Theatre Summer School 2010 Report

Theatre Summer School 2010

Hosted by York St John University Funded by the Arts Council England

Contents:

Pages 1-2: Introduction Pages 3-4: Organisation of the Summer School Pages 5-7: The Workshops Pages 8-9: The Performance A Meeting of Minds Pages 10-11: Collaboration between One-in-Four and Out of Character Page 12: Conclusion Page 16: Charts

Chart 1: Introduction workshop Chart 2: Working with Script workshop Chart 3: Autobiography workshop Chart 4: Forum Theatre workshop Chart 5: Experimental Text workshop Chart 6: General thoughts and feelings Chart 7: Thinking about Collaboration

All of the illustrations used in this document were produced by participants of the Summer School 2010

Introduction:

The Theatre Summer School 2010, involving One-in-Four and Out of Character theatre companies and hosted by York St John University, took place on 17th – 19th August 2010.

One-in-Four (based in Leeds) and Out of Character (based in York) are established theatre companies comprised of people who have used mental health services.

The aims of the Summer School were: 1. To develop and test out a collaboration between One-in-Four and Out of Character 2. To offer an educational opportunity in theatre at York St John University to members of both companies, these sessions to be led by theatre tutors at the university and other experienced practitioners 3. To offer ‘taster’ sessions in theatre to other people who have used mental health services and give them the opportunity to meet and work with One-in-Four and Out of Character 4. To offer to mental health service users and others interested a performance and workshop jointly led by One-in-Four and Out of Character In achieving these aims, the two theatre companies hoped to each invest creative input into their company via new learning and collaboration and allow company members to develop more in-depth working practices through working with another company using different styles and new facilitators. It was also hoped each company would learn and develop as theatre practitioners and continue to think about their identities as theatre companies, including furthering knowledge of themselves as performers with experience of mental health problems and the often problematic nature of expectations, arguments and viewpoints surrounding them in this context.

In opening up ‘taster’ sessions for other people who have used mental health services and specifically targeting groups such as mental health service users, mental health professionals and the voluntary sector to attend One-in-Four and Out of Character’s final performance, this project also aimed to enable access to theatre for people who often have difficulty accessing it due to lack of confidence, low personal and social expectations, low income or social isolation.

The success of the Summer School was evaluated through specific feedback and monitoring information gathered during the course of the three days as follows:  

      

Numbers involved through consent forms and register of workshops Written feedback from both theatre companies and other participants in the form of questionnaires and informal comments sheets regarding their overall experience and future interest Written feedback in the form of questionnaires and comments sheets completed following each specific workshop Filmed and photographed documentation of the workshops A recorded interview between two of the volunteer students regarding their experience of the workshops Filmed documentation of the final performance by One-in-Four and Out of Character and the Q&A with the audience that followed Feedback from audience members following the final performance Written feedback from the three student volunteers Written feedback from the three organisers of the event

This evaluation material has been carefully analysed and the qualitative and quantitative results appear in this document to demonstrate the achievement of the overall aims of the Summer School. Direct quotes have been drawn from all of the above evaluation material and appear throughout this document. Statistical information from the questionnaires on specific workshops and overall experiences is displayed in charts at the end of this document.

The Summer School 2010 was organised, taught or attended by the following:

         

Elanor Stannage, artistic director of One-in-Four theatre company and freelance theatre practitioner, who led and organised the event Gemma Alldred, artistic director of Out of Character and Education Support Worker at York St John University, who led and organised the event Nick Rowe, senior lecturer in Theatre and Health at York St John University, who led and organised the event Karen Eastwood, head of drama at Boroughbridge School, who led a workshop Jules Richmond, senior lecturer in Theatre at York St John University, who led a workshop David Richmond, head of Theatre at York St John University Twelve members of One-in-Four theatre company Six members of Out of Character theatre company Thirteen non-theatre company participants Three student volunteers who assisted with facilitating the workshops and documenting the event

The Summer School offered an opportunity for all participants to access workshops delivered by practitioners with a breadth of experience, for those new to theatre to participate and possibly continue their involvement in courses in the future, to improve the quality of the work for members of the theatre companies and broaden their range, and for all involved to meet new people, socialise and share ideas.

