Young performers

Like many people in my position and at my time of life, I’m ridiculously proud of my grandchildren. It is fascinating to see them growing and developing their own characters and talents.  It isn’t that often we get a reasonably convenient chance to see them out of our normal family context. However an opportunity arose during our recent Whitby visit to see both Ellen and Alex on stage.

Ellen was with her school class at a theatre workshop at the Steven Joseph theatre in Scarborough. Their day was to devise a play in the morning with a theatre facilitator and then perform it in the afternoon. On Ellen’s day there were 4 schools separately doing playlets. We went by the regular bus route Teeside to Scarborough which calls at Whitby. I hoped to enjoy looking at the passing scenery but on a cold wet day the windows misted up and the view was very limited.

Lindsey, Ellen’s mum, caught the bus at Fylingthorpe en route and could sit by us. The theatre is right by the bus terminus which was a relief in pouring rain. As one would expect from 8-9 year olds the playlets were very elementary. Ellen’s play was entitled Family Misfortunes. Briefly it told of a family who  win a holiday to Ibiza and everything on the journey goes wrong culminating in the plane being landed by a novice pilot from among the passengers. Ellen spoke up clearly in one of the linking passages and then was a passenger on the flight. The playlet ended with the winner winning another holiday but screws up the. notice saying “never again”.

The bravest playlet was by a special school loosely based on the “Very Hungry Caterpillar”. Led out by a wheelchair youngster the “caterpillar”  first munchies odd foods ( like pizza ) and then transforms into a butterfly. This was signalled by the girls running around waving fabric wings.

We had our own mini saga on our return journey. We just missed one bus, the next broke down en route so we waited nearly 2 hours. Fortunately the station café is right by the terminus and provided a warm, sheltered spot as we waited

Alex’s performance was totally different. A  series of young people’s acts for the Whitby Arts festival culminated in a gala concert at Whitby Pavilion. Alex had played in a trumpet duet earlier in the series and they had been asked to play again at the gala concert. This coincided with the most atrocious weather with the “mini beast from the East” producing high winds and snow. The Pavilion isn’t far from our flat but we struggled and inevitably some performers didn’t make the journey. Alex and his friend Daniel played “Those magnificent men on their flying machines “ with great aplomb.

The undoubted star turn was two little girls of 8 or so reciting a poem where one is a dog and the other its walker. Needless to say the dog sees things very differently to the walker. The girl reciting the dogs part sat on the floor and amusingly the dog and walker completely misunderstood one another.

The weather really was atrocious and Martin and family stayed the night. Although we are nominally a 4 person flat for rental we have a fold out sofabed in the main bedroom. Strangely Ellen seems quite happy sleeping on the floor and in the past has abandoned the bed.

We are awaiting the results of Alex’s grade 4 exam in the trumpet which he took recently.  I was very proud of both of them. I couldn’t help but reflect that neither opportunity occurred when I was young although as I’m hopelessly unmusical perhaps that was just as well. I remember being tested by the music teacher in my second senior school year. He pronounced me tone deaf but kindly said he was sure I had other qualities.

Annette is slightly musical in that she can play piano but our own children didn’t show any interest or ability.

PS Alex not only passed his Grade 4 but achieved a “distinction”