Samuel is in the Spotlight
Shows: How to Succeed…, Grease, Oklahoma, Annie, Urinetown, Guys & Dolls, The Humans, Fiddler on the Roof.
I’m currently writing this on the plane back to London, where I am in my second year of a bachelor’s degree in Economics at University College London. Although my studies are becoming more challenging and, to my dismay, I’m spending more time in the library than in the pub, I’m really enjoying the whole process.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve moved to the other side of the fourth wall, taking on the role of the spectator. Being so close to the West End, I’ve had the chance to see quite a few plays and musicals. A notable highlight was Nicholas Hytner’s immersive adaptation of Guys and Dolls, where I found myself forgetting too many of my old lines to be able to give Nathan any notes on his delivery.
I spent considerably more hours in school than at YATS; however, I believe YATS is where I did a large part of my learning. I learned a sense of responsibility as a 14-year-old trusted with playing a century-old president. I learned the importance of friendship, having to rely on each other every night. I learned to accept setbacks when I missed my cues or rhythm while practicing countless fugues. I learned how to balance work ethic and creativity when switching between backstage technical details and onstage dancing. And even though much of this learning was unconscious, I carry all of these skills and lessons, and the friendships formed through them, into my everyday life, and hopefully will for a long time to come.
