Back And In Soooo Much Pain!

France 2007 was actually not the bore fest that I had envisioned. Although the weather could have been better - especially in the South, where it was raining at apparently an odd time for that area - it turned out to be two and a bit weeks of chill time. I was able to relax a lot and even wrote quite a bit for my new "grown-up" novel. I didn't even speak that much French, which is kind of lucky because it was while I was listening to our neighbours that I realised just how much I had either forgotten from my school days or didn't know!

But, as all holidays must - except for those taken by the rich and who appear in CSI: Miami, whose lives are all one big holiday - ours had to end last Saturday. And so I was plunged head first back into the planning and preparation of something I've sweated about a lot this year but never really gone into detail about it here: AGYT, or to give it it's full name, Ash Green Youth Theatre.

This is a two week drama course where local teenagers get to work with a professional director, musical director and choreographer to create a piece of musical theatre. We take a text - this year's being Alice In Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass, and basically tear it into little tiny pieces. We create songs from it, sketches, dances, poems - some of them only bear a remote similarity with the text, others are taken straight from the author's pen.

We were founded three years ago by four eighteen year old's - including yours truly - and our oldest committee member now is only twenty-two. This is truly for young people by young people, which we feel adds to the attraction. Also, as it takes part at the end of our summer holidays here in the UK, it gives local kids something to do that's actually useful.

I am very proud of what we have achieved so far with AGYT and have big plans for our future. But, as I am still just young enough to take part in the course itself, I am also fairly shattered. So I shall sign off for now, and go and collapse on a nice comfy sofa.

Laters.