As part of the Artswork Strong Voices programme, Hilary Strong delivered a ‘Making Theatre – Gaining Skills’ workshop to our Vocational Skills for Work students recently.

Hilary worked with the students to create a theatre performance as part of their Arts Award training. The students took part in two creative sessions with Hilary in order to decide the theme of the production, which needed to be suitable for young children. The group created a play titled ‘Will Jack Frost ruin Christmas?’

The theatre workshop was a great challenge for the students, getting them involved in the scriptwriting, graphic design and scenic art.  The students enjoyed building the theatre, painting the backdrops, creating costumes and props, managing technical lighting and sound recording.

The workshop emphasised the importance of teamwork and problem solving, and encouraged the students to collaborate on artistic ideas and commit to the competition of a task. It was also a great opportunity for the students to gain an understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in a large theatre.

Commenting on the week spent working with the students, Hilary said “It has been a very satisfying week working with a group of learners who have no experience in theatre. We have taught the students about working in teams, learning to problem solve and taking responsibility for a task – all qualities that employers are looking for.”

The students thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and performed ‘Will Jack Frost ruin Christmas?’ to a small audience at the end of the week.