Title
Going solo: digitally creating and presenting solo theatre work

Workshop description
A practical experience of creating and presenting solo pieces online. In this workshop we will examine different strategies and tools to help students develop and perform fully produced solo work.

Learning outcomes
– To examine the choice of appropriate theorists for digital work.
– To develop approaches for online rehearsals.
– To examine the use of online performance and production elements.
– To consider ways of capturing solo work on personal devices.

How will the workshop benefit the teacher in their curriculum delivery?
It is possible, in this time of uncertainty, that teachers may find themselves in situations where they will need to guide theatre students to develop, rehearse and perform their solo theatre assessment tasks off-site. This workshop offers tools, strategies and tips to help teachers prepare their students to create, present and fully realise a solo theatre piece online in a way which is authentic and takes advantage of the online platform.

Target audience
DP Theatre teachers

I’m a playwright, director and education consultant working in the United Kingdom and internationally. I was writer-in-residence at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and am currently working with them on a new musical and with Birmingham Royal Ballet on a youth empowerment programme. I’m the creative learning director of UCAN, working with blind young people and artistic director of the Celebrating Our Stories Verbatim Theatre Festival for December 2020.

My passion is for Verbatim Theatre, working with communities to discover empowering ways of theatrically presenting untold stories. My work with students and teachers focuses on reflection, the role it plays in learning, in making art, in social activism and in building compassion. As an artist I am inquiring into what it means to make art with kindness.

I have an interest in curriculum and was manager of the curriculum review of IB MYP Arts. As a consultant I am involved in the development of the IB Diploma Theatre course as well as Diploma Literature and Performance and Diploma Music. My work involves the design of Diploma Theatre teacher workshops, online courses and teacher support materials (TSM) and the overseeing of whole school change programmes.

I am currently working on a number of projects which, as a result of Covid-19 have now gone digital. As artistic director of the ‘Hear Us Out’ festival, with New Writing South, I am writing and directing a new verbatim theatre piece with older people; I’m working on an online piece with six young people for Birmingham Royal Ballet and with UCAN Productions I’m working with 6 performers to create a series of online solo pieces and accompanying workshops, ‘Storystarters’, for primary schools.

Event coordinator
Helen Abbott

The workshop will take place using the platform Zoom.

Places are limited to 20 participants per workshop.

You will receive a link to the Zoom call the day before the workshop.

The cost of the session is GBP £30 per person.

Any materials shared with you prior to the workshop, such as the workbook. Plus anything requested by the workshop leader which will be shared with you a few days prior to the workshop.

Space requirements
If possible, please try to have a small amount of space near to you for any practical work.