Physical Theatre for Kids – Autumn term 2018

EXPRESSION, CREATIVITY AND BODY MOVEMENT - Physical Theatre for Kids

12 session course starting on 10th July

Mondays 3.45 - 5.15 at Saint Matthews Church, Cambridge

Early birds discount before 31st July. Book your space here

Our drama workshops for kids are an alternative to conventional drama lessons and are based on body movement, freedom and creativity. Through a range of fun theatre games and physical theatre techniques, we aim to promote emotional and physical awareness, self-confidence and self-expression in the participants while having fun and learning theatre skills.

In our courses we  work/play with:

  • Rhythmical movement, pace and the energy of the body
  • Artistic expression (the many ways we can express ourselves)
  •  Creating characters
  •  Collaborative story creation.

We have worked with:

● Embassy English Language School
● Elly College
● Cromwell Community College
● North Academy Cambridge
● St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School
● Anglia Ruskin University

Antigone: Now

Antigone: Now - The woman who challenged the system

Antigone: Now premiered in July 2018 at Hotbed, the Cambridge new writing theatre festival produced by Menagerie Theatre Company, co-produced with the Cambridge Junction, and travelled to Marseille (France) in September for the Play Mediterranean Europe Festival.

Download Antigone: Now dossier

Antigone has had enough. Her brother is dead and her uncle Creon has banned his burial. Her fiancé and her sister are no help, so she decides to take matters into her own hands, risking death in the process. Written by Sophocles in 442 B.C., and presented here in a new adaptation, Antigone: Now tells the tale of a young heroine who goes against society to honour the death of her brother. This new powerfully physical version of the play depicts the empowerment of women and the crucial issues modern societies must grapple with today while exploring relationships in the context of war, nationalism and dysfunctional families.

Unique selling points:

PHYSICAL THEATRE Instead of the English classical interpretation of Antigone, we use Lecoq-based physical theatre principles, putting more emphasis on the power of suggestion, where environments and worlds are created on stage by actors. The human body is at the centre of the storytelling process and the focus is on the dramatic potential that can be unlocked from movement.

ACCESSIBLE ADAPTATION FOR NEW AUDIENCES This contemporary and physical adaptation enables audiences to experience classical literature in a non-conventional form. Physical theatre emphasises the imaginative participation of the audience and their commitment to what is on stage. This show is suitable for people with and without previous knowledge of this piece of universal theatre and is especially powerful to introduce new audiences to Greek mythology and the work of classic playwrights.

A STORY FOR NOW Sophocles’ ‘Antigone’ has been around for nearly 2500 years, yet the themes in the play resonate as strongly today as in the time of Ancient Greece. Gender roles, democracy and justice all come to the forefront when analysing Antigone.

General information and Technical resources:

Duration of the performance: 70 minutes, no interval Age suitability of the show: 12 years + Number on stage: 4 Stage dimensions: Width: Min. 3m. Depth: Min. 2m. Height: Min. 2m. Set: The performance does not require any props or furniture Lighting: Basic Music / sound: Basic. An amplification system.

Cast: Déa Ràk, Nichola Soyza, Emiliano Miles Troiano and Melina Liddiard

Directed by Marina Pallarès-Elias

Volunteer position available at Acting Now: Copywriter

Acting Now Theatre Company is looking for a copywriter to join our team in Cambridge.

Applicants need to send a CV and a covering letter at hello@actingnow.co.uk. Get in touch at this email address if you have any questions.

About us

ACTING NOW is an applied theatre company and social enterprise led by Marina Pallarès-Elias. We are committed to bringing about change in communities and participants from all walks of life, especially those who experience disadvantage.

Our core work involves the use of drama in community, health and education settings as a catalyst for personal and social change. We work with refugees, youth groups, women, adults with learning disabilities or mental health issues, and for councils, charities, schools, universities and cultural centres, in the UK and abroad.

About the role
Founded in 2014, Acting Now is a young company with a small team. We are looking for a native English speaker to join our international team and help with writing marketing materials and proofreading content. Tasks would include:

- writing content for the website (including blog posts) and proofreading existing content;
- writing content for newsletters and other marketing materials of the company (flyers, booklets, etc);
- general support to the marketing team.

The attributes and skills we are seeking are:
- excellent writing skills
- attention to detail
- ability to work to deadlines
- an interest in theatre or the arts in general
- an adaptable and friendly manner
- previous marketing or creative writing experience desirable. 

