Nerves and excitement as Chichester Festival Youth Theatre take to the stage
Alex Solly and George Stanbridge are sharing the roles of Blitzen, Bear and Moodon the gingerbread maker Elf as Chichester Festival Youth Theatre bring A Boy Called Christmas to the Chichester stage this festive season.
The show, based on the book by Matt Haig and adapted for the stage by Philip Wilson, runs from December 15-31 – and for Alex and George it's a chance to return to the main house stage where they have previously appeared in youth theatre productions including Jungle Book.
“I thought that was really, really amazing,” says George, “and I did that with Alex but in a different role.”
As for the current production, as Alex says: “It is something new. I'd never heard of it before but it's just a lovely story and it's almost realistic because you can relate so much to the story of Father Christmas. It is quite nice to believe in Father Christmas. He's not real but you think he is and that means a kind of realism.”
George didn't know the book either: “But I knew the film. There was a film a couple of years ago and I watched it as a family and I really love the transitions between the scenes.”
He has been with the youth theatre since year 6: “I did my first show in 2022 which was The Wind In The Willows. I just really love the people and making new friends. It's just such a great way to band together with people and to develop really strong friendships with like-minded people because we've all got something in common that we can relate to. We all love the theatre.”
For George, age 15, a pupil in year 11 at Bishop Luffa School, the dream would definitely be to make a living in the world of acting or perhaps even directing: “I love the stuff that (CFYT director) Dale (Rooks) does, just watching her and seeing how she thinks of new ideas, and sometimes I think I would think love to do that. I just find myself thinking sometimes that that is what I would love to do.”
Alex, age 16, who is in the sixth form at Bishop Luffa, would also love to go into the business, musical theatre in particular: “I have just really enjoyed acting ever since I was young but musical theatre has really caught my eye since I've been doing these productions. I would love to do it for a living. I think when you're on stage you don't really clock it but when you're reflecting back on it you realise how fantastic it is. You're nervous before you go on stage and I think that's because you realise how exciting it is and how much energy it is and how much you want to be doing it. I think nerves just make you reflect on that excitement.”
Tickets from the CFT.