Connect 2010

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The Playhouse is extremely proud of its participatory and community focussed activity, which is a beacon of opportunity within the region.

During the last year the Arts Development team has crossed cultural boundaries to work with young people from Berlin, gone back in time to the 1980s with 600 Beautiful Octopus Clubbers, and young people from First Floor have taken to the streets of Leeds to perform their own compositions under the guidance of our Musician in Residence.

None of this would be possible without the support of our funders, sponsors, trusts and foundations and we thank them for sharing our vision and belief in the power of the arts to enhance and change people’s lives.

Thank you

SamPerkinsdirector of arts [email protected]

IanBrownartistic director & Joint Chief [email protected]

Welcome

IanBrownandSheenaWrigley

SheenaWrigleyGeneral director & Joint Chief [email protected]

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We aim to inspire and empower people of all ages and abilities through creativity

about arts development

West Yorkshire Playhouse’s ArtsDevelopmentdepartment was founded when the theatre opened over 20 years ago and is responsible for one of the most wide-ranging and groundbreaking education and community programmes of any UK theatre.

Our in-house team, supported by a wealth of specialist artists, delivers a variety of creative projects with people of all ages and abilities; from a year round programme of activities for young people at our dedicated young people’s venue, First Floor, to twice-yearly creative night clubs for adults with learning disabilities. We support students and teachers in schools and colleges as well as providing bespoke opportunities for community groups to engage with us at the Playhouse. The West Yorkshire Playhouse Touring Company is committed to delivering challenging and engaging theatre and education projects directly to Leeds schools and community settings.

Our activities set out to fill identified gaps in provision and to use the theatre’s resources to deliver projects which encourage community integration and social inclusion.

To find out more and to play your part, as a participant, supporter or audience member please contact RuthHannant on 01132137295 or [email protected].

TopRight–Gail McIntyre. Right–Danny Gough.BelowL-Rbackrow–Ruth Hannant, Jessica Farmer, Saira Mughal, Viv Hughes, Sam Perkins, Gaby Paradis, Lisa Parrott. Frontrow–John Mee, Ashley Lumb, Nicky Taylor.

the sharp trilogySharp was developed with The Royal Armouries and explores the impact of knife crime on individuals, families and communities through three specially commissioned monologues. These powerful pieces of theatre provide inspiration for audiences to think about language, war, culture and identity for different people in different communities.

The first monologue, TheWormCollector, visited 31 Primary Schools in Autumn 2009 and 8 High Schools in Spring 2010, supported by professional development workshops for teachers. Following this hugely successful tour, the WestYorkshirePlayhouseTouringCompany, in association with The Royal Armouries, is taking The Worm Collector back on the road. The critically-acclaimed production uses live performance and film to tell the story of Mark, a teenager whose actions, when carrying out an unusual school project, lead to a devastating conclusion.

‘The Pupils were awed, shocked, mesmerised and keen to get to know the actor.’TEACHER,Thorpe Primary School (The Worm Collector)

TheFirstCut, the second of the trilogy, is written and performed by Leeds poet Michelle Scally-Clarke with music composed and performed by Christella Litras. It tells the story of Gem, whose world is ripped apart when her brother goes off to war. The play encourages pupils to consider the impact of war on those left behind and the accompanying workshop allows them to enter into a conversation with each other through poetry and music in an attempt to understand the actions of the characters in the play. The First Cut toured to 12 High Schools in Summer 2010 and was seen by over 900 pupils.

The third part of the Sharp Trilogy, ScionSullivan, is planned for 2011.

‘a brilliant experience... they were veryimpressed, enjoyed it and it made them think about how war affects families.’TEACHER, Horsforth High School (First Cut)

borderlines international project withtheater an der parkaue, berlinIn February 2010, The Worm Collector toured to Berlin,to perform at Theater an der Parkaue as part of a three-year partnership with the Playhouse. The Borderlines project includes exchanges of young people, staff and productions and will culminate in a co-production in April 2011, written by a British writer, directed by a German theatre director and featuring actors from both Germany and the UK.

In October 2009, young people from First Floor visited Berlin to create a piece of theatre inspired by the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall that addressed historical and political borderlines. In April 2010, West Yorkshire Playhouse hosted the return visit by young people from Berlin and explored the ideas of personal, emotional and psychological borderlines.

