My Training & My Love of Theatre
Written by Catrin Jones
Catrin Jones is The Center's acting teacher and director of our Youth Theatre Ensemble. Originally from Wales, she studied BA (Hons) Acting at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. In this series she explores what ensemble theatre is and why it matters for young performers, and gives an insight into what the Youth Theatre Ensemble at The Center will look like.
Acting Class at The Center
My journey with theatre began when I was very young. Growing up in Wales, I was always involved in community drama groups and youth theatre, attending Stagecoach Swansea as well as the Young Actors Studio at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. It was there that my love of youth theatre was truly born. I experienced first hand how transformative a creative space can be for young people, not only as a place to develop performance skills but also as a place to build confidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging.
Following this, I was fortunate enough to gain a place on the BA (Hons) Acting course at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, where I trained for three years. Alongside actor training, one aspect of the course that had a particularly profound impact on me was playwriting.
As part of our end of year assessments, we were required to create our own original work. In first year, this involved writing, directing, and performing in a twenty minute play. In second year, the challenge expanded to a twenty five minute piece. These works were presented in a festival style setting alongside the creations of around 40 fellow actors. It was an incredibly fruitful and rewarding experience, albeit initially totally daunting! I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity and space to perform my own words in this way. It taught me the value of generating your own material and trusting your own creative voice, as well as just going for it. To begin, all you have to do is get your ideas down, and put pen to paper!
This process also sparked my love of playwriting. I realised that if you have ideas you want to put on a page, you can and you should. As scary as it might seem, writing for theatre is one of the most accessible creative outlets available. The experience of creating original work from nothing and being a part of it as it came to life in front of an audience remains one of the most valuable parts of my training.
After graduating, I moved to London to pursue acting professionally and began auditioning and working as an actor. In July 2023, I relocated to Berlin and quickly fell in love with what I believe is one of the most creative cities in the world. Berlin's international theatre scene has continually inspired me and has allowed me to experience theatre from entirely new perspectives.
My Love of Theatre
What I love most about theatre is its ability to bring people together.
Growing up in Wales, I was deeply inspired by Welsh theatre and the incredible work being produced there. The Sherman Theatre played a particularly important role in shaping my understanding of what theatre could achieve. I was especially influenced by playwrights such as Gary Owen and Kath Chandler, whose plays demonstrated the power of storytelling to explore complex subjects.
Two productions that left a lasting impression on me were 'Iphigenia in Splott' by Gary Owen and 'Bird' by Kath Chandler. They showed me that theatre has a special ability to teach us about the world around us, and just how powerful a tool the stage can be. I watched both of these plays for the first time when I was a teenager, and I can remember almost every moment of the two.
My love of theatre has continued to evolve since moving to Berlin. In particular, I have found myself reconnecting with musical theatre, which was one of my earliest introductions to the performing arts. Through companies such as Encore! Musicals Berlin, I have rediscovered the joy, energy, and community that musical theatre can create.
Whether through straight plays, devised work, youth theatre, or musicals, what continues to excite me most is theatre's ability to connect. It creates a space where stories can be shared, voices can be heard, and big feelings can be felt on all levels. I truly don't think it gets much more beautiful than that.
For all of these reasons, I am incredibly excited to be leading The Center Youth Ensemble and creating a new piece of theatre alongside its members. Youth theatre played a hugely important role in my own creative journey, and the opportunity to help young people develop their storytelling skills feels extremely meaningful to me. Combining my background in acting and playwriting, along with the spirit of this programme, I am really looking forward to guiding the ensemble as we create an original production that is imaginative, ambitious, and a reflection of the young people involved.