General comments from the start of the event and throughout: “I‟m off on a journey of discovery. Am content and open to whatever comes my way. New beginnings. Sailing into the unknown” “Didn‟t sleep last night, met everyone here in the dream I had. I‟m hopeful” “A little bit subdued and anxious but quietly looking forward” “I can‟t wait to start. Would love to try acting. I need to move on from the stress within! Be more positive. Feel like jumping for joy” “Intrigued, not knowing what to expect, lots of new people to meet, enthusiastic and positive, have anxiety but pushing through” “Looking forward to some new thinking with like-minded people” “Waking up this morning knowing I will be learning new things and interacting with interesting and exciting people” “Meeting new people, getting to be different characters…it was good to be in large groups” “I learnt qualities about myself”

“I tested myself”

“It has taught me not to give up and I can do anything if I be myself or a character if I think positively” “Being accepted and involved”

“Very nervous, want to sing!”

“It not only teaches me about supporting, encouraging and being involved in theatre, it also highlighted a great deal of skills and facts about myself, thank you” (Theatre company and non-theatre company Summer School participants) “I noticed the whole two days were very creative and that helped people to express themselves in a variety of ways. To begin with many people expressed feelings of nervousness and anxiety, however I think by expressing these initial feelings on paper for the rest of the group to see everyone became more at ease…in talking to people a common hope was for success and a sense of positive thinking came across” “In the first group I joined I had no knowledge of any of the participants which made it difficult for me to judge how to interact with certain characters. Simple games…highlighted for me how easy it is to interact with new people if you just let go of your defenses and focus on the task that is given” “I felt there was good support in place and brilliant communication which motivated many team building skills to develop in most people” “By the group introducing themselves through their previous experiences and involvements in theatre it built a very positive beginning to group dynamics, with participants drawing off each other‟s stories and finding connections between themselves and others” (Student volunteers)

The Workshops: Participants of the Summer School who were not members of either theatre company attended an introductory session: 

Introduction – From Story to Theatre (18/08/10) led by Nick Rowe

The Summer School then comprised of four workshops led by other university theatre tutors and experienced practitioners as follows: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Working with Script (18/08/10) led by Karen Eastwood (13 attendees) Autobiography (18/08/10) led by Jules Richmond (14 attendees) Forum Theatre (19/08/10) led by Elanor Stannage (15 attendees) Experimental Text (19/08/10) led by Gemma Alldred (12 attendees)

All theatre company members and other participants were invited to attend one workshop on each of the two main days of the Summer School.

Comments on the workshops: “Excellent workshop on Harold Pinter” “Excellent workshop, especially sculpting our families” “Time flew, met great people, relaxed, met loads of people with talent, met likeminded people, taught me to be me, pretending, sat in middle of a room full of people!”

“Being distracted from worries”

“Seeing other people conquer fear, so I can”

“Learning about forum theatre and new theatre concepts” “The facilitator, what a wonderfully energetic lady! Being challenged in different ways, working with different people” “Opportunities to be creative, clear instructions, other students were very creative” “Encouragement from enthusiastic facilitators, relaxed atmosphere” “I‟m more open to pushing myself out of my comfort zone” “Very interactive, new faces, losing inhibitions” “Great fun, interesting, reflective, co-operating with others, creative, confidencebuilding” “It felt a safe space, the facilitator was extremely supportive and creative and lots of energy” “Using my writing skills in a theatre workshop for the first time” “I felt the facilitator opened up opportunities for people to perform in a nonjudgemental way. The session was fun and lively and some of the activities we did I would like to explore again” “Improvisation and devising my own text” “We learnt from each other” “We did a lot of good things, it put a smile on my face!”

