Whoop.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

-- Eleanor Roosevelt


This weekend we are hosting a massive training weekend at the theatre for nearly 100 youth theatre practitioners, artists and teachers called Skill Up. The event is part of the core programme of the excellent Edinburgh-based organisation Promote YT, who work tirelessly to develop, grow and strengthen the sector through a combination of advocating for us and delivering training, networking and performance projects throughout the year.

For me, the whole event is about finding new sparks of inspiration for my work, and it is because of this that I have attended every single Skill Up since it began nearly a decade ago! I think I should get some kind of special honorary medal!!!

A big theme this year is about risk-taking, going out of your comfort zone, trying new things, and about how you can work with that vulnerability both in yourself and with your youth theatre members. It is about ownership of work, generating material and how to frame that in both your social and your artistic contexts.

There were scary parts in the workshops, but I have to say there wasn't anything really more scary than the evening ceilidh. Talk about a way to destroy yourself!

Time to catch some zzzz's in time for more hard work and fun tomorrow!