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Drama
Start with story making for young children. Let them create their own stories and then perform them using dressing-up clothes and imagination. It is a great summer activity, putting on mini-plays outside where everyone can make loads of noise banging drums, etc. Get older age groups inspired by organising a theatre trip, or provide them with ideas to devise a piece around.
Su Squire - performs and facilitates drama and storytelling workshops. She delivers a wide variety of different workshops and performance experiences in drama, theatre and storytelling ranging from one-off workshops lasting an hour to full day workshops, residencies and long term community projects
Cragrats is a national issue-based theatre company – they are costly but will help with funding.
Wolf+Water Arts Company use arts techniques creatively and as part of the therapeutic process with groups who are socially, mentally or physically challenged. The work generates self-esteem through the development of new personal and interpersonal skills, as well as raising a wider public awareness of the skills and problems of such groups
For a longer term project, you could set up a series of drama sessions:
ACTA Community Theatre offers opportunities for people of all ages to get involved in theatre and arts projects in their local area. Working in areas or with communities most at risk and most in need, ACTA's focus is for positive change for individuals and whole communities through creativity.
arts4schools will lead you to companies who work with all ages and special needs in drama, opera and puppetry.
Actiontrack is a music and performance participatory art company offering workshops, and participatory arts projects for educational, social and community organisations. Projects can involve any combination of music, theatre, design, dance, and spectacle and are always practical and totally participatory in nature.
Bigfoot Arts Education provides a range of quality drama workshops for children of all ages in and out of school.
Bristol Old Vic (Education and Youth Theatre) might have suggestions for workshop leaders, or good productions to take your group to.
Bristol One Act Drama Festival promotes groups to enter the All England Theatre Festival with one-act plays. Winning youth entry goes on to the Five Counties Youth Festival. For details see the All England Theatre Festival
Bristol Playback Theatre offer workshops in interactive, personal storytelling theatre and will also provide the same workshops at conferences, celebrations etc.
Bristol Youth Theatre Studio – One of Bristol’s oldest established youth theatres, for ages 13 to 21. For further information call Wendy Speary on 0117 951 4432
Local individuals and groups include:
Desperate Men – kings of comic street and community performance.
Luci Gorell-Barnes – tailor-made drama sessions.
Parachute Theatre - puppets, masks, theatre workshops
Pickled Image Puppet Co. - puppet manipulation
Pax Productions - run Performing Arts OCN courses but will also send a drama teacher to you.
Continental Drifts is a leading whacky entertainment agency who represent exciting and innovative acts from around the world, many of whom also run workshops. Covers huge range of circus skills, street theatre, dance and music disciplines.
There are a number of outdoor theatre productions each year. Ashton Court sees a Heartbreak Production of one of Shakespeare’s many popular plays every summer in its rose garden. Heartbreak Productions tour the country putting on theatrical productions in many beautiful outdoor settings including castles, nature reserves and botanical gardens. Take a picnic and keep your fingers crossed for a beautiful summers evening, as come rain or shine the show will go on! Also see Rain or Shine Theatre Company for their tour dates.
If you find yourself in Cornwall why not pay a visit to the stunning Minack Theatre. It is a beautiful open-air theatre that looks out to sea and is situated on the cliffs near Lands End.
Dry Slope Skiing, Tobogganing
