This year The Rusty Frog Youth Theatre Group celebrates its 10th birthday in Skibbereen’s Uillin West Cork Arts Centre.

BY TERRI LEIBER

Although the youth drama group has been running for 25 years, it has only existed in its current form since moving to the purpose-built ‘rusty’ Arts Centre in the heart of Skibbereen.

The drama group was set up to be a safe place for young people who were not necessarily interested in the other activities, generally sport, on offer to them.

It offered somewhere that young people could access informal learning with ‘no stress and no pushing.’ And, most importantly could have fun.

The name ‘Rusty Frog’ was coined by the young actors and makes reference to both the building they meet in, and the irrepressible energy of the young actors themselves.

‘Rusty Frogs Juniors’ caters for national school children, while ‘The Rusty Frog’ serves secondary schoolers.

Drama activities are tailored to the preferences and skills of the respective age groups, but are also sensitive to the needs of each individual.

Rusty Frog has always taken ‘inclusion’ as one of its core values and this is evidenced by the wonderful diversity of young people who take part in its programme every year.

This writer worked with the Rusty Frogs as a facilitator for a number of years, and learned so much from them about the different and fascinating ways we all process the world.

Making theatre in a safe, creative space with a group of young people who are up for anything and constantly surprising you is a privilege.

It is often a liberating and life changing experience for the young people too.

Pádraig Harrington is one young person who was a standout Rusty Frog and is now studying English and Drama at UCC, and is a leader on the Rusty Frog Youth Theatre Committee.

As a neurodivergent individual, he has spoken of having ‘struggled with socialisation and self-confidence’ in the past, but that his participation in Rusty Frog drama projects resulted in him, ‘making new friends and gaining a greater sense of value.’

Many youngsters have now passed through Rusty Frog and onto lives and careers based around film or theatre, or simply enriched by their time there.

The Southern Star spoke with Lyndon Southern and Tessa Lally, two former Junior Rusty Frogs, now both in first year in Skibbereen Community School, who were very enthusiastic about their experiences.

Lyndon describes acting as a ‘hobby’, but has always given himself wholeheartedly to any drama game, role-play or full blown production that has come his way and admits that the joy of it for him is that ‘I can express myself’.

Tessa, on the other hand would very much like to be a professional actor and travels to train with CADA in Cork each Saturday, and has performed with a number of theatre groups already.

She discovered the ‘thrill of acting’ during her time at Rusty Frog and is certainly a local star- in-the -making.

Saoirse Canty, now in her final year at East 15 drama school in the UK, says, ‘I made loads of friends there, people who I never would’ve met otherwise.

The skills I learned at Rusty Frog definitely helped me with getting into drama school.’ Saoirse is again a name to watch in the (not too distant) future!

Aside from the students who go on to become household names, like Megan Cusack from Call the Midwife, the vast majority of Rusty Frogs simply have great craic, and gain in confidence, self-esteem and empathy.