Evaluation / Week 6

My responsibilities and roles during this project were never the same, and that's what I preferred. At the start of the project I wasn't as confident and as eager to lead and be seen as an example, and that frustrated me. I settled as more of a participant which suited me fine in the beginning before i realised that wasn't going to satisfy me during the whole project. As I began to find myself more in the coming weeks - and the Valence students too - I became much more open and actually lead an exercise single handedly in front of a large group of people.

I've learned that nothing is really as simple as you first believe when working with people with disabilities. The Friday workshop planning seemed easy to me in the beginning and I didn't really give it much thought. "Ok so I have to lead an exercise about a ball not touching the floor, ok cool,  got it." Yet when I finally got around to it, I had to learn the hard way that leading an exercise to those who lack certain physical abilities need more than just words to be said. From this I learned I had to be patient, I had to give examples and objectives and I had to ensure everyone was on the same page. To be successful at facilitating a workshop for disabled people, it's vital that you make sure everyone is included and feels like an active participant despite any limited capabilities within the group. I also learned that you must create a safe and open environment for everyone in the group where each individual feels comfortable being themselves. With my exercise regarding the ball not allowed to touch the floor, during the workshop plan the ball was bouncing off of everyone's head and hitting people in the face. Although it didn't hurt, I had to make sure the Valence students were aware this could happen and that they knew the deal. 

When taking on the full responsibility of leading an exercise, you need to be fully prepared for things to go wrong. When practicing and preparing a workshop at school, everything goes perfectly because you have full control over the situation, you're with your class mates at school and you're all aware of what and why this is being done. However when delivering a workshop at the Valence school, we needed to be aware that absolutely anything can happen and you need to be ready and be able to think on your feet. I feel like as an individual facilitator within a large group I contributed fully and succeeded in all of these areas.

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My emotions and actions have varied these past six weeks, but I think I have individually contributed:

Week 1 - Within our Brit School group at the workshop planning lesson, we had the take of researching summer and writing up some ideas. I happily wrote up 2 sheets of summer songs, movies, dances, books and task ideas and some of them were used in the final piece! 

Week 2 - Although I didn't take on a leading facilitator exercise I did make every effort to speak to every student and introduce myself to them properly. I got over my rare confidence issue..

Week 3 - I both suggested and lead an exercise at the Valence/Brit meeting. Getting to know everyone better the previous week definitely helped me do this so I'm not annoyed I never lead in the previous week. I gained more confidence and the skills to talk to a large group and thinking on my feet when things went wrong.

Week 4 - within my small group for the car scenes, the roller coaster movement ect I took great joy in being BOSSY, haha. In a smaller group I felt less pressure than when leading group exercises, so I felt I excelled more here. I advanced my listening skills by taking on board what ideas both Brit/Valence students had to offer. I extended my organisation and direction skills as I realised that the Valence students relied on being told what to do. 

Week 5 - the run through of the whole performance was where I took another back seat approach. I wanted the Valence students to try their hardest to remember the order and the scenes THEMSELVES before just giving them the answer straight away. I was on hand to encourage those during the performances and hoped that if I performed with the upmost energy and enthusiasm then they would copy. 

Week 6 - In the final performance I feel like I helped reassure and calm the nerves and anxieties of many of the Valance students. Kirsty had missed a previous week session so she was nervous about doing something wrong. I ran over the order with her and gave her some advice and so she went on stage with a smile!

Skills that I have developed over the course of the project:

I feel like I have 9 and half more bags of confidence, mental stamina, commitment, determination, independance and dedication and PATIENCE! I feel like this project has made me more adaptable to who my audience are and who I'm addressing my words to. I see myself as way more of a versatile performer and leader, having had to deal with situations that have thrown me in the past couple of weeks. feel more versatile because I now have a deeper understanding and knowledge of physical disabilities and what it is like to work with those less abled than myself. I feel more appreciative for what I have in life too. I know that wasn't the intention of the whole project - it wasn't so that I could go work with these students and leave like OH YEAH I LOVE MY LIFE!!! Because that's not that case. Some of these students are without their voice, something I RELY on in life, or their without the ability to move freely, and yet they are still way more optimistic and happier than me. They're inspirational and I'm so lucky to have been able to work with them.

