The idea
Active|Creative|Live
Led by a team of Practitioners from a range of creative & performing arts disciplines, we offer ACTIVE workshops delivered in-school and on-site (theatres and community centres).
Our Practitioners deliver engaging learning sessions that enhance a learner’s understanding of & appreciation for the stories, themes & language of Shakespeare’s plays. We do this through approaching the text actively (as actors would in a rehearsal room). Through this active-practice approach - working with the text & breaking it down, playing & having fun - we explore what’s happening in the play together and at a deeper level without it feeling difficult or overwhelming.
Our workshops have had a positive educational impact at KS 1-5 in areas including literacy & language (fiction and non-fiction persuasive writing); creative approaches to problem-solving; boosting self-confidence & self-worth; enhancinging cultural & social identity; encouraging team unification.
What we'll deliver
- Deliver at least 20 days of Workshops at Keystage 1-5 in educational settings at no cost to the school or college
- Consult with schools/colleges in Cheshire and North West on which plays they are studying at exam level
- From consultations, we will create, develop & tour two adaptations of Shakespeare plays being studied at exam level
- The two plays will tour schools and theatres across North West with Free Tickets for schools/colleges involved
- Create individual filmed packages of schools/college work for use on their website, as educational material
- Ensure that young people in areas of recognised deprivation access a performance in a theatre
- Inspire young people to actively explore Shakespeare & take part in live performance
- Encourage people of all ages and experience to engage with Shakespeare and experience one of our live performances.
Why it's a great idea
Crafted by professional Practitioners from a range of disciplines who work with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and National Theatre, our workshops actively engage learners in understanding & appreciating the stories, characters, themes & language of Shakespeare’s plays.
We continually update our own learning & our experience of actively performing & reinventing Shakespeare's works to make sure the plays remain relevant, fun and accessible for all; to make sure they resonate with issues & concerns of young people today.
Our Mission - and our promise! - is to ensure a Learner’s experience is:
- Fun
- Active
- Explorative
- Relevant
- Inventive
- Thought-provoking
- Inspiring
- Educational
- Accessible
Our workshops have a positive educational impact at KS 1, 2 & 3: Including literacy & language (inc. writing); creative approaches to problem-solving; boosting self-confidence& self-worth; cultural & social identity; encouraging team unification.
Steps to get it done
- Prepare Materials and contact schools
- Launch Blog
- Prepare all PR, Marketing, Social Media, data registers
- PR / Social Media / Print Marketing Launch
- Communicate with schools regarding preferred texts, prep workshops & schedule school workshop dates
- Deliver FIRST WINDOW of Workshops in schools across the Northwest
- Build, test and develop robust measures and tools for data collection and feedback
- Deliver SECOND WINDOW of Workshops across Northwest
- Rehearse adapted performance for schools/theatres; working with community performers and champions
- Send out First Window feedback forms with workshops
- Send out Second Window feedback forms with workshops
- Collate and analyse data from schools, audience, participants and community
- Tour Adapted Shakespeare production to a range of indoor/open spaces
- Make any adjustments to final report and submit to funders/partners
- Draft final report to discuss ahead of submission.
- Present Arts Award Certificates to those taking part in the Arts Award Programme (at various levels)
Education, engaging with young people and positively shaping young minds (from early years onwards) has always been the cornerstone of Chalice Media as an ethically responsible, socially and culturally responsive digital & performing arts enterprise .
This year we are looking to relaunch our Creative Shakespeare Workshops in schools & colleges across Cheshire and the North West. Pre-pandemic these award-winning workshops were in-demand and well-attended. in both primary and secondary schools in the UK and Europe.
With a positive track record for improving literacy and an understanding of poetic principles (including the use of allegory, metaphor, allusion, etc), encouraging creative approaches to problem-solving, boosting self-confidence and encouraging team unification, the workshops have been seen to embed a strong core knowledge of and appreciation for Shakespeare’s plays at KS 1-5. They are fun, active, engaging and accessible for all.
Active | Creative | Live