‘Language was never an issue and we all made friends really easily so an international border was crossed.’ BoRDERLInESPARTICIPAnT

In both visits, the group worked with staff from the Playhouse and Theater an der Parkaue, as well as with a British playwright and a German director. Material and ideas gathered from the young people in these workshops will feed into the finalco-production between the two theatres.

early years development WorkWest Yorkshire Playhouse Touring Company is currently working with Leeds University lecturer and scenographerTim Skelly to explore the ways in which light can be used to develop story. The resulting work will tour into Primary Schools and Early Years Centres in Summer 2011.

West yorkshire playhouse touring Company

BorderlinesWorkshop

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Supported by the Home Office Community Fund

TheFirstCutWorkshop

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‘an awesome production – very powerful.’ TEACHER, Pudsey Grangefield High School

‘I found it interesting how similar and alike and still completely different we are!’BoRDERLInESPARTICIPAnT

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BorderlinesInternationalProject

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heydaysOur flagship arts project for over 55s continues to developand offers a broad range of creative activities for older people. Highlights this year have included:

Feeling Good Theatre Company, all members of • Heydays, celebrated 10 years of devising and performing plays on various issues of ageingphilosophical debates such as Just Supposing I Could… • and The Heydays Think TankJunk Funk – a music course using instruments made of • household recycled materials in partnership with Leeds College of MusicHeydays discovered the Mysteries of the Mobile Phone • dance styles included contemporary, street jazz and flamenco• one group worked with an artist to create a beautiful giant • shoe for our Christmas show Cinderellamembers from the singing group worked with young • people from First Floor as part of The Big Sing

rum and Coca ColaTo complement the Playhouse’s co-production with Talawa Theatre Company of RumandCocaCola, Heydays members welcomed older people from Leeds’ Caribbean community to a series of workshops. They met director Don Warrington and Talawa’s Artistic Director, Patricia Cumper, for a question and answer session. Following this, they took part in visual arts workshops. Participants were invited to see the production of Rum and Coca Cola as well as a performance by young people who had been taking part in a parallel project. Many participants in the Rum and Coca Cola project have now become Heydays members and regularly attend weekly sessions.

Community networkAround 150 community and voluntary groups use this access scheme, which encourages wider engagement with everything that the Playhouse offers, from meeting rooms to backstage tours and discounts on tickets or costume hire.

Highlights this year included Osmondthorpe Resource Centre Drama Group’s performance of Dancing with Alan Bennett at West Yorkshire Playhouse. This devised show was a celebration of the group’s 10 year anniversary and included reflections on friendships, achievements and the joys and challenges of life with a disability.

We also developed an access scheme for mental health service users to attend the regular Courtyard Comedy Clubs with Communitynetwork group Arts and Minds.

beautiful octopus Club This year, our club night run by and for adults with learning disabilities offered An Invitation to the Ball and 1980s Disco. Crew members used these themes to inspire DJ sets, art work, costumes and live music, resulting in an inclusive, creative and friendly party atmosphere. With regular attendance figures of over 500, BeautifuloctopusClub is firmly placed on the regional calendar of learning disability events.

dandy lion Club The third annual DandyLionClub for young people with learning disabilities and their families attracted over 200 people. This fun, creative day offered workshops in dance, drama, singing, DJing, sculpture, visual arts and a sensory play area provided by Leeds Play Network. Parents and carers were treated to their own zone where they read the Sunday papers and took time out for a relaxing massage. They also enjoyed the chance to watch performances by the young people at the end of a fun-filled day.

This friendly, inclusive event is attended by young people, aged 14–25 years old with a range of mild to profound and multiple learning disabilities. The Dandy Lion project was extended in Summer 2010 with a music and art project taking place at First Floor.

relaxed performanceBuilding on our existing projects for young people with learning disabilities, a groundbreakingRelaxedPerformance was piloted in January 2009. This was the first of its kind for the Playhouse and we believe it is the first example of a mainstream theatre show being adapted in this way.

Young individuals and groups attended a performance of Cinderella in the Courtyard Theatre. Additional wheelchair and carer seating was in place, with staff on hand to respond to the needs of the audience. Actors and staff were briefed to ensure that they engaged confidently with the audience both during and after the show. Additional lighting was used and audience members were assured of a relaxed attitude to making noise and to moving around during the show. Relaxed Performances will now be a regular feature at the Playhouse; the next one is for Aladdin in January 2011.