What was the purpose of this project?

I personally have never done pane thing so rewarding and so helpful in my life, so I believe the aim of the project was to open our eyes to new things that may inevitably and push our mental and emotional boundaries past their limits, and to "throw us in at the deep end."

The purpose of this project was to help others AND ourselves. The Valence students were over joyed with our visits and it was something new and exciting to their usual school days, and that made me happy. We also helped ourselves by learning new skills and adapting and extending them. Going to a performing arts school, we're so used to performing and working with people just straight from the industry. It's nice to realise anyone has the ability to be involved in such a beautiful craft, some just might need a little help on the way. 

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Evaluation

I am so unbelievably sad that it's over! The final performance was an amazing outcome and a great way to end these past few weeks.

The first part in the performance sequence was the car scenes we devised. I think this was a success because everyone spoke with loud clear voices and the groups knew which order to go in. One thing that could have gone a little bit smoother was the transitions between each group. Everyone really had fun doing this part and the audience enjoyed it - our audience was mostly children based so the laughs were coming easily.

The second part was the movement sequence we have been working on these past few weeks with Andrea. I also thought this was a success as the many weeks we spent practicing it really paid off - the movements were clear and remembered and when I spoke to the students they said that this activity was the one they were most confident with. I really liked this one too although the song was played so many times it annoyed the hell out of me. Jake and Josh were especially good at this part of the performance because they were very shy when it comes to the vocal part, so they made up for it with the effort for the physical.

The song was my favourite part! It was such a good way to end the 6 weeks and I was really impressed with whole confident and loud and excited everyone was. Emma, who I think struggles with confidence a lot, really shone the last time we did it and that made me happy! People remembered the actions because of the words or the words because of the actions and we gave 110% together as a big happy group. 

I've learnt unbelievable amounts these past 6 weeks and I've felt like I've changed as a person and I hope I've helped other people change for the better too. I'm gutted it's over but I will not hesitate to volunteer should an offer like this ever present itself again. I thank The BRIT School and Valence for the opportunity. Thank you. 

CHICKEN SHED

CHICKEN SHED!!

"Our vision is a society that enables everyone to flourish and our mission is to create entertaining and outstanding theatre that celebrates diversity and inspires positive change.Where difference can divide, at Chickenshed the difference makes the art."  

http://youtu.be/pK59hdOz0lw

http://youtu.be/X5dkeIwVvpw

Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that first began in 1974 . Primarily based at our own purpose-built venue in North London, we create theatre for all ages and run successful outreach projects, education courses and membership programmes throughout the year. We are also a registered charity and rely heavily on the generous support of individuals, companies, trusts and foundations in order to continue our pioneering work.

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These are the people who make it all happen:

Theatre Trust President The Hon. Natasha Rayne

Executive Trustees and Directors

Chairman Josh Berger CBE

Treasurer Matthew Rose

Company Secretary Wendy Shillinglaw

The Hon. Natasha Rayne, The Lady Jane Rayne Lacey (Past President), David Bacon, Nick Campsie, Tony Gibbon, Derek Granger, Christine Mason, Alison Ritchie, Prof. Jonathan Shalit, Roger Shane, Angela Soning and Kate Varah

Non-Executive Trustees of Chickenshed Theatre Trust

Dame Judi Dench CH DBE and Sir Trevor Nunn CBE

Chickenshed Property Company

Chairman John Burns

Treasurer Matthew Rose

Company Secretary Wendy Shillinglaw

Trustees and Directors

David Bacon, James Briggs, Richard Poole, Tom Redman, Roger Shane and David Thurston

Chickenshed Executive

Artistic Director and Co-Founder Mary Ward MBE D.Univ (Middx) 

Director of Music and Co-Founder Jo Collins MBE D.Univ (Middx)

