Writing Style 3

“We work using an inclusive creative process which means everyone is welcome, and everyone is valued”

(http://www.chickenshed.org.uk/about/main)

Chickenshed Theatre Company was founded in 1974 by Mary Ward and Jo Collins with the vision of creating a theatre company that would be accessible and available to anyone with a passion to perform, 35 years later this can still be seen in every aspect of their work. They would describe their method of theatre as inclusive theatre, an ethos that aims to make every aspect of the workshopping, rehearsals, production and performance accessible to all, be it performer or audience member.

This vision can be seen today within Chickensheds workshops, education programs and regular performances and shows, both onsite and at outside locations. It runs workshops either as a regular commitment or as one off events, for children, adults or schools/companies. These aim to include everyone who is interested regardless what their situation might be, as long as there is an interest, anyone is welcome. As the Chickenshed website states “These workshops are all underpinned by our inclusive creative process which harnesses the creativity of each individual, and magnifies it, to make theatre that belongs to everyone.” At present Chickenshed has over “600 amazing children and young people” involved in workshops, as members, on a regular basis. Anyone can become a member however the waiting list has over 2000 names of potential members all waiting to become a part of this unique setup.

In terms of education Chickenshed was the first centre, and remains the front runner, to teach inclusive performing arts. Like the workshops it is open to anyone who shows interest in the arts and is willing to do what it takes to develop and progress. Not only does it provide the chance for youngsters to learn about the world of performing arts it also provides nationally recognised and accredited qualifications such as courses at BTEC, foundation degree and MA level. As well as working in workshops, both active and written based, students also take part in performances alongside company members.

Chickensheds values and visions can best be seen through its performances. In its current production of Pinocchio, an adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s original story from “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, it combines drama, dance and music, sign language, audio description and captioning to create an inclusive experience for both audience and cast. The ethos of inclusion can be seen in the 600+ cast, which is split into 4 rotas that perform 15 shows each throughout the run and is lead by a group of core cast who participate in all 60 shows. This allows all of the members of Chickenshed’s children, youth workshops and its students to partake in the show if they so please, without the story or quality being compromised. The involvement of sign language in the show not only allows deaf cast members to follow cues on stage, it also does not exclude certain audience member from being able to watch the performance.

So with this in mind can Chickenshed’s vision of “everyone is welcome, everyone is valued” still be seen to be working today. I feel that their latest production of Pinocchio not only shows this but also shows the potential the company has to further this vision in the future.

Writing Style 2

The stage is set with a large red and gold circus tent hanging from the ceiling. As the audience take their seats and the house lights begin to dim, three objects are dragged on stage by cast members. All is quite apart from the distance sound of whistling which becomes increasingly louder as Geppetto walks through the auditorium and onto the stage. While he whistles he removes the cloth covering two of the objects to reveal two very brightly coloured puppets. Gepetto begins to sing about carving a puppet as he uncovers Pinocchio, the third puppet hidden under the cloth and as he does so one of the other puppets begins to sign as Geppetto sings. As he carves, the puppet comes to life arm by arm, leg by leg until the puppet Pinocchio is larger than life and ruder than ever! The stage suddenly comes to life with cast members, some doing washing, others gossiping, all doing intriguing things for the audience to feast their eyes on.

.

Writing Style 1 Draft 2

Chickenshed Theatre Company would like to cordially invite you to their Christmas production of Carlo Codolli’s Pinocchio.Chickenshed are bringing this production back to life for a second time in what promises to be even better than the first. Experience the magic as the two hundred strong cast inclusively incorporate dance, drama, music and sign language to re tell an age old classic!
Follow Pinocchio along his journey as he transforms from a wooden puppet into a real life boy, from naughty to nice, and even into a donkey! Watch as the 7ft tall, hip HOPPING cricket bounces his way across the stage and marvel as the Blue Fairy enchants you with her aerobatics on the suspended circus ring.
This production is the perfect outing to get you into the Christmas spirit as the Chickenshed cast turns this fantastic classic into a truly unique and original experience for all the family. Never has a production made the audience feel so involved in a story as this one does, with characters popping up in the auditorium and magical songs encouraging them to sing and clap along.
Brought to you from their theatre in the heart of London’s Southgate, this production runs from the 9th December until 16th January.

