There’s lots of exciting initiatives happening in the world of Creative Learning this month.

WEST END EXPERIENCE

Since 2012, the Easter holidays at the White Rock Theatre mean only one thing……… WEST END EXPERIENCE & West End Weenies!!

95 young people aged 4 to 18 attend the venue’s Easter Youth Project each year, taking part in a five day extravaganza of acting, singing, dancing and filming workshops with West End professionals culminating in a final concert style show on the main auditorium stage.

In addition to working with West End Experience’s professional creative team, this year the young people had the privilege of working with Justin Thomas, Amber Kennedy, Chiarina Woodall on workshops of Hairspray, Newsies, Wicked and Grease and then performing with Sam Toland in their final show.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

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Creative Learning Bromley took part in the National Theatre Connections Festival from September 2022 -April 2023 touring to the Tramshed in Woolwich.

Over 1,000 companies from across the UK apply for NT Connections each year, and 350 groups are selected to take part. A total of 10 scripts are commissioned and companies are invited to choose two which they wish to perform. They are then given one of their selected plays and are nominated a partner theatre.

Following a Director’s Weekend with playwrights and visiting NT Directors, the companies then rehearse their chosen play and perform it at their ‘home’ venue followed by a performance at their partner theatre. These are completed by the end of May. This is followed by a festival at The National Theatre, where one version of each of the 10 plays is selected to perform; and the remaining companies are invited to attend.

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Figures at a glance:

• Total of 19 young people involved in project.
• 2 performances
• 72 hours of rehearsal
• Audience figures of 182
• Number of partner organisations involved: 3
• Number of planets exploding: 1

SOUTHEND PALACE THEATRE HEROES

Southend Theatres has been running events for the Caedmon Company under the Creative Learning programme at the Palace Theatre.

The Caedmon Company use creative writing, theatre and drama to originate and deliver arts-based learning programmes designed to broaden horizons and help improve the well-being and empowerment of children and young people, in particular those who may be considered socially disadvantaged and/or vulnerable in educational and community settings.

The venue’s flagship programme The Hero’s Journey is an innovative and aspirational arts-based learning programme that uses the art of storytelling and performance to help children and young people learn new personal and interpersonal skills that broaden horizons via engaging and exciting creative workshops with professional artists.

Historically, the ‘hero’s journey’ is a universal template of stories used by many different cultures and faiths around the world. No matter who tells the story, it will always involve a hero who goes on a quest, is victorious in a decisive crisis and comes home changed or transformed.

Over the course of the academic school year, Caedmon, mentors a group of 6 children every 6 weeks in creating a piece of theatre/art/performance to perform on a professional stage provided by Trafalgar Theatres at the Palace Theatre in Southend.

The children who will take part in the programmes have been identified as socially disadvantaged and may also have been exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs include household dysfunction and parental divorce, multiple home moves, poverty, bereavement in the family, COVID, and on the more extreme end include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, emotional and physical neglect, caregiver mental illness, household violence and substance abuse.

The programmes offer these children and young people a chance to take part in energising sessions of creative writing and performance in aspirational settings, safely exploring their unique life experiences and social and cultural identities, and learning new personal and interpersonal skills, alongside opportunities for new cultural experiences. Being exposed to such things will reduce the risk of ACEs from developing into long-term mental health issues and anti-social behaviour.

BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT STAR!

On Saturday, Hastings White Rock Theatre’s very own Summer Youth Project superstar, Myles performed as part of the talented musical theatre boy band BOYCANTO on Britain’s Got Talentand got through to the next round with four incredible votes of YES from the judges! Everyone at Hastings is rooting for the boys and following their amazing journey! Myles mum says, “after being a ‘Bad Guy’ in Bugsy Malone last year, he wanted to do more musical theatre and being part of SYP gave him the confidence to audition for Boycanto.” You can catch Myles in the White Rock’s forthcoming production of Wizard of Oz in August!