BIG BANG Inspiring the next generation
LISA LEWIS: THOUGHTS ON AN EXHIBITION LIGHTHOUSE’S NEW PARTNER SCHOOLS LEVEL UP YOUNG PRODUCERS FESTIVAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR AUTUMN 2017 LEARNING & PARTICIPATION NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2017 / EDITION 5 01202 280000 www.lighthousepoole.co.uk IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
INTRODUCTION School’s so nearly out for the summer…so it struck me again the absurdity of our planning life at Lighthouse when on a Tuesday morning recently we were deep in Christmas Panto ‘Cinderella’ conversations. As the first sun of spring warmed us we were all in Cinderella-land trying on shoes. As we look to the period ahead I have been considering some of the shows from our autumn season that I feel are particularly exciting, and which I would thoroughly recommend you explore with students when they come to Poole… Roundabout, our partnership with Paines Plough (a new writing theatre company with an international reputation) returns for a second year to Poole Park’s West Field (painesplough.com/project/roundabout). If you travel through Poole Park, you can’t miss the fantastic structure which is assembled for this run of plays, a white dome theatre with seating in the round. The quality of the work, the plays, and the production values are outstanding. This year Roundabout will be hosting three plays, one of which is suitable for 7+ and the other two are more adult and suitable for 14+. Dates: 12/10/17 – 15/10/17 Book through www.lighthousepoole.co.uk Then there is Gecko Theatre (www.geckotheatre.com), who will bring a Lighthouse supported play The Wedding to our stage on 3 October. Gecko are world class, they are physical and visceral in their diverse and extraordinary storytelling. If you are interested in the very best of contemporary devised theatre then Gecko is a must see. We are co-producing a new play for younger audiences too. Mac’s Arcadian, a new company, will make Great Odds which celebrates the journey towards being yourself and reaching your dreams. It is designed for 6-11 year old family audiences and is presented in British Sign Language, spoken language and music throughout. Come and see it on Wed 18 October. (www.macs-arcadian.com) The Weir by Conor McPherson, a contemporary classic, comes to our stage 7-11 November from ETT (English Touring Theatre). It won the Olivier Award for best new play when it premiered in 1997 and Conor won the Critics Circle Award for most promising newcomer. It has subsequently been produced all over the world and was identified by the Guardian’s critic Michael Billington as one of the greatest plays of all time.
Finally, we have a wonderful piece of inventive contemporary circus in Flown by Pirates of the Carabina (www.piratesofthecarabina.com/current-productions.php), that blurs the line between circus, gig, and all out spectacle. It’s on 2, 3, 4 November. One of our newest partnerships is with Diverse City, an integrated circus company, who through their Extraordinary Bodies Young Company are now running weekly workshops on our Training Tuesdays. They will be resident at Lighthouse over August with an amazing summer school. We recently hosted their latest piece, currently in development, entitled What Am I Worth?, and I was moved and thrilled by the thought, care, and depth of their creative engagement. (www.extraordinarybodies.org.uk) Finally, it is with a great sense of pride, curiosity, and ambition that I celebrate the launch of our Partner Schools. Six months ago we started a process of asking how and why we engaged in schools and what we could do better. Many conversations later we are embarking on these new relationships creating direct links between teachers and school leaderships with Lighthouse. We will of course continue to offer everything we do to all schools and continue to encourage your participation with us, with our partners SoundStorm, Wave and the Cultural Hub, and all the other wonderful culture offers in Dorset. I wish you all a successful close of year and a wonderful, wellearned summer break. See you in the Autumn.
Stephen Wrentmore, Artistic Producer
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CONTENTS WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING Lisa Lewis: Thoughts on an exhibition
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Level Up: Young Producers Festival
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PARTNER SCHOOLS Partner Schools
6–7
WHAT’S COMING UP Cinderella: Creative Writing and Visual Arts Workshops
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Three Little Pigs: Outreach workshops for younger students 8 Studio Jazz Outreach Programme
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Young Programmers Cohort 3
9
Regular Sessions by External Providers
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Lighthouse & Mac’s Arcadian co-procution: Great Odds
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WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
Lisa Lewis: Thoughts on an exhibition Lisa’s exhibition “Breath of Light” was on the walls around Lighthouse in March and April 2017. With the help of the venue, Lisa received Arts Council support to include workshops and learning opportunities around the works which, in the majority, are abstracted responses to landscape and nature. Lisa is particularly drawn to the River Stour and the life around it. Her work has travelled full circle with her attraction to the river. As a child she said, “I learned to swim in the river. I learned to fish with my hands and now I keep going back with my kids & dogs to recapture those experiences, but also to nurture future ideas for my art.”