Chief Executive Jane Paterson-Todd MBA

Director of Education, Training and Outreach Paul Morrall 

Head of Performance Louise Perry

Administration

Wendy Shillinglaw – Head of Administration

Fundraising

Adam Gallacher – Head of Fundraising

Angel Dahouk - Corporate & Trust Fundraiser

Amanda Hecht – Events & Community Fundraising Manager

Jacqui McLeod - Fundraising Officer

Marketing

Helen Tovey – Head of Marketing

Susan Jamson – Press & Communications Manager

Dominic Draper – Marketing Officer

Tamsin Irwin - Press & Communications Officer

Vicky Chytis - Marketing Assistant

Theatre Management

Frances Thomas – Head of Theatre Management

Toulla Theophanous - HR Manager

Peter Barrell – Building Manager

Reg Dent – Morning Building Supervisor

Christopher Maphosa – Building Supervisor

Maurilio Da Silva – Weekend Building Supervisor

Andrew Philippou – Weekend Building Supervisor

Jenny Kettleton – Volunteer Programme Administrator

Katarina Kovacova - Buildings Administrator

Box Office

Kevin Metchear – Head of Front of House & Box Office

Amy Dunbar – Duty Manager

Penny Deller – FOH Supervisor & Box Office Supervisor

Maureen Wright – Box Office Supervisor

Sehnaz Harrison – Box Office Supervisor

Barbara Bakhurst - Box Office Assistant

Aisling Hayes – Box Office Assistant

Finance

Daniel Beacock – Head of Finance

Karen Reid – Finance Officer

IT

Terry Whymark – Senior IT Manager

Membership

Matthew Lyons – Head of Membership

Charlotte Bull – Children’s Theatre Director

Beverley Ward - Membership Subscription Co-ordinator

Performance

Louise Perry – Head of Performance

Dave Carey – Creative Development Director

Christine Niering – Director of Dance

Peter Dowse – Head of Children’s Theatre/Associate Director

Michele Durler – Associate Director

Rachel Yates – Associate Director

Fiona Carey – Associate Director

Nigel Spurgeon – Musical Translator

Jelena Budimir – Associate Director

Dina Williams – Associate Director

Loren Jacobs – Artistic Staff

Charlie Kemp – Artistic Staff

Belinda McGuirk – Artistic Staff

Robin Shillinglaw – Artistic Staff

Iain Whitmore – Artistic Staff

Louise Reen – Artistic Staff

Mark Lees – Artistic Staff

Phil Haines – Sound Technician

Zeeta Jacobs – Production Manager

Emma Robertson – Head of Wardrobe

Rodger Harries – Wardrobe Assistant

Andrew Caddies – Chief Electrician

Rebecca Jennings – Deputy Stage Manager

Phill Fairhurst – Assistant Stage Manager

Education & Outreach

Paul Morrall – Director of Education & Outreach

Jonny Morton – Education Manager/FdA Programme Manager

Linda Foley – Shedlink Programme Manager

Zoe Hayes – Education Co-ordinator

Michelle Manzi – FdA Programme Manager/Associate Director

Antonia Jater – Arts & Education Administrator

Daniela Boyce – Arts & Education Administrator

Ffion Stavrou – Arts & Education Administrator

Sebastian Gonzalez – Education Staff.

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SUMMER ACTIVITY:

Staff from Southgate’s Chicken Shed theatre will head off on an Olympic tour this summer, crossing the river to the Chelsea theatre to lead a selection of workshops for children exploring the Olympics in an original and inventive way.

Funded by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the inclusive workshops are available for children who live or go to school in the borough and will be led by professional practitioners from the Chickenshed theatre.

The summer season of workshops opens from 30 July to 1 August with the fittingly titled Opening Ceremony Workshop. Suitable for children aged five to seven years old, the workshop will take attendees on a whistlestop tour around the Olympic world using play, music and movement with places costing £60.

For older children aged eight to 12 years old, the World’s End 2012 Heroes Workshop takes place from 31 July to 1 August. Drawing inspiration from personal heroes, participants will explore and create an original piece of theatre to be performed for family and friends. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance.

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Harry Potter, Yoda and The Queen of Hearts were opponents in the 200m hurdles then Let The Games Begin –  A Play in a Day Workshop is for you. Suitable for children aged eight to 14 years old, the workshop takes place on 2 August, costs £40 and draws inspiration from participants’ favourite characters to create an Olympics to remember.