‘The Relaxed Performance of Cinderella gave us a golden opportunity to share the magic of the theatre with our son. Rats kindly let him touch their long tails and Cinderella herself took off her glass slipper and let him exploreit with his hands. The moment filled my eyes with tears.’ PAREnT

The Relaxed Performance of Cinderella was generously sponsored by Irwin Mitchell Solicitors.

Working with communities

Creative Communities

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Heydays/RumandCocaColaWorkshop

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DandyLionClub

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‘The Beautiful Octopus and Dandy Lion Clubs have been the one bright spot that I have

discovered in trying to find arts activities for my son who has learning disabilities. Faced with little provision, spread across far-flung locations it’s a joy to find such imaginative,

regular opportunities in a city centre venue.’PAREnT

early years & primary schools storymakersStorymakers encourages young children to create their own stories using interesting props which are sent out to schools in a special box. This year, the boxes have contained a star, a bag and a key. All teachers receiving the box are provided with additional resource materials as well as the chance to attend a creative professional development session.

Creative education WeeksThis year’s CreativeEducationWeeks involved over 1,500 Primary School children taking part in imaginative workshops. Themes included Inspirations for Writing, Pirate Adventures and Teddy Bears Picnic as well as sessions linked to our Christmas shows, TheSecretGarden and Cinderella.

‘I loved pretending to be someone else andI loved dressing up! My favourite part was when I made the play up with my friends.’ MEGAnAGED11, Alwoodley Primary School

Work experience placementsYoung people from across West Yorkshire and University students from London have visited the Playhouse on placements this year. They worked with the Arts Development team, both in the office and with practical sessions. One of our University students co-ordinated the Teachers’ Resource Pack for our Christmas show The Secret Garden.

‘Thank you so much for all the great opportunities you have given me over the last eight weeks, for welcoming me into the team and for all your constant encouragement and support.’ ALISonEvAnS, Student

Just the JobThis year a group of Year 6 children from Woodlands Primary School in Leeds came to the Playhouse to experience the world of work for a day. The highlights for the children were making announcements over the tannoy, working on reception, helping to run the restaurant and learning about marketing. The day inspired children to think about work and learn about jobs they may not have known about before their visit.

secondary schools & Collegesshow-related eventsOver the last year, 340 students have taken part in TheatreDays, which have included working with renowned theatre directors Nancy Meckler of Shared Experience Theatre Company and DeathofaSalesmandirector, Sarah Esdaile. PLAY, our Creative Education brochure is available to download from our website at www.wyp.org.uk.

In addition students have enjoyed DesigningforTheatre workshops with professional set and costume designer Barney George and specialistworkshops with visiting companies Told By An Idiot and Teatro Kismet.

‘The students were able to work on key scenes with direction from Sarah Esdaile. This gave them specific acting skills which really helped them in their performances.’TEACHER, Malet Lambert High School, Hull

industry days These days give students the opportunity to meet staff at West Yorkshire Playhouse and to learn about the theatre industry. They continue to be popular with schools and colleges, particularly for BTEC Performing Arts students.

Working with children, young people and their teachers

Creative education

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JusttheJob

playdays: Gifted & talented transition projectLinked to Teatro Kismet’sTheMermaidPrincess in June 2010, Creative Education worked with 30 Year 6 children to create their own version of the story in just two days. The children came from Leeds Primary Schools and many will go to the same High School in September 2010. They created scripts, movement pieces, music, soundscapes and backdrops for their play, which they performed for their families at First Floor.

speechifyThis four week project supported the Playhouse and Talawa Theatre’s co-production of RumandCocaCola, drawing on the intergenerational themes of the play through the stories of Caribbean elder Mrs Winifred Scott. Young people aged 15–19 were guided by a professional spoken word artist to create an original piece of theatre based on the experiences of Mrs Scott, who travelled from Jamaica to live in Leeds in the 1960s.

The piece was performed in the foyer of the Playhouse before a matinee show of Rum and Coca Cola.

IndustryDayintheWorkshops Spark

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sparkSpark was created with and funded by Provident Financial to inspire and engage children throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. Over four years, Spark worked with more than 6,000 children in over 50 Primary Schools. We are very proud of everything Spark achieved, from new links forged with schools, to children discovering a new interest or skill. Spark was accompanied by an extensive research programme, the results of which have been documented in an accessible report highlighting the national picture and impact of the project.

If you would like a copy of the report please contact RuthHannant on 01132137295.

