Rep Creative Learning Primary newsletter 2015/16

2015/16 Through performance, participation and learning, Dundee Rep’s pioneering Creative Learning team creates opportunities that enrich and develop the creative potential of schools, colleges, young people and members of the local community.

Explore “I would say that I definitely feel more confident now teaching drama and also all the different areas that I can cover. It is certainly something which I would like to do again and I would recommend it to any other teaching professional.”

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Workshop dates All year round

Times Various, each weekly workshop lasts 60-75 minutes

Suitable for P1 – P7 pupils

Cost 4-week block: £175 (£150 Dundee Schools) 8-week block: £300 (£275 Dundee Schools) 12-week block: £400 (£375 Dundee Schools)

Explore Teacher, St. Clement’s Primary School

Through Explore, pupils engage with a unique set of bespoke, topicbased drama workshops which provide them with rich opportunities to develop their creative, imaginative and higher-order thinking skills.

Workshops are directly related to Curriculum for Excellence’s Expressive Arts Experiences and Outcomes and also target other curricular areas such as Health and Wellbeing, Literacy across Learning and Social Studies. All workshops are tailored to suit individual classes, enabling pupils to raise personal achievement through a whole-class approach to learning.

Examples of potential topics include:  World War 2  The Titanic  Outer Space  The Environment  The Egyptians  Mary Queen of Scots

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The Tay Bridge Human Rights Transition

This project is available over 4, 8 or 12-week blocks, can be tailored to suit any age and is fully supported by workshop notes.

Watch a short film about the project on our YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/1fW1ch1 For further information about Explore, please contact Heather Cassidy on hcassidy@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660.

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Inspire “I could write a book about how much the children learned.

The cross-curricular links were very robust and the experience of preparing and performing on the Rep’s mainstage has benefitted all the children. Their confidence, self-awareness and teamwork skills have all developed. The whole experience was very positive!”

- Inspire Teacher, St. Luke’s and St. Matthew’s Primary School Inspire is an exciting creative arts project which involves teachers becoming directors, pupils becoming performers, and aims to bring creativity to the heart of the curriculum. Targeting a variety of Experiences and Outcomes within curriculum areas such as Expressive Arts and Health and Wellbeing, the project also has the potential to impact upon learning and literacy across the curriculum. In addition, Inspire involves a comprehensive CPD element for teachers, enabling them to extend and enhance their creative teaching practice throughout the project, ensuring skills are left within school after the project ends.

During the project participating schools will: 

Take part in a CPD weekend at Dundee Rep. Sessions include:  Directing theatre with children  Drama in the classroom  Working with an ensemble  Exploring the technical aspects of producing a show  Creating effective design for the theatre at a minimal cost  A ticket to see our current production  Lunch and coffee

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Rehearse and perform a script which has been written especially for large casts of children aged between 8 – 12 years

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Receive four in-school creative support sessions with a Creative Learning Practitioner. These sessions will support the teachers and pupils to realise the script from page to stage

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Receive up to 125 tickets for the performance at Dundee Rep Theatre.

The school can sell these tickets to friends and family to help offset the cost of the project

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Take part in a rehearsal day at Dundee Rep Theatre. This includes:  Backstage tour of the theatre  Rehearsal supported by a Creative Learning Practitioner

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Take part in a performance day at Dundee Rep Theatre. This includes:  A technical rehearsal  Performance of their play on Dundee Rep’s mainstage with full technical support

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Creative evaluation session

Closing date for applications Fri 27 November

Project dates Initial teachers meeting Thu 14 January, 4pm – 5.30pm CPD weekend Fri 5 February, 4.30pm – 7pm Sat 6 February, 9.30am – 5.30pm Rehearsals February – May Plotting evening Mon 16 May Technical rehearsals and performances Tue 17 – Thu 19 May

Suitable for P4 – P7 pupils

Cost £425 (£400 Dundee City Council Schools) Please note that there are only 5 spaces available for this project

For further information about Inspire, please contact Heather Cassidy on hcassidy@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660.

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Backstage Tours Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the Rep? Why not bring your class on a Backstage Tour of the theatre and find out how the magic is created …

For further information or to book a Backstage Tour, please contact Mary Sandeman on msandeman@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660.

