Head of Young People’s Work Jan Sharkey-Dodds updates us on what’s going on in her department…
The wettest June on record, but all is sunny here in the Young People’s Office.
We have our wonderful Omar and Michael here on Work Experience from school. We have known them for over 5 years as youth theatre members and now Spoken Word artists in their own right.
It’s great to see our young people grow into confident artists. They make themselves at home here in the Theatre and chat to staff with ease and respect. It is a joy to have them around.
In the last few weeks we have re-organised our office to accommodate the Stage Management team. We will soon be Nigeria House and they need their office space. It’s a bit cramped, but never a dull moment. It’s been an insight into the world of Stage Management.
Last week Meral l and I went to Gallions Primary school as part of their Creative Festival. We had a great time doing a ‘Spontaneous Stories’ workshop with children and their families. This is where you take the childrens ideas and instantly create a story together, in the moment, incorporating their ideas as the story evolves. You never know what story will be created; we flew to the Moon, travelled to the future, looked after baby pigs and found a magic stone in Egypt; all in just one day.
Had an inspirational time last night with our Young Workshop leaders – they are all interested in developing their skills as workshop facilitators. We explored Teacher in Role- a technique I am passionate about and first experienced it with the legendary Dorothy Heathcote, a woman very much missed. We need her intelligence and nurturing nature back into the education debate.
I am constantly amazed by the miracle of thinking about how a dramatic idea can, in an instant, become that of carrying it into action. There is a world of difference between someone in the class saying, ‘Well they would take all their belongings with them’ and saying, ‘Let’s pack up and leave’. Dorothy Heathcote
Off to another meeting now – to discuss Community Engagement …. does that not mean working with local people?
