About
Enriching the learning of young people and teachers
'Theatre Centre performed an electrifying piece of issue based theatre accessed by enthralled RS, Geography and drama students. The follow up workshop provided the perfect stimulus for a dramatic enquiry unit around the theme of refugees and asylum seekers.'
Headteacher, Lipson Community College on the enrichment workshops for Under a Foreign Sky
'The children thoroughly enjoyed it. An electively mute child actually began speaking during one of the role-plays! She has been speaking ever since. The children produced some lovely writing and we would be very interested in doing further projects.'
Year 2 Teacher, Berger Primary School, Hackney - on the Horizons 2011 programme
Every new piece of writing that we commission and develop has a powerful story to tell and is a means of tapping into the most pressing and immediate topics of our times. Each play is a rich resource for exploring the world, shedding new light on challenging and complex issues and providing a holistic learning experience for young people.
Through our education programme, we want to ensure the experience of the performance goes deeper and further. During the development of a new play, we want our audiences to help shape our work by taking part in our projects. Once the play reaches performance stage, we want to extend the experience of the play and make sure its impact is meaningful and memorable.
The mission of the Education Department is shaped by these dual ambitions, through our two main strands of work: In Development and In Performance.
In Development: Once the subject of a commission has been originated, we design projects that open up the topics and ideas in the play. The seeds of the commission are scattered across the country, taking root in many different ways and finding expression in the voices of hundreds of young people.
These projects will always be connected to the developing play. They ensure that the ideas being explored by the writer are illuminated with young people’s creativity and dynamism. This involvement of the young people brings fresh perspectives to the writer and the explorations made at this stage help shape the development of the writing.
In Performance: We believe that bringing professional productions directly to schools is a powerful way of improving learning on many levels. In our performance packages, we offer different options of extending and deepening the learning experiences of the play. These include enrichment workshops for students and CPD opportunities for teachers in a variety of subjects.
Theatre can make a real difference to a young person’s personal development, but it can also address clear academic needs. Our productions support National Curriculum requirements across a range of subjects through live engagement and sustained provision through full digital resources.