Schools tour of 'Friend' a play about gangs (360G-EssexCF-A499889)

To work with schools in deprived areas of Essex delivering performances and workshops based on the topic of gang culture

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Grant Details

Amount Applied For 5000
Amount Awarded 5000
Award Date 2019-02-08T00:00:00+00:00
Beneficiary Location: Country Code GB
Beneficiary Location: Geographic Code E01021305
Beneficiary Location: Geographic Code Type LSOA
Beneficiary Location: Name Basildon 013D
Grant Programme: Code 2018/19
Grant Programme: Title Multiple Funding
Impact Category Advance people's physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
Last Modified 2021-04-29T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Duration (months) 4
Planned Dates: End Date 2019-07-19T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Start Date 2019-03-04T00:00:00+00:00
Primary age group Young People (13 – 18)
Primary beneficiary Children and Young People
Primary ethnicity All Ethnicities
Primary issue Crime and safety
Recipient Org: Description We are a Southend based, not-for-profit, unincorporated company, who create interactive performances for schools to engage young people in theatre. Our motivation is to use the power of interactive theatre to entertain, to ignite curiosity, provoke thought, and to educate young people to enable them to make informed choices. We formed in Sept ‘17, and have performed to over 20,000 young people to date. Our portfolio of plays: ‘Linked’, a play about internet safety, ‘Friend’ a play about gangs and knife crime, and ‘Invisible’ a play about mental health. ‘Invisible’ performances led to requests for further work such as Parent Engagement Events and staff training on mental health. All these sessions begin with the performance and lead into either guided discussion or a half or full day’s training session. Following one of our Parent Engagement events, Thurrock Council commissioned us to create a series of short films for use in staff training in Thurrock, aimed at reducing permanent exclusions in schools through addressing the way we look after the wellbeing of vulnerable children. Our work, supporting physical and emotional wellbeing, has led to this project, ‘USP’ – Unique Selling Point – which explores the link between identity and aspiration and is the focus for this application. N-Act aims: • To provide high quality drama and theatre for our audiences • To encourage participation and open our audiences to new ideas and concepts • To use theatre to stimulate discussion and create a new awareness to the topics being explored • To employ local actors / facilitators where practicable • To offer work experience and experience-based learning for drama students • To give young people a voice through contribution and involvement in N-Act projects Young people drive and influence our work through involvement in drama activities and workshops which in turn contribute fresh and relevant ideas and experiences to our original scripts. The content of the original plays in N-Act’s repertoire is informed through the research and investigation carried out by the Artistic Director with pupils, and N-Act’s growing list of educational, business, theatre/artistic and local authority partners. This ensures the plays are user-led, fit for purpose and complements the work already going on in schools and local authority work. We initially work with 5/6 schools per project to contribute to the content and to give young people a voice. The workshops we run with young people, and the parent and staff events have led to our production ‘USP’. Young people have voiced that they often feel negatively labelled – 'naughty'; 'poor'; 'stupid'; 'ugly'; from a certain town/street; from a certain family… and sadly that they feel unable to change those labels. This play challenges being defined by these labels, and limited in our aspirations by geography, deprivation, race or gender. We have been match-funded by Southend Council to take this play into 6 schools, both as performances and follow-on workshops. This application is to enable us to rehearse the show to be ‘performance-ready’.
Recipient Org: Web Address https://www.n-acttheatre.co.uk