in partnership with The Plymouth Athenaeum and The B-Bar
Schools, Colleges & Universities
At Barbican Theatre we strongly believe outreach work in schools and within their surrounding communities is vital in providing true access.
It ensures that many young people get the opportunity to participate and have a go at something new. We believe by getting young people fired up about making, creating and performing in-school we offer the knowledge, means and motivation for them to open the door to arts and culture outside of school, in the city and beyond.
We work with different schools in different ways, responding creatively to needs identified by the school.
Past projects have included:
- Skills development workshops in dance or theatre (tailored to curriculum/models)
- Teacher training
- After-school clubs with an opportunity to perform at the Barbican Theatre
- Artistic mentoring in dance, choreography and Theatre devising
- GCSE and BTEC mentoring teacher support
- School Trips ‘Go & See’ Professional performances at the Barbican Theatre – with workshop and theatre tours options
- Barbican Theatre Performance presentations ‘How to get involved’ in class, assembly or to community youth groups.
- Enrichment week make a play/dance performance in a week, working alongside professional artists. (Perform at the Barbican Theatre)
- Creative Residency working with Inspiring National Dance and Theatre Companies. One-off workshops – 1-3 full day/s workshops and performance.
Please get in touch if you wish to discuss any of the above. Likewise, if you are a Head Teacher/Teacher looking to try something new or develop arts provision in your school, then we would be very happy to meet with you. Please email btpt@barbicantheatre.co.uk or telephone 01752 267131.
Creativity belongs to everyone, what we have to do is ensure everyone knows it.
Day Of Difference
Day of Difference is our theatre and education package all about diversity – it puts racial intolerance and discrimination under the microscope by encouraging young people to examine their values, attitudes, and beliefs – in short, how we deal with other people’s differences.
Day of Difference was originally created in collaboration with King Edward VI School, Totnes. We went into the school and worked with the staff and the pupils to create a programme that brings to the fore the issues surrounding diversity and helps the teachers and the students to look at what they think about difference.
In the morning the whole year group participate in a drama simulation all about cultural difference and assumptions. In the afternoon the young people interact directly with an ethnically diverse team of real people all with personal experiences which directly relate to the fictional simulations from the morning, helping to put real faces to experiences around diversity.
Day of Difference is a tried and tested programme which continues to be in demand regionally and it is available to schools throughout the year. It is delivered as whole day workshop suitable for Key Stage 3 and 4 and it is specifically designed to involve a whole year group for the whole day. The programme also involves a half day (minimum 2 hours) training session for teachers prior to the day of delivery.
If you are interested in finding out more about Day of Difference, you can call Barbican Theatre on 01752 267131 or email dayofdifference@barbicantheatre.co.uk.
Download our information leaflet as a pdf here.
Why Would You?
In 2015 Barbican Theatre was approached by The Devon Collaborative Network (now known as Next Steps South West) to create a bespoke, interactive theatre piece to address themes of student fees and funding, targeting years 9-10 (ages 14-15) and their parents.
The project aims to challenge attitudes, stimulate debate and overcome misconceptions around student fees and funding, resulting in the breaking down of finance as a barrier to young people’s views on going to university.
Barbican Theatre worked with local writer Jon Nash, director Jo Loyn and three local professionals to create the piece; Why Would You? Featuring three characters (Ashleigh, Liam and Cameron) aged 17-18 who were about to complete their higher education studies (two studying A Levels and one an NVQ) The piece shows their stories; their family backgrounds, financial barriers and aspirations as well as explaining / debunking myths and complexities of student finances for audiences in a light-hearted way.
Each Why Would You? school visit and performance is accompanied by workshops in smaller groups to explore fees and funding themes more fully.
Why Would You? has toured Devon, Cornwall and Somerset five times since September 2016 employing local professional actors, technicians and animators.
If you are interested in booking your school onto the next Why Would You? tour please contact Next Step Southwest at nextstepssw@plymouth.ac.uk
If you are interested in discussing ideas for a Theatre In Education project please contact our Creative Producer, Dan Baker btpt@barbicantheatre.co.uk, 01752 267131
Next Steps South West (NSSW) is a collaboration of fourteen partner universities and colleges throughout Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset. They are funded by the Office for Students (OfS).