Bringing the workshops to a close on 3 August is the Closing Ceremony – A Dance Show in a Day Workshop for children aged eight to 12 years old. Costing £40, this day long activity will use a range of dance styles from Street Dance to Bollywood to help the group create their own unique closing ceremony. 

At the theatre’s Southgate home, its favourite interactive storytelling showTales From The Shed continues to run until 14 July, with a mini festival Tales Big Day Out taking place on 21 and 22 July with performances from the Tales team, stalls and creative activities for all the family.

"Don't get lemon"

Gabs definitely had a crush on Ember these past few weeks ;)

MOLLY!!!!! Xx

Week 5

IT'S NEARLY ALL OVER!!!!! Today was our penultimate visit to Valance school which I'm trying very hard to forget - the 6 weeks has flown by so quickly and I'll be sad to see it end! Regardless, I'm focusing on making this last performance a good one and thinking about all the lovely people and friends I have made on the way.

 Just like we do every week, us Brit students began having a catch up with the Valence students, asking about their weekends ect. When it was finally time to get down to business, we spent the day running over our performance and sorting out the transitions so it looked smooth and worked with the space. We began with some warm ups and had lots of fun doing the "big face little face exercise" and the "happy face sad face exercise." We rehearsed each of the individual sections in our final performance piece and then worked out a way to jam them all together. 

It's exiting seeing it all come together and I'm eager to perform in the lovely new space we're working in, as the transitions between each group and scene can be made a lot more easily and there's more room for us to all perform to our better ability.

 

 

Week 4

Today was awesome! We began learning the song to............... drum roll please.......... SUMMER NIGHTS!!

In Fridays work shop planning lesson we all got into pairs, were allocated a certain couple of lines in the song and had to add simple yet effective memorable actions to accompany the words. Having Kirsty - the musical theatre singing genius - she focused on the singing whilst we thought of effective actions. I thought this was really fun and it was interesting when we went around the group and had to learn the other lines. We decided we were going to scurry off into little groups and teach the song that way, however that did not happen....

Andrea decided we may as well stay in the large group and the pairs should just teach the group as a whole. When it came to my section of the song... PANIC... Kirsty wasn't in! So I had to single handedly sing and teach the actions to everyone, which I was initially nervous about. I got on with it anyway and although I am so completely tone deaf, I belted the song out anyway because I knew if I wanted the Valence students to be loud and enthusiastic then I had to be too. I performed the actions slowly and clearly, getting around to everyone in the circle so everyone could see. It went well. 

Today taught me to think on my feet - it wasn't until it was my time to teach my section of the song that I realised my partner was not in! I had to adapt myself to the current situation and just be confidence and bold with it.

We then went over the movement sequence and the scenes in the cars so it stayed refreshed and remembered in all of our minds.

Week 3

Today was, as always, very interesting. We decided in Fridays discussion that we were going to play some games as a warm up activity incorporating inflatable beach balls and sea gulls to fit the idea of SUMMER. I thought this was a great idea as it gave both us and the Valence students something physical to work with.

Some of the games suggested were ones that used the ball as a prop:

- passing the ball around in a circle and using your imagination to convince the rest of the group that the ball wasn't ACTUALLY a ball.... but a ________. I thought this game was great because everyone could take part fairly and it proved to be quite funny too.

Other games saw the involvement of the ball as vital for the activity to be successful:

- my little group decided we wanted to challenge the students at Valence and played the classic child hood game of "don't let the ball touch the floor." This game wasn't as a successful as we first thought it would be because, although we did really really try to consider some of the students' ability, most of them did struggle with it. The ball inevitably touched the floor on more than one occasion but that was fine; I only gave it that name so the students could use it as an OBJECTIVE. 

This time also, I lead an activity which was something I decided I wanted to do last week. Myself and 2 others explained the activity above and although it didn't go exactly to plan, I'm still glad I lead an activity as it made me more noticeable to the other students and more open.

We also began learning a sunglasses sequence in pairs with the Valence students, but this wasn't very successful - in my opinion. For the first week ever me and Laurie BOTH finally remembered our sunglasses! I felt personally, this wasn't as successful as the other activities because it was far too fast paced for both me and the Valence students to keep up with. It was a lot of changing over and then turning around and then sunglasses up and then sunglasses down... I think we need to slow it down slightly and have some slower music and longer pauses in between the actions.

