Today I did something I haven't done in over a decade, I watched the Gosport Gang Show from the audience - not from the box, or on stage, or through a screen in a dressing room. This is the first year I can remember where I had no idea what was going to be in the show, and absolutely no involvement whatsoever, and I must say it was quite refreshing.
Watching a Gang Show can always be a bit, cheesy... because of the traditionalist ideas of boys in shorts and Ralph Reader songs that go on (and on and on), combined with sketches with bad punchlines and the stage hand who gets spotted. What you have to remember when you are watching a Gang Show is that the show is just a mask and a guise for something much more special and magical. Scouting.
As a Youth Worker, I have been lucky enough to deliver my own projects - the one I am most proud of is the Rock Challenge. I worked with 14 teenage boys, and one teenage girl, all of whom were in some way "disengaged" or a bit of a "square peg in a round hole". We worked together for 9 months to produce an entry for the Rock Challenge Youth Division, from finding funding to having the after show party - we went through it ALL. It was a very stressful time, and whilst I have a hard earned degree in Drama and Education, my choreography and dance skills leave a lot to be desired - however we plodded through together, choreographing and making costumes, painting set and cutting music - we did it, as a team.
This brings me back to the gang show - yes there are lights, there are costumes, there is music and dance, but what is the most important measure of the show? Is it breaking the box office record? Is it getting as many VIPs to visit as possible? Is it how many new costumes the costume mistress can sew? I believe not. The greatest measure of the show might not be seen for many years to come, but to me it is the impact that taking part in something positive can have on a young persons life.
Watching the show tonight there was a song that I remember singing in my first show, when I was just 10 years old, wearing the same costume and with the same amount of nervousness about myself that some of the young people showed tonight. Funny to imagine that the first show I ever did was a gang show, and that I would go on to get a degree in Drama having written and performed my own material. It made me wonder what exactly I got from the gang show without even realising it at the time - commitment, passion, confidence, a sense of belonging, friendship. All these things that shaped me through my teenage years into who I am today.
I have heard argument about whether gang show is "proper scouting", and whilst I appreciate I have a degree of bias, I would say of course it is. Anything that can give you the tools to develop the necessary skills for adult life, and do it with a scarf round your neck - well, of course it is scouting. Scouting is flexible and the magi of it is that it comes in many forms, I am often ribbed by my network friends because "Fi's kind of scouting is meetings, her sense of adventure is buying new paperclips" (and yes that may be true). However isn't it marvellous that we as an organisation can fit so many young people in, and adapt to suit their needs and wants? My brother, he likes kayaking, he can do it in scouts. My mum, she likes sewing, she can do it for the gang show. Me, I like notebooks, I can use them in meetings!
The other wondrous thing about Scouting, that baffles me even now, are the leaders. How incredible are these people, who volunteer their time to do something for young people. For example, Bill, the producer of Gosport Gang Show - he has been producing the show for 35 years, and each year the cast is made up of 100 people, with probably another hundred backstage and helping in the run up to the show. Imagine the amount of impact that Bill has had on people's lives, and he might not even know it! I myself was part of the gang show, and loved it. Now I sit around the table at county core team meetings, and on the national Board of Trustees, as well as on the Youth for Change WOSM group. Would I be here if it wasn't for the leadership and trust that was put into me as a young person by people like Bill? Probably not. I gained confidence and responsibility, as well as commitment and teamwork by being in the gang show. I am just one of the thousands of young people whose lives have been changed by the Gosport Gang Show.
So I would argue, the good measure of a show is not in the applause or tickets sold, but rather in the personal development and distance travelled by the young people taking part in this life changing experience - they might take 12 years to realise it (just as I did) but trust me they will, and they will be thankful to all the Bill's out there who are changing lives week in, week out, every year. I would call them the "unsung heros" of society.
On this occasion, I would like to add my congratulations to Bill on being awarded a Silver Acorn, and also my congratulations and thanks to all the adults who are making the Gang Show possible for young people today. You are all truly amazing and doing an incredible job, local scouting is where the magic happens and Gosport is very blessed to have such a diverse range of options available to it's young people.
The Gosport Gang Show is running until Saturday at the Fernham Hall, Fareham - http://www.gosportgangshow.co.uk/ It's another brilliant and very professional show, taking you through a wide range of music and dance, as well as a big dollop of catharsis. You will leave feeling refreshed, happy, and hopefully proud to have been a part of it.
