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The idea behind the project
The magic of the stage is a wonderful thing; indeed, theatre has a profound ability to transform lives – not only the audience’s but the performer’s too. We wish to involve and include young people who are currently in the care of local authorities, by not only giving them a chance to creatively express themselves in a rehearsal room but to also provide them with a unique opportunity to perform on a London stage and show what they have achieved.
There is an enormous sense of achievement and self-worth that follows taking part in a live stage show for the very first time, just the very fact that people have come and given up their time to watch you perform gives you a feeling that cannot be matched, and when they clap as you take your bows you cannot help but smile and be a little bit proud of yourself for what you have achieved. Our aim is to provide very special young people with a very special and unique opportunity to learn and grow and see some of their potential realized.
The Production
With the support of BAAF (The British Association for Adoption and Fostering) and Masterclass, Sniggle will be staged this August at The Theatre Royal Haymarket, providing a once in a lifetime opportunity for 15 young people who are in the care of local authorities to explore their creativity by participating in a live stage show in the West End.
Sniggle will be staged on the 29th August 2008 at 1pm as part of SOLTs Kidsweek and I know the young people would be so grateful to see you there supporting them!!!
Sniggle will be a devised production which will in some way relate to the participants past experience enabling them through the rehearsal process to work through some of their current fears, concerns and anxieties.
Tickets
The show is FREE for you to come and see but we would be greatful if you could book in advance with Masterclass on
+44 (0)20 7389 9660
The Process
15 young people will be selected to devise and rehearse a production with the help of theatre professionals. 3 out of the 15 young people will take on apprentice creative team roles such as director, writer or producer and the other 12 will be performers in the show. The Theatre Royal Haymarket, a leading West End theatre has been secured for the performance. The date for the performance is Friday 29th August (the last day of the Society of London Theatre’s Kids Week). The production itself is at 1pm and lasts for about an hour.
How this activity is likely to affect the people who experience it
The young people will hopefully end the process having a higher self esteem and a feeling of great achievement. Joan Moore a professional drama therapist for Looked After Children explains the benefit of the use of drama to help young people deal with present and past circumstances and future concerns and fears:
“A primary aim of drama and play is to have fun, to experience joy. When our brains are flooded with ‘happy’ chemicals (serotonin, dopamine etc) we become better able to cope with fear and anxiety, like creating a protective lining against toxicity. Secondly, in dramatic play, we aim for improved mutual understanding by creating opportunities to gain a more balanced perspective and greater harmony. Improved self-esteem results from discovering our strengths. Trying out other ways of being and seeking solutions to dilemmas stimulates our creativity and imagination thus improving right/left brain communication and cognitive functioning. Our coping strategies increase alongside growing connectedness to others. Anne Bannister (1992) promoted the value of nurturing creative expression, observing that ‘acting in’ is a way of accepting that which may otherwise be condemned as ‘acting out’.”
Sniggle will give 15 special young people an opportunity which they may never otherwise have to devise and rehearse a show and then see it fully realised on a leading West End stage. It will give them opportunity to work with young professionals in the industry and have direct access to their knowledge of the industry and their other contacts. It will give them opportunity to explore their creativity in a safe environment – one where all of them are in/come from the same situation (as opposed to say when they are at a normal drama class / at school where their peers have a very different home life experience). Sniggle will inspire them to look forward to a brighter future and see new potential in themselves.
Sniggle will raise awareness of the issues that these young people face, and hopefully encourage people to be more sensitive to them. Around 60,000 children are in the care of local authorities at any given time, almost 9000 of these are in children’s homes and not in foster care. Many young people over the age of 11 remain in foster care despite being ready for adoption because there are not enough potential adopters willing to adopt older children.
Children in Need
After the show a collection will be made for BBC's Children in Need
Masterclass
Masterclass aims to offer young people exceptional creative opportunities and experiences with leaders of the theatre industry. A year-round programme of talks, workshops, special projects and career advice is intended to give people insight into all aspects of theatre from writing and directing to acting and producing. Masterclass strives to provide all the events for free, so that people of all abilities, status and background can be inspired by and learn from masters of the craft.
Kidsweek
Kidsweek in the West End is an annual promotion offering free theatre tickets to children
BAAF
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BAAF is the leading
UK charity working for children separated from their birth
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The Creative Team
Director and Choreographer Jodi De Souza
Musical Director Fabio D'Andrea
Assistant Director Damian Sandys
Designer William Reynolds
Production Assistant Anna Harrison