Dates All year round

Times Various, lasts approximately one hour

Suitable for P1 – P7 pupils Maximum of 30 pupils per tour

Cost £65 per tour

Teacher’s CPD Throughout the year we offer a number of opportunities for teachers to refresh and develop their skills.

If you are a teacher within Dundee City Council, these opportunities will be circulated to you internally. If you teach outwith Dundee, please contact us on the details below to find out about upcoming opportunities. We are also happy to develop bespoke packages tailored to the training needs within a cluster or council area.

For further information regarding CPD, please contact Gemma Nicol on gnicol@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660.

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Autumn/Winter Season Highlights We are delighted to offer a range of exciting productions over the next few months as part of our programme for children, young people and schools. We’ve also got some fantastic productions in the pipeline for Spring 2016, so don’t forget to have a look at our website when the next season launches in January.

Tortoise in a Nutshell and Oliver Emanuel presents

The Lost Things It’s a world of lost things: car keys, wedding rings, dads, and a mysterious girl who is building an amazing machine.

Performed in a unique dome structure, The Lost Things is about losing things and finding things you didn’t even know you were looking for. This is a dark fairytale set in a fantastical world, where nothing is quite as it seems.

Created by award winning theatre company, Tortoise in a Nutshell and writer, Oliver Emanuel (Dragon, Titus; The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish).

“Tortoise in a Nutshell and Oliver Emanuel are an irresistible combination. This promises to be a highlight of our festival.”

Tony Reekie, Imaginate Festival 2015

Performance times Thu 17 Sept at 10.15am, 5pm & 7.15pm

Suitable for Age 9+

Running time 45 minutes

Ticket prices Standard £7, Concs £6, Pupils £4 One teacher free per 10 pupils

Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530

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Scottish Opera presents

KidO After the sell-out success of their Spring tour, Scottish Opera’s new show for 3-4 year olds and their carers returns this Autumn.

Encouraging play and make-believe, KidO takes the infinite possibilities of everyday objects like teacups and fruit, adds a healthy dose of imagination, and makes the everyday extraordinary.

A neat and tidy man who likes everything in its place and a nesting magpie who brings chaos in her wake – can these two ever learn to live together? It looks unlikely, until a friend scoots in to help the pair live in harmony.

Performance times Mon 5 Oct at 2pm Tue 6 Oct at 11am & 2pm

Directed by acclaimed children’s theatre director Lu Kemp and with music by Katy Lavinia Cooper, KidO features a mix of live and recorded singing, opera and specially-written music, and uses vocal and body percussion to create exciting beats that children love to join in with. Come and join us in a world of sound and rhythm where anything can happen!

Suitable for Ages 3 – 4

Running time 45 minutes

Ticket prices Standard £7, Concs £6, Pupils £4 One teacher free per 10 pupils

Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530

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As well as term-time productions, here’s a treat for the October holidays …

Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland and Tianjin Children’s Art Theatre presents

Dragon written by Oliver Emanuel conceived by Jamie Harrison, Oliver Emanuel and Candice Edmunds A show for adults, teenagers and children with vivid imaginations; Dragon returns to the Scottish stage following international tour dates and a run at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Performance times Wed 14 – Sat 17 Oct at 7pm Matinees: Thu 15 & Sat 17 Oct at 2pm Audio Described: Sat 17 Oct at 2pm

Suitable for Age 9+ This show is completely accessible to Deaf and hard of hearing audiences

Running time 70 minutes, no interval

Ticket prices Standard £14 (Wed-Thu & matinees), £19 (Fri-Sat) Concs £2 off, Children £9, Family Ticket £44 (WedThu) or £52 (Fri-Sat)

Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530

Tommy can’t sleep. He hasn’t been able to since his mum died a year ago. Since then, life has gone from bad to worse. His dad is a grief-stricken mess, his big sister ignores him, and he’s become a target for the school bully. Then, one restless night, Tommy goes to his bedroom window, throws back the curtain and … … a dragon is looking at him. Straight in the eye.