“Creating theatre characters means you can get a chance to get away from yourself” “I had what I thought was real in my head, but when it was made into the physical, it made me look at things, myself and my family, in a completely different way” “I am a very reserved person, but even just sitting and working in the middle of the room in front of everyone else here helps…I just want to do it now” (Theatre company and non-theatre company Summer School participants)

“Watching [the workshops] it was nice to be given the chance to document, because over three years of doing a degree you don‟t get a lot of chance to just sit back and write things down or take photographs, it was nice just to watch people work…now I know for when I do it, what to look for, through documenting this one” “I really enjoyed the workshops. I hadn‟t expected to be as involved as I was and to begin with I felt daunted by the idea of acting and expressing myself in front of people…I think the warm-up games are very important to any workshop…throughout the two days I personally noticed a few people in particular grow in confidence and was pleased to see the enjoyment people expressed taking on new roles” “Personally I found the two days inspirational…it was brilliant to hear how many people now considered taking their skills further through education or training” “A common feedback theme…was „no wrong answer‟. I got the impression this made many people feel more at ease and allowed them to open up more and accept others‟ ideas” “As the group began to tell their stories to each other, they began to perform them and involved themselves in each other‟s stories” (Student volunteers) “It was fantastic to see people engaging in university style/level classes and thriving in that setting” “Gemma and myself should not have led workshops as well as co-ordinating the event, our time would have been more effectively used had we been able to…go into other workshops to support and observe people‟s experiences” (El Stannage) “Overall I was pleased with the quality and variation of the workshops on offer and feel we should strive to ensure that the range is offered in any work we do in the future” (Gemma Alldred) “There were some encouraging instances of more experienced people supporting new participants. This kind of „mentoring‟ or „buddying‟ is something to build on for the future.”

“We met some new participants who had a great deal of interest and potential. They are keen to begin the introductory course in October and it will be exciting working with them” (Nick Rowe)

The Performance: One-in-Four and Out of Character collaborated in devising a piece of theatre, which was jointly directed by Elanor Stannage and Gemma Alldred. A Meeting of Minds was performed on 19/08/10 and was followed by a Q&A session between the companies and the audience.

“It‟s all something that we‟ve all never done before, but it started and it‟s been a big challenge, but a good challenge, I‟ve enjoyed the process and the work we covered” “The movement pieces were a successful way of conveying different aspects of care…without having to leaden it with words” “Meeting and working with people and finding it possible to create a performance on a coherent theme within a very short space of time” “We managed to create something from nothing” “It felt heartfelt and sincere and it‟s staggered staging was more successful. The layering of personal stories on the microphone helped to reinforce the images on stage as well as the speech” “It was a little confusing during the rehearsals but the directors did an excellent job in pushing the two companies‟ pieces of work together, which resulted in a very good piece of drama” “The performance was very good. The direction was helpful and the right amount” “The discussion about the origins of the song and its relation to slavery did create an interesting discussion, the right of artists/performers to use and present material which isn‟t a part of their own experience…I felt this could have been an entire seminar/workshop in itself” “Essentially I think a bit more time would have benefited all…to polish the elements in the final piece” “I think only we and the staff can appreciate all the work that‟s gone into it, it‟s been hard work” “I think yesterday it felt like lots of little bits and nothing seemed to come together…but I think today we‟ve pulled it together and it‟s actually worked” “We are kind of proud of it, having been through all the different stages, and now we‟ve reached the stage where we all feel quite proud of it, and we should do” (Members of the theatre companies)

“Very enjoyable. Interesting the way people moved about on stage. Liked the singing – nice way to start and end it. Flowed well and kept my interest. It didn‟t matter that I didn‟t always understand it as it was always enjoyable to watch. Some of it quite moving – stories told, caring portrayed” “An ambitious adventure. Most professional, showing may skilled uses of the voice, movement and narrative. I enjoyed this as a piece of compelling theatre, which evoked many key issues around the theme of caring. Skilled use of conventions, which allowed for the individual responses of the participants. All performers really entered into the performance space with integrity. Evidence of real collaboration.

Thanks and well done. An important collaboration, one which deserves future funding” “Thought provoking and very brave. Beautiful collective singing, particularly by young lady at the front. Enjoyable and interesting particularly personal experiences” “A fantastic result for the groups and I‟m amazed by what they managed to create after only three days. It was professional, haunting and moving and high quality all round. I thought the singing was very powerful and great that the whole company took part in this. The commitment and truthfulness of the performers shone through.