We have volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, a range of ages and ethnicities, and do not discriminate. In this case, and due to the nature of the role, it is essential that you’re a native English speaker.

Our office is based in Cambridge (in Norfolk Street) and we would like you to do 1-2 days a week for a minimum period 3 months.
Our internships are unpaid but we will cover work-related expenses if necessary. We can also provide references to show future employers and free tickets to attend our theatre events of workshops.

If you would like to apply, please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you would like to get involved at hello@actingnow.co.uk. Get in touch at this email address if you have any questions.

No More Drama, our new theatre project for women

No More Drama, a social theatre project developed to support vulnerable young women at risk of social exclusion.

Saturdays between 1pm - 3pm @ Christ Church on Christchurch Street,  CB1 1HT.

For more information: babettelind@gmail.com / 07828 189509.

In this new project we will be using drama to tackle negatives, build self-esteem and confidence. We offer a safe space to reflect, explore, challenge, be creative and to have LOTS OF FUN in the process.

Project beneficiaries are young women between the ages of 19-25 (or younger 13-18) at risk of social exclusion that may be struggling to get into employment or obtaining other training opportunities as a result of lack of confidence, low self-esteem or self-doubt. Furthermore, the beneficiaries might come from a disadvantaged background or live in a deprived area, they may have poor social skills, a history of anti-social behaviour, victims of violence or abuse, vulnerable to offending or at risk of engaging in substance misuse.

The exposure to traumatic events, witnessing or being a victim of violent crime, abuse, eviction or illegal substance use can have lasting effects from an early age. Such exposure can have further behavioral, emotional or social outcomes such as anxiety, learning difficulties and poor social skills. This can then manifest further into consequences such as aggressive behaviors, substance misuse, depression or offending – causing social exclusion and impacting on the wider community.

The project will comprise of a series of workshops culminating in the production of a theatre performance.

Phase 1 will consist of 5 taster sessions over 5 weeks:
Saturdays between 1 pm – 3 pm at the Christ Church on Christchurch Street, Cambridge, CB1 1HT.
The first session will be held on Saturday the 16th June 2018, 1 pm.

Brief outline of the processes involved in the work undertaken:

- Acting: enabling participant’s creativity by using drama (games, voice exercises and interactive observer scenes).
- Exploring: thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs using drama. - - Reflecting: identifying high risk factors and skills needed to address these.
- Review and reasses attitudes, beliefs, patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
- Practising: cognitive and behavioural skills.
- Testing: new behaviours.

At the end of these processes participants will adopt a collective approach to creating dynamic theatre pieces, where outcomes from difficult situations are constructed by the performers themselves. This performance will be a close and direct reflection of real life to raise awareness and generate change. The performance will be shown at local venues. Through this performance piece participants will be able to raise difficult questions with the audience, initiate debate more widely and work towards achieving profound and positive change.

The project provides young women the opportunity to develop their creativity in an informal learning environment, giving them quality time and space to address their individual triggers and barriers. The project focuses on the social and emotional aspects of learning and aims to provide beneficiaries with effective, lifelong skills such as consequential thinking and empathy.

Young people participating in arts projects are no longer simply criminals, depressed individuals or unemployed low-skilled people: they are actors, dancers and singers. Many young women in high needs communities are beset by low confidence and self-esteem issues, but the performing arts shake up their self-perceptions, helping them to realize what they are capable of achieving. Throughout the process they can come to develop positive friendships and strengthening coping mechanisms that can shape and change perceptions in an invaluable way.

Participants can use these new-found skills to maximize their strengths and better understand their patterns of behaviour. Hence becoming much more self-aware and less likely to engage in risky behaviours.

The project is about giving young vulnerable women in the community a chance to undergo personal growth and self-discovery by working through life experiences that may have developed internal blockers, hindering personal development and fostering old habits and ways of thinking that may have trapped these young women’s lives into vicious circles. These vicious circles are moreover continuously fed by behaviors that are difficult to change. The sessions will explore root causes in individuals for such behaviors and in stages work through acknowledging, understanding, accepting, releasing and ultimately changing.

At the end of the project, the participants wishing to continue attending the project will have the opportunity of joining the next phase and develop a mentoring role for the new members joining the group.

Would you like to participate?
Contact Babette: 07828 189509 / babettelind@gmail.com