Ticket prices:
Previews (Wed 9 – Sat 12 December):
Stalls: £12, Gallery: £10

Peak performances (Fri 18 December – Saturday 2 January):
Stalls: £19.50, Gallery: £13.50

Standard performances (all other dates):
Stalls: £18, Gallery: £12

Concessions are available for all performances.

Sign Language is integrated into all performances

Captioned performances:
Friday 18 December at 7.30pm
Friday 8 January at 12pm
Saturday 9 January at 3.30pm

Audio-described performances:
Wednesday 23 December at 7.30pm
Wednesday 6 January at 1pm & 7.30pm
Friday 8 January at 7.30pm

www.chickenshed.org.uk

Box Office: 0208 292 9222

Writing Style 1

Chickenshed Theatre Company would like to cordially invite you to their Christmas production of Carlo Codolli’s Pinocchio. Experience the magic as the two hundred strong cast incorporate dance, drama, music and sign language to re tell an age old classic!
Follow Pinocchio along his journey as he transforms from a wooden puppet into a real live boy, from naughty to nice, and even into a donkey!
This production is the perfect outing to get you into the Christmas spirit as the Chickenshed cast turns this fantastic classic into a truly unique and original experience for all the family.
Brought to you from their theatre in the heart of London’s Southgate, this production runs from the 9th December until 16th January.

http://www.chickenshed.org.uk/
Box Office: 0208 292 9222

Kolb's Learing Cycle

Following the session we had last week on Kolb’s Learning Cycle I am going to attempt to write four examples which will hopefully fit into the four categories outlined in the Cycle; Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Active Experimentation and Abstract Conceptualisation. Here goes...

Concrete Experience

After completing my A Levels in Nottingham and taking 2 years out to work at the BBC I decided it was time to get a degree. I knew I wanted to do my degree in Performing Arts, or if possible in Acting. I applied to a number of different universities and performing art colleges and waited to see if I would be given an interview. Quite late on into the year I received a letter from Chickenshed, one of the places I had applied for, asking me to come to an open day and for an interview. I spent the day there and watched a production of Vanity Fair that was being shown in the theatre at the time. I was amazed at the professionalism of the performance and was excited at the possibility of being able to be part of that. I wasn’t sure I was quite ready to leave Nottingham as I had a lot of ties there and had started to feel as though I had just found a good network of support there, but this course looked good and so I had a dilemma on my hands. Two months later my status on UCAS changed from conditional to unconditional and I realised how I was secretly hoping to get in and how excited I was about getting the place...so I packed my bags, left Nottingham and moved to London!

Reflective Observation

Having been in London now for two years and having just completed my Foundation Degree I can look back and reflect on whether my decision to move was the right one. In the two years I’ve been here I have been part of 7 professional theatre productions, performed in venues such as the Hard Rock Cafe and The Guildhall and learnt sign language! That alone is more than I did in the six years I was in Nottingham. I think that the decision to move was the right one as it has opened me up to experiences I would never have had if I had stayed where I was. Not all of it has been positive, I have struggled to build a good group of friends that I know I can rely on at the drop of the hat, with the exception to one or two people. This has made it hard and quite lonely at times and I still get homesick every now and then, but I haven’t lost my friends in Nottingham and I get to see them often. So I guess you could say I get the best of both worlds...the glitz and glamour that London brings, and the comfort and support from Nottingham.

