IMAGINE A place where youth can work on a production
based on their own ideas which reflect their interests and
concerns. It exists. It’s called Vancouver Youth Theatre.

Founded in 1983, Vancouver
Youth Theatre, or VYT as it is
affectionately Known, is for peo-
ple between the ages of five and
24, They work in a creative part-
nership with adult professionals to
develop their skills in all areas of
theatre. Courses are also offered,
from playbuilding to acting for
the fens.

One of the central ideas of the‘

youth theatre is playbuilding. In a
sort of brainstorming session (with
no censorship) actors toss out
‘their ideas and interests, discuss
them with the group, improvise
and research and — voila — a
play is born!

Some of the topics VYT has
tackled include: the environment,
pressure on youth; substance
abuse; and family relations.
~ “Anyone can join, «adults and
youth,’”’ says Craig Laven, general
manager for VYT. Besides acting
in productions and taking theatre
classes, ‘‘There’s a little back
stage work, a little costume work,
no sets usually, but we need help
with ushering and front of
house.’”

West Vancouver’s Margot
Finley, age 13, has been acting
with VYT for two years now. She
likes it ‘‘Because it’s just kids,
and a wide range of kids. It’s kind

of fun to meet people of different

ages,"’ she says, after spending all
day in school with people the
same age.

Finley is performing in the cast
of No Makeup, which includes
two other North Shore people,
15-year-old Julia Churchard, of
North Vancouver, and 16-year-old
Taryn O’Neill of West Vancouver,
who joined VYT in September
after retiring from ice dancing
competition.

No Makeup, which has an ali-
female cast ranging in age from 11
to 16, plays on December 5 at the
Frederic Wood Theatre.

it is a play about growing up
female. Says Julia Churchard, a
four-year VYT veteran, ‘‘I’ve re-
ally learned a lot about myself as

LAST WEEK we asked if peo-
ple thought it mattered how
Magic Johnson contracted the
AIDS virus. Some media
members were criticizing
Johnson for being evasive
about how he contracted the
virus. They said that it would
help the AIDS public
awareness campaign if Johnson
clarified he got the virus from
heterosexual sex.

Yes, I think it is important.
Graham, Handsworth.

No, that would be tapping into
his personal life.

VYVVVVVVVVYY

By Barbara Black
News Reporter

a female doing the show.”*

The 13 actors will present their
ideas within a variety of dramatic
forms. They will act out a fairy
tale to show how women are por-
trayed as stereotypes; show in
dance and movement how women
were created at the beginning of
time; and deliver a short
monologue on a prominent
woman.

Finley chose Harriet Tubman as
her monologue for the play. ‘‘She
was a slave who escaped to
Canada. in 1874 she was eight,’’
which is the age Finley plays her
in the show. Churchard chose to
portray flamboyant black singer
Josephine Baker. Other women
portrayed include Yoko Ono,
Helen Keller and Anne Frank.

VYT’s other show this season
also inctudes two North Shore
people, Liberty Mulkani and
Tomoko Sato. Canadian Stories is
a musical based on the experiences
of young English as a Second
Language students. The stories are
all true.

When the play was performed
in schools the group got lots of
fan mail from both students and
teachers. One letter writer said
“When 1 saw your play ...1 felt
like I actuaity belonged some
piace and that there was a mean-
ing for me being in this world
because I went through some of
the things that happened in your
play.’’

That’s what it’s all about. Plays
written by youth, for youth.

And, Laven agrees, there’s
something about the theatre that
brings a message across much
clearer. ‘‘It's more immediate —
you can’t turn away from it,’’ he
remarks.

If you are interested in finding
out more about Vancouver Youth
Theatre or in seeing their shows
on December 5, call 738-8030.

No, I don’t think so. H's none
of uur business. Catherine.

I don’t really care how ae got
it, man. The point is he got it
and he admitted it aad it took
@ lot of power to do that.

' don’t really care how he did
it.

Yes. I
Natasha.

think he should.

I don’t think it’s really impor-
tant how he got it, just how
he’s gonna get rid of it.

No, I don’t think so.
Catherine. Grade six.

Yes, everybody should know.
He has to explain why he left
the team. Ellen, Grade six.

I think it’s sort of weird that
he said publicly that Se had it
and then he was really weird
about getting asked how, so he
tooks sort of dishonest, and
that doesn’t help anybody.

DILLON

+ 1991 Tabune Media Seonces, Ie.
All Rignts Hesatved

HEADS UP-
HERE COMES
THE CLASS

BOLLy—
ARMPIT.

SEE? WITH THIS
PIECE OF CLAY,
I MADE A

LITTLE KITTY!

Friday, November 22, 1991 - North Shore News - 23
VYVVVVVVVVVVVVVVYVVVVYVY
This week’s question:
Do you think
Michael Jackson’s
video should
be censored?

§$80-KID

GR owl-byet

HEy... L DONT
DO NUMIN /

.-- AND WITH THIS
PIECE OF CLAY, I
A HUGE STEAM

I MADE
ROLLER!

=

: NEWS phoio Noll Lucente
HORSING AROUND during a break in rehearsals for No Makeup are Taryn O’Neill of West Van-
couver, Margot Finley of West Vancouver and Julia Churchard of North Vancouver. The trio are
acting in a Vancouver Youth Theatre production about what it’s like growing up femate.

HE'S So ORNERY, THAT WHEN HIS

MOM AND DAD SAW HIM oFF To
ScHeot THE FIRST DAY, THEY
WERE THE CNLY PARENTS AT

THE GUS SPP "HIGH FIVING”

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