Since May 2024, members of the FPAC ensemble have been facilitating Drama Workshops at the Tower Theatre in Cheriton with refugees & asylum seekers at Napier Barracks in association with Counterpoints Arts and Napier Friends.
We have reached our half way point in the project and have the summer to reflect and to prepare for the second half starting in September 2024.
This applied theatre education project is a free weekly community engagement programme for the men living at Napier Barracks. The workshops focus on enjoyment, agency & self-expression.
Over the summer, we will be creating a resource pack filled with ideas, a scheme of work & lesson plans as well as the feedback from the participants and audiences as we seek to commit to a document the culmination of the work we have been doing throughout this process.
We will share this pack with people seeking to work with asylum seekers in the UK. The project has had regular performances for an invited audience every 4 weeks [the asylum seekers are allowed to stay at Napier for 90 days, we want to ensure that each participant has a performance opportunity]. We are also mentoring Olha, an early career theatre practitioner, who has an interest in applied theatre.
Originally from Ukraine, Olha is a seasoned project and event manager with a passion for bringing people together for a good cause.
Both Francisca & I look forward to a new start in September with this Arts Council England funded project. We are so greatful for their support for our work.
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