It was a privilege to be here, thank you” “I particularly liked the communal singing at the start and end of the piece – everyone really committed to the performance, both in this part and the others.

During the question and answer session afterwards, there was obviously a very strong bond between the companies created by the project. Fantastic, something to be extremely proud of” (Audience members)

Collaboration between One-in-Four and Out of Character: “It gives you a perspective that you wouldn‟t normally get when you‟re only working with certain people. It‟s a bit like holding up a mirror to each other” “Adjusting to the beat of another group and dynamics” “We‟ve all become friends from the two groups, we‟ve got to know each other and appreciate how everyone feels. It‟s like mutual appreciation” “I think there was so much material that we would have really liked to have worked with this collaboration for longer” “I feel more confident about working with my own theatre company and others” “I thought the process of collaboration (sometimes I thought difficult) was actually very useful. As the performance developed, members from both groups pulled together and I felt pulled off an excellent piece of work together with Gemma and El” “Revealing personal issues with people I didn‟t know before. Ultimately gaining the confidence to perform with different people by the end of the three days” “I think getting used to one another, seeing how we worked together and how comfortable we were intuitively creating something was obviously useful” “The experience was good. It is important to „settle‟ with other actors. This was handled very well by the artistic directors” “Personally I didn‟t find it challenging, both theatre companies came together very quickly” “It was interesting to see how other theatre companies work together in groups, of mental health and their perceptions of mental health” “Summer school was a fantastic and positive experience, challenging and very rewarding. I was proud of our performance, I learnt a lot about working with others and trusting a process. I couldn‟t find fault really – enjoyed meeting like-minded people, was inspiring!”

“Staying away and working together over three days enabled me not only to get to know new people but also to get to know other members of my own group better and develop a deeper understanding. The whole experience (staying away, eating together etc.) was very beneficial for my mental health and confidence-building” “I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience – from staying over at the university to practicing with each other – we had some stressful moments but this only enhanced the work we did and our final performance – I really enjoyed watching others grow in confidence and being there for people when they were struggling…I look forward to more collaborative work in the future…Out of Character seemed to embrace some of

our work – as we did theirs – it was wonderful to see it all together in the performance…A special thank you to all who made us feel welcome, the hospitality was lovely – and the surroundings lovely too. It was nice to spend time with each other socialising at the end of the day and getting to know each other on a different level” “The companies work very differently. Out of Character seem to do a lot of individual work and draw out of people‟s experiences in a different way to us. We work more as a whole – and do smaller group work. Although different, I felt both companies complimented each other and I am sure in the future when we work together we will learn a lot more from each other” (Members of the theatre companies) “The dynamics of the collaboration worked wonderfully and were both tested and proved by the culminating performance. Many challenges were faced and questions raised by the performers in the process of collaboration and new ways of understanding their work and identities as performers were explored. It was wonderful to see the companies supporting each other in this process: using their differing experiences and styles to reassure and encourage one another, helping each other to understand and trust the process and move forward as performers.

The experience also strengthened the dynamic of One-in-Four, working so intensively together for the first time and working to support each other through that process” (El Stannage) “I was pleased with the collaboration that occurred with us as directors of the two companies and in terms of organising the event. It can often be difficult to work with two groups, two directors towards one performance but I felt respected and trusted with my artistic decisions by El and would like to think she felt the same. Artistically we seem to share similar ideals, although perhaps with different approaches to process and group work, if we were to attempt a collaboration in the future it would be great to have the opportunity to work on something which was project specific and would allow us to learn from each other through a whole process as opposed to the snatches of development time we had before the summer school” (Gemma Alldred)

Final Summary Changes to be made for the next summer school 1. Reduce the amount of time new people have to wait before the start of the first session. People were anxious and the long registration period may have increased some anxiety 2. Begin each day with a whole summer school warm up session. This will bring new and experienced people together and create a sense of community for the event.

3. Look at new ways of facilitating the final ‘showing of work’ session with new participants.

4. More time to socialise and discuss the nature of what they were doing, there wasn't enough time to reflect upon the process as it was happening.

