Placement Students’ Reflections and Poetry

This term we’ve been lucky enough to host two placement students, Amy and Hannah. It’s been great having their support and also knowing they’ve got lots out of their time with us.

Hannah’s beautiful reflections about her placement with UL

I recall thinking about my own experiences, travelling on the underground. Having studied and worked in London, living in Coventry, I would sometimes catch a late tube home. The underground would often start to feel oppressive and uncomfortable. Descending down, metres upon metres of separation forming between myself and the world above… it’s easy to feel vulnerable. 

It clicked. This isn’t an isolated feeling. This isn’t a feeling that is mine, alone. We can all, on some level, relate. Whether it be a sense of isolation in a crowded place, or perhaps finding ourselves heading deeper and deeper down into shadowy uncertainty. We have all found ourselves, metaphorically or literally, searching for that reassuring warm glow, the comforting flicker of illumination in the darkness, the underground lights. 

This is exactly what Underground Lights Community Theatre represents, as one member told me, ‘We all have our own individual journeys, we get to know each others stories, and we just support each other’. Underground Lights provides an unclouded space for people to share and connect, and to shine a light on their creativity, in a way that works for them. There’s an undeniable sense of belonging shared by all the members I met, radiating through the heart of the theatre they make, and the community that they’ve created. 

Spending time with Underground Lights, I’ve grown not only in my knowledge, but in my certainty that community theatre is integral to our society. The team at Underground Lights are filled with joy, kindness, and an unwavering commitment to working collaboratively alongside members to shape high quality theatre and creative experiences. 

One thing is for sure, there is an abundance of light at the end of this tunnel, and I look forward to watching Underground Lights continue to shine on.

Amy and members acting together

Amy wrote this lovely poem about her time with UL –

Underground Lights is such a special place,
No matter your background, your culture, your gender, or race,
You’re supported and challenged
With creativity, and care,
Something special lives here,
Something that’s quite rare.
In this room you’re free to roam,
To be yourself where the people feel like home.

Drama and movement, music and song,
We are all human beings, and sometimes we can get it wrong,
But most of the time, here, I think we get it right,
Thank you for bringing me into an underground world that you’ve, through performance, kindness, and humour, illuminated with light.