This is the third blog this month in which I set out my vision for FPAC and its three strands of work.
Today's focus is on the Community Theatre group. From those auditions in March 2022 where over 50 people auditioned, I saw that there was a great need for a group of people who loved the theatre but never had a chance to explore it or who were at the beginning stages of their training or who just wanted to explore being extroverted. Those who auditioned had great energy & enthusiasm and I was determined to find a home for them. So FPAC set up its Community Theatre group.
I reach back into my work in Further Education – one of the most enjoyable ‘proper’ jobs I have ever had when working with the CT group. I was the head of the drama programme and delivered a variety of BTEC courses for all ages and experiences. And this is very much what I do on a regular basis with FPAC’s CT group. All ages and experiences have participated in this group over the last two years of its existence.
The focus of the group is on getting on stage and acting. We get up on our feet and onto the stage at each session. I want participants to bring in their favourite scripts or something they have written, or a character they might enjoy performing but we also have a wonderful library of scripts to choose from. One of our core values is accessible training opportunities: drama skills such as voice, character & text analysis, and playwrighting but also ‘soft’ skills such as verbal and non-verbal communication, empathy, teamwork, fitness, well-being and self-confidence.
It is about doing – trying, experimenting, experiencing, tiptoeing into places where you may not be so confident: standing up in front of others, playing ‘characters’, speaking loudly and clearly [‘projection’ & ‘articulation’ in fancy theatre terms] – but within a safe community & supportive environment. But the FPAC CT group is also a place where you can have a cuppa and a natter with friends and enjoy the freedom of being silly for a couple of hours.
Comentarios