PGCert Applied Theatre With Young People

The course comprises two pathways:

• Directing Text (DT)
• Facilitation

Students applying to the Almeida Theatre Workshop Leader scheme may take the Facilitation pathway only. Students applying to the National Theatre Connections scheme may take the DT pathway only.

The two pathways follow the same teaching schedule at Central. Practical specialisms are undertaken within the schedule of the external theatre organisation.

A memorandum of cooperation is drawn up by Central School of Speech and Drama with the National Theatre and the Almeida Theatre.

The National Connections programme Connections is one of the world's largest celebrations of Youth Theatre. Produced by the NT Discovery department, Connections was established in the middle of the 1990s as a response to a demand for new plays by highly respected contemporary writers for
young people to perform.

In each cycle of Connections the National Theatre commissions at least 10 new plays.

(Playwrights previously featured in the project include Dario Fo, Jackie Kay, Judy Upton, Andy Hamilton, Sarah Daniels, Sharman Macdonald, Bryony Lavery, Ali Clark and Mark Ravenhill). Hundreds of youth theatre and school groups from around the UK, Ireland and increasingly abroad apply to take part. Those selected (currently around 200) are asked to select one text from the portfolio of plays that the National Theatre has provided.

Productions that result from the first phase of the Connections programme transfer to other venues, appearing within a series of regional festivals across the country. Some 12 productions nationally are presented in a final festival of work on the stages of the National Theatre.

As part of the Connections programme you, as a director of young people, select a new play and produce it with a youth company. You may also transfer it to another venue.

This work is likely to be tough, challenging and creative. It calls for artistic and strategic decisions geared to the selection of a particular piece for a specific context. You will make choices about rehearsal techniques and staging possibilities. You will oversee the pragmatics of production and you will continuously interact with the members of your company to ensure that they are developing both as young artists and as responsible members of a project for a public performance.

The Almeida Projects Trainee Workshop Leader programm
This programme is run by Almeida Projects, a part of the much respected Almeida . Theatre, London. Almeida Projects is the Almeida Theatre’s community and learning programme who deliver activities to make the theatre accessible to young people, inspire them creatively, and encourage an exploration of the power and potential of theatre. The Workshop Leader programme is for those interested in learning more about working with young people and gaining Facilitation and education-focussed project planning skills.

You will be based with Almeida Projects for a full academic year – from September through to July. During this time, you will attend training workshops focussing on facilitation skills; and you will be given, normally, two placements as Assistant Workshop Leader on a project or series of workshops for or at the Almeida Theatre. The placements will allow you to partake in a project from beginning to end – from the early planning stages through to final presentations. They allow you, also, to lead workshops for young people attending the Almeida introducing them to current plays in the repertoire. You will be mentored in this work and the expectation is that you will
undertake a minimum of 15 hours of facilitation.

In addition to undertaking the placements, you will produce a hypothetical ‘workshop scheme’ with accompanying resource pack. This comprises a set of linked session plans for a named clientele (e.g. youth theatre group, school year group) for ten sessions (of between 60 and 90 minutes each). The resource pack will provide researched material suitable for the facilitator and/or the group relevant to the subject of the workshop scheme. The scheme and pack will demonstrate a thorough understanding of facilitating drama from accompanying reading undertaken by the student. (Further details are given
in a briefing pack.)