We’re planning on running OPEN SPACE again in West Yorkshire in Spring 2009. If you'd like to explore the possibility of your school getting involved then please contact Alex Smith, General Manager to express interest on 0113 234 5400 or by email through the Contact Form.
OPEN SPACE has been designed to develop teachers and school students understanding of contemporary theatre practice and to pass on practical skills for Devised Theatre modules. Running since 2003, the project aims to inspire school students to continue their studies into Further and higher education. It's also quite a lot of fun.
OPEN SPACE generally runs over one school term with around 120 A-level and GCSE Drama/Theatre Studies students from up to 8 High Schools. Schools who have been involved with OPEN SPACE previously include:
• Benton Park • Boston Spa • Carr Manor • Intake High • Morley High • Priesthorpe • Rodillian • Roundhay •
" I just wanted to say thanks for everything Unlimited have done for myself and Rodillian School recently. Especially Jon, who made the whole workshop such a fun place to be! Thanks again, and all the best." Chris, 2006 participant Rodillian School Leeds.
We also work with Leeds University Drama Students who attend the workshops and work as role models and mentors to the school students and assistant directors to the workshop facilitators.
Open Space delivers teacher training and an accompanying resource pack, an all day Devising Tool Box workshop for pupils, mentoring support for pupils by Unlimited's Artistic Director and concludes with a huge and beautifully chaotic Symposium where all the participating schools come together to share their work and make a massive new show together.
Since we've been running this project there has been a measurable improvement in results for participating schools in their Devised Theatre modules. It works.
We asked our students on the Open Space programme in 2006 to name something they enjoyed about the process….. here are some of their responses:
“Working with new groups of people”
“Getting feedback from a skilled actor”
“Performing our own play at the West Yorkshire Playhouse”
“Having the professional space in which to show our work”
“Working with others to get different ideas and views”
“It was good fun!”
“The whole process”
“Performing in the playhouse built confidence about the play”
“Creating a new piece of drama from our learnt skills”
We also asked them what they had learnt about devising theatre during the process:
"Stimulus creates good drama"
“How to write collaboratively”
“Technical design is essential”
“How to use feedback to improve our work”
“Using a scratch performance to bring the work together"
“Using abstract techniques”
“How research makes the performance more believable”
“How to use props effectively”
“Plays don’t have to be chronologically ordered”
If you'd like to explore the possibility of the project running in your area, then please contact us on 0113 234 5400 or by email through the Contact Form.