I also learnt about myself as a person today - usually I'm such an impatient person but I'm learning that keeping my cool is vital when working in an environment like this. I don't mean for that to sound like I want to start flipping chairs when I can't understand a student, it's just I myself can get frustrated pretty easily but I'm surprising myself these past few weeks. The students are great and easy to work with and I'm having a nice time! 

Week 2

Today was exciting! We focused the project task on all getting to know each other properly, coming to the conclusion during our evaluation session as a whole company that, in the previous visit, we all felt like we hadn't had the opportunity to introduce ourselves properly to everyone.

First, we decided on what games we could play that was:

-suitable for everyone regardless of disabilities

-something we would all enjoy

-something beneficial in terms of learning

-something that would get us all acquainted.

We made the games vocally for those who are restricted in terms of movement and physicality but at the same time, other games we made sure weren’t too vocal for those who were the opposite. During the session, I was participated in all of the games rather than leading any, and I found my favourite exercise to be the ‘speed dating,’ one I suggested we do myself.

It was such a fun way to pair up with the Valence students we had not yet spoken to and get to know each other with quick firing topics and the intention was to get around to people as fast as possible, so we never left a man behind! We got to know everyone.

Another exercise I quite enjoyed was the charades; we paired up with a Valence student and decided together what was our favourite summer activity. Once decided, we came up with a set of actions or words that communicated the activity to the rest of the audience and students and they had to guess what it was.

Next time we visit, I want to make sure I take on more of a leader approach. It’s not intentional that I find myself being more of a participant, it’s just at that moment I was willing to be lead with everyone else instead of actually leading.

We then moved on to learning a movement piece lead by Andrea. I found this very beneficial for everyone involved. Us Brit Students wasn’t aware of the actions before Andrea taught them to us, so we were learning WITH the Valence students as we went along. I enjoyed helping a talking to Laurie and Kirsty, making sure they were following.

Today was fun, beneficial and I really feel like I’m creating a bond with these students!

We played games for the first half of the morning which was very fun. more about 80 percent of the exercises I was a participant not a facilitator, therefore my main role for today was to ensure the students around me understood what we were doing and to make them feel more comfortable and at ease within the group. 

The other 20 percent was when I did fully engage with facilitating a section of our workshop and I lead one of the name games which was kind of like speed dating. 



My role was to facilitate getting everyone to go into pairs and to ask their partner 3 specific questions. I then got them to move around the room and find new partners so that they could ask somebody else 3 new questions and find out new things about new people. Once we had done this 3 times (Ironically) we got the group back into a big circle and we got certain individuals to feedback what fun facts they had found out about different people. 



After a few more games we took a break. I got chatting to James and Alex and Kirsty which was nice. After lunch Andrea lead the movement section of our day. We choreographed a little story that contained physical actions which were adaptable to each individual student and then we broke off into little groups and designed small 'Rollercoaster' rides using our bodies. Andrea used a lot of repetition to make sure that everyone understood each and every instructions she gave us. 



I thought this section of the workshop which Andrea lead was very beneficial to not only myself, but the Valance students as well. This is because it gave us an opportunity to at first learn some actions as part of a very large group, which I hope gave off a palpable inclusive atmosphere within the room. This part of the workshop also gave us the chance to break off into smaller groups and to work with specific individuals, which helped me get to know some of the students better, and what their individual capabilities are. 



Then it was lunch. THEN WE HAD ANOTHER TOUR! 



Pretty soon it was time to get into the coach and head home. We said our fairwells and then we were off! 





WHAT WENT WELL: Today I learnt a lot more of the students names. My confidence grew tremendously when I delivered my small section of the warm up exercises. Also I feel more confident in approaching the students and asking them about themselves.



HOW I CAN IMPROVE:  



I feel like I know about 40 percent of the students in our group, however I have still been very afraid to communicate with the non verbal students. My target for next week is to communicate with at least one non verbal student. 