Intoxicating and exciting, frightening but protective, the dragon burns with all the anger and hurt that Tommy feels and makes anything seem possible. With a Dragon as his new best friend, he’s never alone and suddenly life is fun again.

But as time goes on and his dragon grows more and more powerful, things start to get out of hand and it seems only Tommy can stop the mysterious fires that have started igniting across the city.

Dragon is an extraordinarily visual story told without words, featuring fast-moving physical theatre, puppetry and original music.

“One of those theatrical experiences that will live forever in the memory.”

The Observer ★★★★ "As enthralling for adults as it was for children, it was a riveting magical experience."

Sunday Mail ★★★★★ Best Show for Children and Young People: UK Theatre Awards 2014 Winner Best Technical Presentation: Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland 2013/14

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Dundee Rep Ensemble presents

The Witches

by Roald Dahl adapted by David Wood

“My darling boy, you won’t last long in this world if you don’t know how to spot a witch when you see one.”

Performance times Thu 26 Nov – Thu 31 Dec, various times Schools performances 10am Nov: Mon 30 Dec: Tue 1, Wed 2, Tue 8, Wed 9, Thu 10, Fri 11, Tue 15, Wed 16, Thu 17, Mon 21 1.30pm Dec: Tue 1, Tue 8, Wed 9

Suitable for P2 – P7 pupils

Ticket price Pupils £9, Teachers £12 One teacher free per 10 pupils

Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530 Throughout November and December, we are also offering WORKSHOPS to enhance your The Witches experience!

Times: Various, lasts one hour Venue: In school, a large hall space is required Capacity: Maximum of 30 pupils per workshop Cost: £35 Schools outwith Dundee will also be charged an additional fee to cover travel expenses

Witches really are detestable creatures.

They disguise themselves as lovely ladies, when secretly they want to squish and squelch all the wretched children they despise. They don’t ride around on broomsticks; they don’t even wear black cloaks and hats.

Luckily one boy and his grandmother know how to recognise these vile creatures, but can they get rid of them for good?

Join our young hero as he discovers the real truth about real witches.

This is the story of courage in the face of a fiendish plan hatched by the Grand High Witch and the most mischievous gathering of witches ever assembled.

Award-winning Dundee Rep Theatre has brought you two enthralling Roald Dahl Christmas productions and this year is excited to bring you number three with Roald Dahl’s most deliciously monstrous story, The Witches.

Relaxed Performance There will be a relaxed performance of The Witches on Sat 12 December at 2.30pm. A Relaxed Performance is designed with the aim of welcoming people with a learning disability, Down’s Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Condition or sensory and communication disorders and making them feel entirely comfortable at Dundee Rep. This particular performance of The Witches will see a relaxed attitude to noise and movement with some small changes made to the lighting of the stage and the sound effects included in the performance.

If you book and pay for your tickets by Friday 11 September, you are entitled to one FREE workshop To book a workshop, please email msandeman@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660 Dundee Rep Theatre Primary Newsletter Page 7

Frozen Charlotte presents

Too many penguins?

How many penguins are too many penguins? Mr Polaro thinks that one is more than enough, thank you very much. Penguina wants someone to play with. Just one friend, well maybe two, or three ...

How many penguins can we get in one space? Squeeze into this fun theatrical experience, created especially for little ones, to find out. It might get crowded, but we promise the arrival of the penguins, however many, will entertain and delight.

Performance times

Originally created with support from Macrobert Arts Centre

Tue 8 – Sat 19 Dec at 11am & 1pm

Suitable for

“A little bit of theatrical magic.”

The Scotsman ★★★★

Early Years & P1

Running time

“Adults and children left with smiles on their faces and a warm feeling in their heart.”

Time Out ★★★★

40 minutes

Ticket prices Standard £7, Concs £6, Pupils £4 One teacher free per 10 pupils

“Well thought out for the very youngest audiences … Too many penguins? No, just the right number.”

The Stage

Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530

Winner of the Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland for Best Production for Children and Young People 2012

Please visit our website at www.dundeerep.co.uk For all general enquiries, please contact Mary Sandeman on msandeman@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone on 01382 342660 Dundee Rep Theatre Primary Newsletter Page 8