5. Gemma and Elanor should not have led workshops as well as co-ordinating the event, their time would have been more effectively used preparing for the performance

Things that worked well and that we should keep and build on 1. We met some new participants who had a great deal of interest and potential.

They are keen to begin the introductory course in October and it will be exciting working with them 2. The two companies working together was generally very successful.

3. There were some encouraging instances of more experienced people supporting new participants. This kind of ‘mentoring’ or ‘buddying’ is something to build on for the future.

4. The dynamics of the collaboration worked wonderfully and were both tested and proved by the performance. Many challenges were faced and questions raised by the performers in the process of collaboration and new ways of understanding their work and identities as performers were explored.

5. It was wonderful to see the companies supporting each other in this challenging process: using their differing experiences and styles to reassure and encourage one another.

Conclusion: This document has included feedback from theatre company members, other participants, audience members, event leaders and student volunteers involved in the Theatre Summer School 2010. It demonstrates the Summer School’s success in achieving its overall aims:  

 

A collaboration between One-in-Four and Out of Character Educational opportunity in theatre at York St John University to members of both companies from theatre tutors at the university and other experienced practitioners ‘Taster’ sessions in theatre to other people who have used mental health services A performance by One-in-Four and Out of Character

It is hoped the success of this year’s Summer School will lead to further collaborative projects in the future, including a planned international conference to be held in 2012, and ongoing improved access to theatre and the creative arts for people who have used mental health services.

Statistical findings from the evaluation material can be seen on the following pages.

Charts:

The charts displayed in the following pages have been compiled using data from 26 questionnaires. These questionnaires were completed by a range of Summer School participants as follows:    

12 members of One-in-Four theatre company 3 members of Out of Character theatre company 10 non-theatre company participants in the Summer School 1 student volunteer

Chart 1 – Introduction workshop: compiled from 11 questionnaires completed by 10 non-theatre company participants and 1 student volunteer Chart 2 – Working with Script workshop: compiled from 11 questionnaires completed by 4 theatre company members and 7 non-theatre company participants Chart 3 – Autobiography workshop: compiled from 12 questionnaires completed by 11 theatre company members and 1 non-theatre company participants Chart 4 – Forum Theatre workshop: compiled from 12 questionnaires completed by 7 theatre company members and 5 non-theatre company participants Chart 5 – Experimental Text workshop: compiled from 9 questionnaires completed by 6 theatre company members, 2 non-theatre company participants and 1 student volunteer Chart 6 – General Thoughts and Feelings: compiled from 24 questionnaires completed by 15 theatre company members, 8 non-theatre company participants and 1 student volunteer Chart 7 – Thinking about Collaboration: compiled from 15 questionnaires completed by theatre company members

Chart 1 - Workshop: Introduction - From Story to Theatre 18/08/10 Number of people

12 10 8 6 4 2

Strongly agree

0

Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly disagree

Questions asked

Number of people

Chart 2 - Workshop: Working with Script 18/08/10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Strongly agree Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly disagree

Questions asked

Chart 3 - Workshop: Autobiography 18/08/10 Number of people

12 10 8 6 4 2

Strongly agree

0

Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly disagree

Questions asked

Chart 4 - Workshop: Forum Theatre 19/08/10 Number of people

12 10 8 6 4 2

Strongly agree

0

Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly disagree

Questions asked

Number of people 5 Strongly agree

0 Agree

The summer school was…

The summer school was…

The summer school was…

Other people thought it…

It was good to be doing…

I would like to do more …

I was good to have a go…

I learnt new things about…

It was important to me…

It was important that it…

I would like to watch…

It was important that it…

It was important that…

The summer school…

I learnt new things about…

I would like to do more …

I would like to do more …

I enjoyed the…

I liked watching other …

I would recommend the…

Number of people

Chart 5 - Workshop: Experimental Text 19/08/10

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Strongly agree

Agree

Don't know

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Questions asked

Chart 6 - General Thoughts and Feelings

25

20

15

10

Questions asked Don't know

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Number of people

Chart 7 - Thinking about Collaboration 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Strongly agree Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly disagree

Questions asked