On Saturday I visited Theatretrain Romford and as I got out of the car I heard a voice, “Is that Kevin? You won’t remember me, but I was at Theatretrain in the beginning.” I did remember the name and although the face was a little different I could remember the young version! I did remember Serena (pictured).
I’ve often said that life is full of coincidences and here was another, it turned out her son performed last week at the Royal Albert Hall. Not only that but when I saw him later in class I realised he was also featured talking about performing in our shortly-to-be-released promo about our show work. Serena had happy memories of those days and told me that she was still in contact with some of her Theatretrain friends from 30 years ago.
I then visited the venue and came across Jack the singing teacher. I had heard he had been a great calming influence on show day and told him I thought he had done a good job. He then told me he remembered me because had been in a Theatretrain show when he was 9. Several people wrote to me saying they enjoyed watching their children in the show because it reminded them of when they were also involved years before – it brought back the memories.
My point is that things in life go around in circles and interconnect sometimes years later. I remembered that a couple of years ago I talked to a parent who was herself ex-student at Romford and found when she was dating her husband to be that they had both been in the same Theatretrain show but at different companies.
As a teacher, it’s rewarding to hear from past students . It’s nice to know how their lives turned out. I once had a job as a lecturer at a college and rediscovered one of my own teachers, a history teacher who really brought it alive for me. He was one of those crazy, enthusiastic people who swept you along in his own excitement for the subject. Now he was older and nearing retirement just doing a few hours a week. This was a sadder reminiscence. He told me that times had become harder for him, he’d lost his fire and spirit and found in the end that pupils ran rings round him. I was able to tell him that he had given me a love of history that I would never forget – he had inspired me. I saw the tears in his eyes. A week later he gave me a gift. He knew I was theatre person through and through and he gave me an ancient set of cigarette cards with famous actors of the 1920s and 30s – I still have it.
They say some things are meant to be and some people we are meant to meet again. I have no scientific evidence but for me there is something in it.
