from shy to shining star …
When Ross first decided he would like to come and try out Hop Shed he appeared to be a very shy, quiet and young man; hating it if the focus was on him or anyone spoke to him in a group setting. Ross came every Friday, and would sit on the chair closest to the door, appearing disengaged. However, he was adamant that he wanted to come along. For about a year Ross would come every week without fail to sit and follow what was happening. He would watch intently, laughing and smiling about everything that happened but still refusing to stand up and take part. It was clear that Ross adored theatre, and in time was able to visit Chickenshed Theatre in London to see some performances there, and his love of ‘shows’ grew.
September 2016, Ross returned after our Summer break. The workshop began and Ross remained in his seat, until an exercise where partners were asked to ‘explore’ a cube of space in a stylistic way. Working with one of our creative directors, and proudly wearing his Hop Shed t-shirt, Ross began to explore the space. When asked if he would like to show his work to the rest of the group, he bravely said yes. In this very first workshop of the new term Ross showed us his ability and his commitment and desire to perform.
Since this time, Ross has taken part in all Hop Shed workshops and every Hop Shed presentation. He loves to tell stories and make people laugh; something we have embraced and encouraged. Ross has had leading roles in Hop Shed shows and has helped to develop all the work he has been involved in. He joins us every week without fail and participates as a very happy, confident, engaged, focussed, creative and cheeky(!) member of the group. Ross has now started to bring his iPad along to sessions, and is looking forward to using this to speak his lines in future performances. He is an integral member of Hop Shed and we are so happy that Ross has had the chance, not only to develop his own confidence and skills, but to have such a deep impact on us as a theatre company.