Read all about Callie-May's experiences with the Torch Youth Theatre

Callie-May is a member of the Torch Youth Theatre here at the Torch. Her journey with Torch Youth started when she was around eight years old. Read below to see how much Callie-May has enjoyed attending these creative sessions ….

I can say first-hand how brilliant the Torch Youth is for all age groups. You get to meet people from all walks of life and get to interact with the other age groups which is brilliant as you get to learn new things from people who are younger and older. Torch Youth has grown my confidence so much over the past few years and has been a huge inspiration within Pembrokeshire's young people to keep the art of acting alive.

Within the start of the September term 2023 group four (ages 14-18) started a play called ‘Replica’ given to us by the National Theatre Connections. This was an amazing experience for me and the rest of the group as we performed three nights in the Torch studio at the Torch Theatre and we’ll also be performing this in the Aberystwyth Arts Centre in April which is a brilliant opportunity for us. At the end of the opening night, we got interviewed by an employee from the National Theatre Connections who we gave feedback to. This was a great experience as we got to know their feedback but also give our own feedback to them about how we felt we did to perhaps help them in the future. This was fun as we got to speak to an adult who is involved with theatre as a career and I enjoyed hearing his thoughts.

On a weekly basis, group four meets up on a Wednesday night from 7:30 pm till 9:30pm, some Wednesdays consist of reading through scripts or learning about a show but other days sees us learning about different theatre style. For instance, back in December we learnt about verbatim theatre and helped do some interviews for Ceri Ashes’ play that happened recently. But some days we enjoy being with local theatre friends and play drama games such as ‘killford slayven’ - one of my personal favourites. If you can tell by the name, it is about Milford Haven and is a murder mystery game (Tim’s very proud of the name) but there are many other games to choose from and we also do a variation of teamwork exercises. Torch Youth is amazing if you want to make some new friends or even just have some fun with a group of people with the same interest.

If you're looking to increase your confidence, meet new people and create new friendships and feel more comfortable within yourself, Torch Youth is something I recommend to you. Tim Howe is the ‘boss’ of the four groups and leads them on designated days. Tim really is an asset to Torch Youth and has created many successful Torch Youth shows which have been brilliant to be a part of. I am very much looking forward to the upcoming terms and future National Theatre Connections opportunities.