Community Blog

Overall the performance went a lot better than expected. I saw a lot of new confidence from some of the young people we have been working with. We start by coming into the room and playing a staged version of "the sun shines on game". Jaden takes a lead part in this particular segment and he really performed to the best of his ability. I felt bad for expecting less but was really pleased to see him off to such a great start. I took part in the staged version of the word association game as someone was absent which focused on Caitlyn who performed really well. Jaden also performed his rap, he stumbled towards the end but we all clapped and cheered to support him so he didn't seem to be too phased by it. It was amazing to see how he has developed and perform his rap when a few weeks ago he didn't want to even perform in front of us facilitators. Kai also ended up going up and performing a small part of his rap, this was probably because of how supportive everyone was...

COMPANY NAME: The BRIT School TITLE OF POSITION: Facilitator LOCATION Facilitators are expected to adjust to different surroundings. Sometimes we will be in a smaller space, sometimes in a larger space as it is unpredictable on where we will be situated on the day. Sometimes we will go to external locations. OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY To run a series of games for a warm up and run some activities and exercises that explore different creative abilities. We will assist them with any music, scripts and choreography if they require the help. KEY TASKS To facilitate music and song writing workshops To facilitate dance workshops To facilitate spoken word workshops To maintain healthy relationships with the participants To maintain the condition of the rooms and the equipment used. TERMS OF CONTRACT: Freelance OTHER BENEFITS: Giving an opportunity to get involved in projects which explore different creative abilities and discovering things they didn’t know they were...

LOG 1 My first encounter with Jaden and Lamar wasn't too positive. Neither of them were very enthusiastic about joining in and playing any games. I could tell that they secretly wanted to join in because eventually they did but very reluctantly. I think this was because of an older boy being there that they both looked up to. It was clear when asking them, that they were both very into football and both very into rapping. Gloria worked with them today and they wrote some lyrics to a beat. LOG 2 I started working with Jaden and Mason on a short spoken word piece. I was going to play a live instrumental while Jaden rapped but Jaden decided that he wanted it to be a spoken word piece. We deliberated about whether or not he wanted live music underneath it and Jaden decided against the idea. So I helped Mason and him finish their spoken word piece. LOG 3 Now the Latimer girls are gone, I have started working with Jaden and Lamar on making a music video for Jaden's track ...

LOG 1 On the second week of this project, a small group of girls from the all girls PRU called Latymer joined our session with the young learners from Bridge. This was a particularly challenging session as they were not very cooperative and ended up being quite disruptive to the session. One of them would occasionally join in and that would sometimes cause the other two to verbally express their unhappiness. At the end of this session, we spoke to the Latymer girls in their small group once all the others had left, and asked them what they were passionate about, and good at. They showed a particular interest in singing, acting and writing. We said that we could work with them to create a song and they seemed quite enthusiastic about that. LOG 2 This week the Latymer girls all turned up with two extra girls with them. We had split off into groups so all the girls came with Mason, Rhiannon and I. We started off by trying to get them to write down particular words that coincided wi...

We all wrote on post it notes, something we have learnt, something we have achieved and something that was difficult. Here is what we responded with:

Augusto Boal was a Brazilian writer, politician and theatre practitioner and director. He founded the form of theatre called "Theatre of the Oppressed", theatrical form originally used in radical popular education movements. Boal served one term as a Vereador (the Brazilian equivalent of a city councillor) in Rio de Janeiro from 1993 to 1997. He studied in America and staged productions of two of his own plays. While working at the Arena Theatre in São Paulo, Boal directed a number of classical dramas, which he transformed to make them more pertinent to Brazilian society and its economy. A new military regime started in Brazil in 1964 with a coup d'état supported by the Brazilian elite, the industrialists, the military, as well as by the United States, Boal’s teachings were controversial, and as a cultural activist he was seen as a threat by the Brazilian military regime. In 1971, Boal was kidnapped off the street, arrested, tortured, and eventually exiled to Argentina, w...

We looked at a few theatre companies and did some presentations on them. My group did a group called Synergy. SYNERGY:  Established in 2000 Synergy Theatre Project works towards rehabilitation and resettlement with prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk of offending through theatre and related activities whilst placing the wider issues surrounding criminal justice in the public arena. Their work is founded on the belief that theatre can be transformative and challenges perceptions of both prisoners and society, building a more positive future. Synergy is committed to artistic excellence, believing it to be an integral part of achieving this purpose. Synergy’s work impacts approximately 120 prisoners/ex-prisoners, 300 young people at risk of offending and audiences of 3,500 (including 2,500 young people) per year and comprises the following strands of activity: theatre productions, new writing and an education programme. To date their work includes 26 productions wit...