Elevate is a skills-building programme for socially engaged theatre-makers and artists who are interested in working with a specific community of people. It is designed as a practical, explorative course that we hope builds a lasting creative community.
We have a cohort of practitioners signed up for the term, but we also open up some sessions for all to book on to.
This year we are offering a full term ticket – this will give you entry to every workshop in the series, at a 25% discount. This can be booked on the first of our workshops – Creative Facilitation, as below.
Creative Facilitation
Wednesday 16th September, 10am – 1pm
what will I do in this workshop?
• You’ll learn a range of games and exercises
• You’ll learn how to adapt games to the needs of the groups
• You will understand when to use a game and how it can benefit you
• Learn how to plan and structure a workshop
• Learn the benefits of this work
This workshop will benefit anybody who facilitates groups as part of their work – not just for creative practitioners.
Book this workshop on Headfirst
Julie’s Story and other devising techniques
Wednesday 14th October, 10am – 1pm
what will I do in this workshop?
• We’ll introduce you to the Julie Story Method of devising theatre
• You’ll learn how and when to implement this and other methods
• You’ll understand the benefits of this work for participants
• Explore different ways of doing this work
• You’ll have a chance to put these techniques into practice
Creating material from individual voices & writing for a community
Wednesday 18th November, 10am – 1pm
what will I do in this workshop?
• We’ll discuss the acta method from meeting a group through to performance.
• Be introduced to past acta projects, to see this work in context
• Watch short films of acta theatre shows evidencing this process
• Explore different ways of doing this work
• We’ll discuss how we adapt this process with different groups
This workshop will benefit anybody whose work includes gathering voices of communities – not just for theatre practitioners. Writers, story tellers, film-makers, and researchers may also find this helpful.
Engaging with heritage to create original theatre
Wednesday 13th January, 10am – 1pm
• We’ll discuss the importance and impact of producing original theatre with a heritage focus
• Be introduced to past acta projects, to see this work in context
• Explore different ways of doing this work
• We’ll discuss how we adapt this process with different groups and different aspects of heritage
This workshop will benefit anybody who is passionate about everyday heritage and people’s history – not just for theatre practitioners. Writers, story tellers, film-makers, and researchers may also find this helpful.
Community theatre practice: Engaging with communities. Why and How?
Wednesday 10th February 2027, 10am – 1pm
what will I do in this workshop?
• We’ll discuss the importance and impact of engaging communities from different cultural backgrounds
• How we engage different communities, e.g using English as a second language workshops as a gateway
• Explore different ways and methods of doing this work, and which exercises might work best
• We’ll discuss how we adapt this process with different groups with different needs
• Be introduced to past acta projects, to see this work in context, including watching short films
Whilst this work is done by us in a theatre setting, we feel this workshop would benefit more people than just theatre practitioners. We particularly think community organisers and campaigners may benefit, but also any artists that work in community settings.
Book this workshop on Headfirst
An introduction to social enterprise: running yourself as a business
Wednesday 17th March 2027, 10am – 1pm
what will I do in this workshop?
You’ll really get to grips with what a social enterprise is
We’ll talk you through creating a simple business plan and budget
We’ll look into mapping your journey and creating an action plan to come away with
Whilst this day will be focussed on undertaking this work as a theatre practitioner, we believe other artists will benefit from this too.
Book this workshop on Headfirst
