DECEMBER CREATIVE LEARNING ROUND-UP
Crewe Lyceum worked alongside Thunder Road Theatre over the past few months to organise and deliver specialist workshops to local schools and colleges, connecting to their current production Shock Horror. Thunder Road Theatre offered free workshops that explored puppetry, devising, illusion and multimedia, to encourage schools to then book tickets to see the show. Over 130 students took part!
Members from Crewe Lyceum’s Junior and Senior Youth Theatres have been working towards an Arts Award Qualification over the past six months, thanks to funding from the #iwill Social Action Fund. The qualifications are run by Trinity College London and through the award the young people created an original piece of theatre, researched into an arts organisation and artist, reviewed an arts event and shared what they learnt with others.
Bromley Churchill Theatre Creative Learning Department have delivered TWO sell out Co-Productions! Puss in Boots – A Christmas Adventure working with Storymakers Productions is a brand-new accessible show for audiences aged 2+ and all performances offer a relaxed environment and a wonderful introduction to theatre for little ones and their families. Marble Cake with Chequered Theatre Company is a striking new play tackling issues of multi-ethnic identity, abandonment, and family power dynamics. Launched initially as part of Black History Month celebrations, the sold-out run was a powerful, emotionally charged experience for everyone involved.
Bromley Marble Cake 
Bromley Puss in Boots
White Rock Theatre’s Tiddlers took to the stage at Priory Meadow shopping centre, for their Christmas family fun day. They got a huge crowd feeling festive, with their excellent performance. Aged just 4-8, but with the performance skills of peers far beyond their age, the Tiddlers brought Christmas cheer across the town centre.
This past month saw Southend Theatres Parent and Toddler and Tiny Palace Youth Theatres take part in the annual Southend Festival of Performing Arts. Both groups entered the Speech and Drama section of the festival, performing choral speaking and musical pieces, with our Parent and Toddler group taking home gold!
With the festive season in full swing, Southend Theatres re-launched their annual ‘12 Days of Christmas Choirs’ project in collaboration with Southend City Council and many local schools. They are joined by a range of primary schools in the Cliffs Pavilion café to perform a variety of Christmas carols and festive favourites to friends, family, and customers.
Andy Binks from the Swindon Society ran a Memory Café remembrance session looking at Swindon throughout the years through photographs.
Swindon Theatres first sessions of Memory Move have had great feedback. Run by the fabulous Jade Carrol, participants take part in seated exercises of the body and mind.
Swindon Theatres have also been invited to design and make a reindeer for the Swindon Reindeer Trail. The event will take place over December and is for families to walk around the town collecting the different letters to eventually create a word.
Swindon Memory Move 
Swindon Reindeer!
Wycombe Swan’s studio space, the Old Town Hall, came alive to the sight and sounds of over 100 young people on 12 November for auditions for their first Spring Youth Project since 2020 – Les Misérables School Edition. The team were blown away by the enthusiasm and energy of auditionees which include 10 applicants coming on board to work backstage and fill key technical roles. Rehearsals are in January, with production week and 3 shows taking place in February Half Term.
