WILD YOUTH

Catherine Ireton. On tour in the Lake district UK.

There is a great line in the play I am working on at the moment In Praise of Elephants, where the main character is asked to sign in a registration, “it’s about knowing who you are sir.” He response, “No thanks, I know who I am.”

I have really loved this rehearsal process- although it was super short (17 days!) and a wild ride- it has affirmed my love of new work and developing a new script by banging several heads together in the space.

Both main characters, Roxie and Aubrey are at odds with their domesticated surroundings, searching for purpose, identity and longing to be wild.  Their experiences run parallel although at opposite ends of the life spectrum, Aubrey is in his 60s and Roxie is 23.

The Elephants crew taking a dip on tour in the Lake district (Catherine Ireton, Mick Strobel and Tamsin Withers)

Now that I can reflect on my own experience of being 23,  for me it was the age when the fairytale shattered.  Up until that point I thought I knew who I was, where I was going and what I needed to do.  And now I know there is always so much more I don’t know, but it is no longer unsettling.

This is a song called being 23 from the show In Praise of Elephants sung by Catherine Ireton playing Roxie.

I don’t feel like you need to look very far at all to find inspiration or stories commenting on this turbulant phase of growing up.  I find so much wisdom and inspiration in the young female voice as I guess this is where my heart is currently tuned…

Youth by Daughter

We are the reckless, we are the wild youth

Chasing visions of our futures…

And if you’re in love then you are the lucky one cause most of us are bitter over someone

Setting fire to our insides for fun, to distract our hearts from ever missing them

On The Radio by Regina Spektor

This is how it works
You’re young until you’re not
You love until you don’t
You try until you can’t
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else’s heart
Pumping someone else’s blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don’t get harmed
But even if it does
You’ll just do it all again

She by Laura Mvula