The big two-five. Wow. That is a big number. To think that Thursday rehearsals have been a thing for that long is mind blowing. With 25 years of experience up her sleeve, I’m surprised Rebecca hasn’t been crowned World Champion of ‘Woosh!’ yet. I’m not, however, surprised that First Bite Youth Theatre is turning 25 this year, considering the number of lives it and it’s leading lady, Madame Rebecca Kilbey, has benefited.
As a considerably shy individual on first joining the Junior Youth Theatre group at the age of nine, I would go red whenever it was my turn to give my news at the beginning of the week’s session. Sometimes I even opted for the “no news” trick. Flashforward a number of months and somehow I had enough confidence to get up on stage at Kirk o’Field Church and deliver lines to an audience of friends and family members who came to support us. With every other child or young person she has taught, Rebecca pushed me in each role I played, whether it was failing Italian musician Emilio, or the hated WWII soldier that was Oscar Graham, or even a moving filing cabinet, there wasn’t a part that bored me.
And it’s not just about making stars out of us all, Rebecca taught us how to work as part of a team in all of the ensemble work we did. The movement pieces were always my favourite part of the show, because we all shared a space together and were part of something special. Maybe we couldn’t see it at the time, but our parents saw the transformation and discipline instilled in us to learn lines and be prepared for rehearsals, qualities that continue to influence us beyond our time in the group.Acting alongside my friends was the reason Thursday after school was the highlight of my week. I still laugh when I think back to Jack Capener needing a prompt when all of his lines in the scene were “woobly”, and Katie Brown knocking down a fence and gracefully moving on with her classic, “Oh, deary me!”.
We all have such fond memories of our time in the group. The number of former members who continually return to see the shows, long after they have left the group, demonstrates the impact FBYT and Rebecca had on their lives. We owe so much to Rebecca, a mentor and friend as much as our Director. Happy 25th Birthday, First Bite, and many congratulations, Rebecca.
Will Roach (2007 – 2015)