 

REFLECTION NOTE: I am really starting to enjoy this project. I think that i will get a lot out of it. Roll on the next few weeks. 



 

Planning - SUMMER

In today's Friday lesson we had the task of coming up with certain aspects of summer we enjoy, and what reminds us of summer. Actually, I found this to be harder than I thought. Summer isn't just about the sun and the beach. We also had to develop our ideas into potential activities to do with the students at Valence. My list was as follows:

SUMMER!

Songs:

Summer Loving - Grease

Summertime - Dizzee Rascal

Summertime - Will Smith ft Dj Jazzy Jeff)

Summer of 69 -  Bryan Adams

Here comes the sun - Nina Simone

My idea for using songs was that we could use them as a backing track in the transitions for any sequences we devise in the future or we could create movement pieces - like a dance - to one of these summer songs to fit the theme of... summer! Alternatively, we could learn the words together and sing it like a choir with added actions for those unable to join in vocally.

Films:

Grease

High School Musical 2

The Last Song

Parent Trap

The Endless Summer

My idea for incorporating films into the work we do with the Valence students was that we could do scenes from these summer classics! As a theatre student myself, I think acting is a great way to build confidence - especially for the Valence students - and is a great way to forget our own hectic lives for a moment and have fun playing someone else! It also takes a lot of concentration to learn lines (they wouldn't have to be complicated) and that would also help them advance mentally. 

Activities:

Every summer, I have great fun sitting outside in the sun (with extra sun cream obviously with being a ginger) and just letting myself loose doing something creative! We could team up with the Valence students and create own T - Shirts which would be cool to wear during whatever performance we decide to do. Making tye dye shirts is my favourite - they're so easy to make and they look beautifully summery. We could also make bead necklaces or bracelets... I hope that doesn't seem like an exercise for little kids because I LOVE doing those. It requires concentration and helps extend a persons creativity, so I think doing either would be great fun and very beneficial. 

From this point, we had to ensure that our activists were suitable for every student at Valence as their abilities varied. With the movement dances to the songs we could make the movement doable with any body part. If someone was unable to use their legs they could use their arm or vice versa. The acting theatre idea is very suitable as, regardless of the disability, almost anyone can join in their own way and with their own input. I noticed that those who could not speak had sound boards and those who could not walk had motorised chairs. The activities like shirt and jewellery making is almost suitable for everyone too as we can give first hand help and their ideas and themselves as a person could still come through.

:)

The school

The school is UNBELIEVABLY beautiful and the grounds and facilities are amazing. Inside looks so very posh and grand and it's a stark contrast to Brit. Not that Brit isn't those things, it's just our school is very diverse and edgy and creative. This school has a different approach and the creativity is INSIDE through the students. 

First visit

We had our first visit today! It was nothing like I had expected. It's bad to say it but I had all sorts of random thoughts running through my mind before I met the students and it's safe to say none of them matched reality. People are so quick to judge people with a disability and this may sound so obvious but: they really are just normal people. A few students were too shy to speak comfortably today at the first meeting but I was impressed at the confidence and eagerness of some students. Before we met, the leader Roz gave us some VERY helpful information and tips and they definitely came in handy. My initial thought would be to be overly sensitive to them and, like Roz already expected we would, talk to them as if they were children. Once she had explained that was not necessary I understood why; some of these students are older than me and they're not stupid! I was impressed at how easily the conversation flowed with some students and how we could talk about just general life topics like music and tv shows.

A girl called Molly is one of those students and within the first hour of meeting her I feel that we got on really well. Just a few years younger than me, our conversations matched those I would have with any school friends. We spoke about her favourite bands and her own family life. She was even so open about her disability that she asked us students for assistance when cutting her food.

I think what I need to improve on next week is making sure I associate myself with every student. Unintentionally I found that today, if I got on with someone (like Molly) I spent a lot of time with her building a strong bond as opposed to getting to know the other students. I will be sure to do that next time. 

What's going on?

For our community project this term, we are running workshops and creating art sequences with the students at Valence, a school that focuses on students with different disabilities from a variety of ages. I'm excited although, to be completely honest, I am very nervous too. This will be a first time experience for me and I'm eager to see what it will bring.