During the rehearsal and the research process I learned lots of things about the North which I never thought of considering. Although I knew some of the information from being part of “The Wind Road Boys”, “When Yesterday Was Young” really opened my eyes to what life was like back in the times when coal was a thriving business in our part of the United Kingdom, with the use of true stories that touched not only the hearts of audience members but touched the hearts of cast and crew as well.
Being in the presence of people who devoted their lives to the business who informed us of stories about their time down the mine and what it meant to them was inspiring to me. As part of the research process the cast and crew went on lots of free trips to learn more about the history and backstory of what we were performing. This included trips to: Beamish Museum, The National Coal Mining Museum for England in Wakefield and lots of educational visits from Beamish at the Enter Centre in Ferryhill. The project “When Yesterday Was Young” was partnered up with Beamish Museum and The National Coal Mining Museum so it made it easier for us to gain information which that helped us a lot and which was enjoyable.
What I enjoyed most was the set, as well as performing the end result. It was amazing to see our vision come to life on the set! I should mention that all this was in a package that cost nothing to Enter Students or the community. I was proud and I am still proud that I was part of such an amazing one in a life time opportunity such as this!