Northumberland Experimental Youth Theatre, or NEYT

Or ‘The Drama’

I joined The Drama Group by accident. I fancied myself as a potential artist and responded to their call for members on a kind of scenery- painting ticket. Turned out the interview was an audition and I got in.

It was a great experience being in The Drama. A mixed bunch of teenagers, all with pretty strong characters. I learned a lot, mostly though getting pretty uncomfortable with myself (Policeman’s daughter, too clever for my own good, not at a state school). I also became firm friends with Tina, who had been at my first Primary school – but I moved away.

At first we were in the Junior Group which met in Gosforth, we did a lot of improvisation and a bit from the crysalids for a drama festival. The Senior Group did ‘some thoughts on coal’ which involved a lot of people in black tights and leotards slithering over each other and songs about coal products. All I wanted was to move up and join them and after a year or so we did.

We could claim our travelling expenses too– that’s how the Arts was in the North East in the sixties. A lady with claim forms and a money tin would come every week.

One of the really important things I learned in the Drama was that ‘attractive’ is in the eye of the beholder. No matter how much Berry (directing) tried to persuade me that Simon had a great body, I just couldn’t convincingly do the simulated sex scene with him. (Avril told Berry ‘but he’s thick’. It probably had more to do with me never having had a proper snog up to then let alone a shag.) Anyway, a more accommodating young hopeful volunteered. She was much better at it than I could ever hope to be. That was how I realised my future was not in acting.

We also had residentials where we’d stay at Alnwick castle for a week rehearsing a play, and weekend workshops when we’d stay with someone local. The problem for me was that I’d only ever stayed with cousins and really close friends. I was terrified when I had to stay with Karen in Wallsend. Though she was my sister in the play, I was scared to speak to her mam at all. The Glaswegian head boy of the group was staying too. He did his best to make me lighten up, with no real success.
So, I wasn’t going to be a success at networking either.