I suppose it was Jill who first told us about the
workshops, towards the end of similar workshops we’d been doing with her
already. When I say “us”, I mean the three of us, all retired teachers who’d
become friends working as Audio Describers for the New Vic. I’m not sure I
would have been brave enough to join in without my friends. I wasn’t sure about
being filmed either, but you do get used to the camera being there and ignore
it after a while. Maybe I became more confident.
It’s been something I’ve looked forward to on Monday
evenings. I’ve met lots of interesting people I didn’t know before. Many of the
others had been coming to the Vic for longer than I have. There were people who
worked for the Vic as actors or behind the scenes as part of the creative team,
besides volunteers and audience members. Team work and being creative is an
enduring feature of the Vic and we experienced it too by improvising ways to
show the results of our discussions dramatically. For me it was a completely
different way of thinking. I could see why this sort of activity works so well
in developing empathy – a sense of how other people feel.
It was great when some of the Youth Theatre joined us.
How inspiring to see their energy, enthusiasm, and confidence. Talking, let
alone working, with teenagers is something I rarely experience now. They were
always coming up with ideas and were so good at dramatising them.
Judy Tindall - Ages and Stages Theatre Company
