A lot of the work that I have participated in at Enter in the last six years has taught me so much about my local mining heritage. I thought there would be little more for me to learn about the real lives of the miners, but that was certainly turned on its head during the When Yesterday Was Young project!
I was astounded to find that things were not just to be learnt in this project, they were to be lived. As our rehearsal and performance space was transformed into a lifelike coal face and colliery, we all, as performers, thought and felt as miners. Not just for characterisation but for safety, as we worked the space at the literal highs and lows of a working mine.
I personally think that a top priority of an individuals education should be their own local history and heritage. I know from my own experience that the teaching of local history is missing from everyday education in schools. The education that the When Yesterday Was Young project has given not only me, but also countless other students, is an education of the finest degree in performing at an institute in London, and I can say without a doubt that the quality of the teaching and the effort put in by the staff at Enter easily surpasses that of many city based performing institutes. Institutes that are extremely difficult to access due to ability and/or finance. I cannot believe that Enter had not only provided this huge opportunity to learn and perform, but also provided this opportunity for free! An opportunity that, if placed in a busy city, people would certainly pay a lot for. It really shows that money is not at the heart of Enter, unlike so many other institutes. Enter’s priority is the community and its people. Giving those people the chances and opportunities and expecting nothing in return.
This, I feel, makes Enter CIC untouchable!