Abstract Learning

Doing my Foundation at Chickenshed has opened me up to an entirely new type of theatre that previously I had very little knowledge of- Inclusive Theatre. I have learnt that unlike what most drama schools will tell you, it isn’t about being the best at what you do according to a bunch of people judging you from behind a desk, it’s about having the passion to do what you want to do and if you have that passion then who’s to say you can’t do. The director at Chickenshed often says to us that by thinking like this it doesn’t mean that we’re compromising quality because she expects nothing less than the best that we can offer. Being able to think this way, and being able to strive off of the passion and love that I have for acting has given me the confidence to go for auditions I wouldn’t normally go for because at the end of the day what more can I offer than a passion for acting and my own personal best when I do it.

Active Experimentation

Taking everything that Chickenshed has taught me about inclusion I can now take this and apply it to everything in life. I can look at the things that I do and look at how this may affect other people and about having a greater respect for different individuals’ situations. This can be applied in workshops where there may be a group of participants with a range of different physical abilities and adjusting the language you use in order to accommodate and make everyone feel comfortable with what you are asking them to do. For example, instead of saying “Ok, everyone stand up,” this could be changed to “Everyone rise to your working levels.” This simple change of language opens up the instruction to everyone in the group by being considerate of what people are physically capable of doing.

Links of Interest

Ipop

Ipop is an organisation based in High Barnet that work with disabled children to enable them to play and take part in social activities along side children without disabilities. They provide support workers to go into after school clubs and playschemes to provide one on one support for particular children. This organisation is of interest to me as I have recently started working for them and the work they do ties in with the work I have been doing with Chickenshed over the last 2 years. I am also interested in this organisation because I feel that it so important for every individual to be given the opportunity to participate in activities of their choice without having to come up against barriers.

St John Ambulance

St John Ambulance is a volunteer organisation which offers first aid support in a number of different capacities,such as big scale events like the London Marathon and the Lord Mayor's Parade. They also have division that are based locally that offer first aid training to companies and also attend community events such as football matches and fundraisers.

I have recently started volunteering with this organisation because I feel that first aid is a vital skill to have as you never know when you may need to put it into practice. It is also good to be part of a group of people wanting to help others and give something back to their local community

People I Admire

Chickenshed
Chickenshed is a theatre company in North London and it is where I have spent the last two years doing my degree. Although Chickenshed is an organisation rather than one person, the staff that have created and built Chickenshed up over the years as a collective are who I admire. The reason I admire Chickenshed is because for the last thirty five years they have strived to create an atmosphere, a performance space and theatre that can be used and appreciated by everyone.
Their ethos is that theatre should be for everyone regardless of race, ablity, or background, and that by enabling these people to work together they can create beautiful beautiful theatre. I find them inspirational because even now, fighting against conventional ways of thinking is difficult, let alone trying to achieve this in 1973!

Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh is an English director born in Salford in 1943. He started as a theatre director and playwright but later moved into television and film. The way that Leigh works is that he starts with a basic idea for a script and then builds on his structure by taking ideas from the improvisation of his cast. He often doesn't tell his cast his ideas for his script, but puts them in senarios where they can develop their characterization and from this he notes their responses to the tasks and use these to develop his script.

I admire his work because it is not the conventional way of playwrighting and is not something that many directors use. I feel that this style of working is beneficial for the cast, as it helps them to discover their character and I think that this method of working is something that I may be able to use when workshopping with children as a way for them to come up with ideas for scenes and characters.

Bertold Brecht

Bertold Brecht was a German playwright and theatre director born at the end of the 19th Century. Brecht was renowned throughout the 20th Century as the creator of the very influential “Epic Theatre”. Brecht’s intentions behind epic theatre was to cause the audience not to identify with the characters on stage emotionally, which was the trend in naturalistic theatre, but to invoke the audience to question and debate the performance they were seeing. His plays often had a social or political message, and in inviting the audience to criticise the opinions on stage he hoped they would realise the social/political injustice and be encouraged to go out and make a change in the wider world. The reason why I admire Brecht is because he was the first practitioner to break the conventional stereotype that audiences were there merely to be entertained. Thus doing so this opens up a wider spectrum in theatre for audiences so that they didn’t just empathise with the characters but listened to the story at hand.