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Monster Alert!

Magic and Creativity Run Wild At Theatre

Many children dream of becoming a performer at the theatre. The chance to be on stage when the curtain draws away, the exhausting heat of the glaring lights shines from above and the deep whispers of the crowd echo around the auditorium, as the fear of forgetting those crucial lines creeps in. For many this would be a haven. And for 40 young individuals, aged 13-18, this has become a reality.

The fantastic summer theatre school is being held at York Theatre Royal, where young people are being offered the chance to work, create and let their imagination run wild in a professional environment. But it's not all about performance, they'll also be responsible for the lighting, decorations and scenery, and will be encouraged to share drama ideas.

There is further training for adult deaf and hearing practitioners, technicians, interpreters and volunteer community workers, who all have an interest in theatre production.

Watch the hands

I admit to being somewhat petrified by the prospect of interviewing the cast of this latest project, but it was unlike I could have imagined.

Inspiration

The sheer scale and drive of this project is quite extraordinary. The time and effort put into the operation is vast and yet couldn鈥檛 have achieved more. The environment the children are working in is bursting with life, which is reflective of the collective smiles on their faces. Everyone is so involved and interested in what they have to do to create successful theatre and this makes for such a colourful project.

The participants are thrown in the deep end with ten days to establish characters, plots and pretty much anything a fully-fledged director would usually get up to. What鈥檚 so impressive about the project is that the children are from so many different backgrounds yet group together as if they鈥檝e known each other all their life. Some I chatted to were from as far as Canada, the Orkney Islands and Truro.

Pushing Boundaries

Have you seen me shoes?

Not only this, but the mixture of deaf and hearing children, break communicative barriers in order to make accessible theatre. Both English and sign language are going on at any given time, yet these combine within the language of theatre to create real drama. This is the crux of the whole thing; it鈥檚 not only taking to the stage within a week, which is hard enough, but showing how the deaf and hearing can work together to produce something quite special.

As I wander round the theatre, the performers are busy at work making strange paper creatures and then dressing them in ordinary clothes. One young whipper-snapper walks towards me quite threateningly with the Edward scissor like-hands he concocted earlier. In the other room, the technical children are putting together intriguing scenery that will set the backdrop for the paper monsters.

Performance

Behold the butterfly creation

The climax of the project will take place when the students perform a devised piece on the subject of circuses called 鈥淥n the run鈥�. The show explores the human capacity to adapt, survive and to turn trade into tricks. It involves a group of young people who are ostracised from school and sent to brat camp. Here they move bales of paper day in day out, unable to talk or sign. They plan to escape using paper to create rope ladders and end up in the circus where they create their own circus acts.

It will obviously be a staggering achievement and one that鈥檚 equally rewarding when completed. The school鈥檚 producer, Roberta Hamond believes this year will be a hugely successful production and one that will grow year on year.

鈥淐hildren are so open-minded and when they have the stage to themselves, they realise the responsibility they have and become so disciplined in their work. This project is all about making a difference and giving deaf people such confidence to push boundaries with many singing and dancing by the end.鈥�

Taking Notice

And how do you do?

The first eight years have been hard work and involved lots of motivation but it鈥檚 clear from what I鈥檝e seen today that it鈥檚 now a hugely influential scheme. In producing a play in this manner, Roberta has taken a risk and a dangerous one at that, yet she believes it鈥檚 all worth it.

鈥淭he beginning of the growth starts here, the first years saw the project out in the wilderness and now people are taking notice of what we鈥檙e trying to do. If we can establish it, it could be the beacon for theatre production everywhere,鈥� said Roberta.

Let鈥檚 hope so Roberta, because this is an utterly staggering project that deserves all the support and notice available. The message it carries is that anyone can work together and with hard work boundaries can be pushed.