Since opening in January 2009, the Playhouse’s dedicated space for young people has developed a full programme of regular activity and special projects.

open daysopenDays are a fun, informal introduction to FirstFloor and are scheduled at the start of every term so that young people can come along to find out more about the activities that areon offer.

Open Days were held in September 2009 and January and April 2010, with over 200 young people attending in total, plus adults accompanying them. With live performances, sessions in drama, drumming and visual arts, these days were a huge success and many young people have continued to attend regular activities at First Floor as a result.

The next Open Day will be held on 15January2011.

breeze arts FoundationThis twelve week programme for young people aged 15–19 who are not in education, employment or training, is now a well-established course at First Floor. On completion, participants gain an Arts Award qualification. This has usually been at Bronze level but this year, a group of the young people opted to undertake the more challenging Silver Arts Award. This focuses on producing an individual, rather than an ensemble, piece of work, be it through writing, directing, choreography or performance. Each individual piece was presented at a Silver Showcase event where each participant fulfilled their individual arts challenge.

saturday sessionsThese regular taster sessions for 11–19 year olds offer an opportunity to try something new or develop existing skills. The range of sessions has included drama, music and art, from physical theatre and improvisation to creative writing, song-writing, percussion and textile making. Sessions from September 2010 will include Glee style workshops and graffiti art and take place from 11am–12.30pm.

musician in residenceDanny Gough, joined the First Floor team as MusicianinResidence in January 2010, funded by Youth Music. This new role is enabling us to develop the scale and quality of music opportunities we offer to young people. Examples so far include regular Friday night singing and songwriting sessions, an Easter music course and work with the Breeze Arts Foundation group. In July 2010 Danny led TheBigSing, bringing the young people’s singing group from First Floor together with the singing group from Heydays for an uplifting performance outside the Playhouse as part of the London 2012 Open Weekend.

summer in the CitySummer 2010 saw the first Summer holiday programme at First Floor with a range of opportunities for young people, including a FridaynightProject, funded by Safer Communities and run in partnership with Yorkshire Dance and Leeds College of Music. This offered street dance, music technology and customising clothes activities for 13–19 year olds. SightsandSoundsoftheCity went on location around Leeds city centre with 14–19 year olds, SummerDandyLions was a visual arts and music project around the theme of friendship available for 14–25 year olds with learning disabililities, and PlayfulCity enabled 10–13 year olds to explore different artforms.

‘I enjoyed making new friends, writing my own song and being able to perform it. I learnt that anything and everything can be an inspiration to write songs. I would love to do it all again.’ SIGHTSAnDSoUnDSoFTHECITYPARTICIPAnT

A creative space for young people in Leeds

First Floor14

Supported by the Home Office Community Fund

First Floor FundersThe Esmée Fairburn FoundationThe Liz and Terry Bramall Charitable Trust

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SummerintheCity

Get in touchFor more details about any of our projects please contact a member of the team. You can also find our current programme of activity and more about West YorkshirePlayhouse by visiting www.wyp.org.uk

Photography by Maurice Jones, Joanna Loveday, Gaby Paradis, Lisa Parrott, Nicky Taylor, Brian Slater and Craig Winward.

Edited by Kate Sanderson, Indigo Ltd.

West yorkshire playhouse

playhouse squarequarry hillleeds, ls2 7uptel: 0113 213 7800Fax: 0113 213 7250www.wyp.org.uk

leeds theatre trust ltd.reGistered 926862 enGlandreGistered Charity no.255460Vat no. 545 4890 17

ViVienne project developmenthuGhes officer*0113 213 7288 [email protected]

ashley lumb arts development apprentice0113 245 5252 [email protected]

Gail mCintyre associate director (young people’s theatre)

0113 213 7225 [email protected]

sam perkins director of arts development*0113 213 7289 [email protected]

First Floor

danny GouGh musician in residence*0113 245 5252 [email protected]

saira muGhal projects Co-ordinator0113 245 5252 [email protected]

Gaby paradis outreach Co-ordinator0113 245 5252 [email protected]

CreatiVe eduCationJessiCa Creative educationFarmer officer0113 213 7800 [email protected]

John mee Creative education Consultant*

07775 782603 [email protected]

lisa parrott Creative education manager*0113 213 7290 [email protected]

CreatiVe Communities

ruth hannant Creative Communities manager*

0113 213 7295 [email protected]

niCky taylor Community development officer

0113 213 7296 [email protected]

* Part-time