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Of the exhibition and the workshops she was bowled over by the creativity of the participants: “What surprised me the most was that the kids, some as young as 9 (the oldest 14) were able to get their heads around concepts typically introduced at Foundation or Degree level…. Also, their curiosity and unfiltered questioning taught me to look at some of my work differently. It was a really enriching experience and a healthy challenge to articulate my art making process into no nonsense speak. The students embraced every activity and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. I’m very proud of this project and everyone that has participated.” The students who experienced the workshops were uniformly excited and motivated by the experience. None summed it up better than a year 7 student, Archie, who said ‘It has taught me new tips and has even inspired me to create my own work. I will never forget today.’
Level Up: Young Producer’s Festival They described it as the best thing they’d ever done in an out-of-school club, and reflected on how it might help them study the courses they wanted to at university. On 1 April 2017, the ground floor foyer and Sherling Studio at Lighthouse was transformed into a gaming, live art and musical extravaganza by Lighthouse Young Producers, otherwise known as EPIC (Extraordinary Producers Independently Creating) for their self-created, self-curated Level Up event. Described as a micro-festival ‘for 14-19 year olds created by 14-19 year olds’, Level Up was the culmination of three months creative thinking, working with a wide range of artists, technicians and designers, guided by Gobbledegook Theatre Company’s Lorna Rees, Molly Scarborough from Portland’s B-Side Festival, and Dan Somogyi, from Lighthouse / Wave Arts Education Agency.
The festival attracted some 200 younger and older people during the course of the day, launching with a screening of the Tom Hanks classic, Big, reflecting the overall theme – looking back at early childhood and the decisions which face all young people as they get older. Artist Kevin Scully created a giant mural in the foyer area, created throughout the day; Cyberjam Gaming brought in a fantastic array of nostalgic gaming consoles which entertained young and old alike; Calvin Glenn and Sammy Lloyd provided live music; and the Studio was filled with a completely different vibe to anything seen in it before, full of young people generally having a great time, laid out on beanbags. Chilled. We’ll be running Young Producers again in 2018. If you want to be part of the new cohort, please do see p9 as the deadline for applications is 30 September this year.
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PARTNER SCHOOLS Lighthouse launched its new partner school programme in April, an ongoing initiative which will initially focus on the 2017-18 academic year, and which meets our ambition of forging closer relations with local schools. Eight schools from Poole, Bournemouth and Dorset were selected from a long and then shortlist (we were rather swamped with interest), and were officially welcomed by Lighthouse CEO Elspeth McBain and Artistic Producer Stephen Wrentmore at a drinks reception on 6 April 2017. “We have wanted to develop a closer relationship with a selected body of schools for some time now,” says Stephen. “We want to inspire and connect them to all the extraordinary work Lighthouse has to offer and learn from them what they want to see and how we can communicate with them more effectively. We appreciate teachers are incredibly busy and we want to be in service of them and a champion for culture.” The partnership sees each partner school committing to bring students to see live performance at Lighthouse, and agreeing to advocate for the arts within their communities. “These schools have shown a commitment to cultural education for children.” Said Stephen Wrentmore, “They will give Lighthouse ongoing help developing and refining our outreach programme for the whole community.” In return, partner schools will be invited to see behind the scenes backstage, receive priority access to outreach workshops, careers talks from Lighthouse staff and access a range of additional exciting opportunities. “We are looking to test new ideas and share unique opportunities related to schools with them”.
LIGHTHOUSE’S NEW PARTNER SCHOOLS Avonbourne/Harewood Colleges (Bournemouth) Carter Community School (Poole) Lytchett Minster School (Dorset) Oakdale Junior School (Poole) Queen Elizabeth’s School (Wimborne, Dorset) St. Aldhelm’s Academy (Poole) Winchelsea School (Poole) recently displayed student artwork in 2017 in the Studio foyer area at Lighthouse. Lytchett’s exhibition was featured in the previous edition of Big Bang; here is some information about Winchelsea’s...I am. I can. I will...Seeing through senses and season. “Winchelsea is a thriving Special School”, providing a broad and nurturing curriculum to children with additional learning needs. As part of the BTEC Award in Art and Design, students in KS4 were asked to think about what the word ‘seasons’ meant to them. To support this creative enquiry, young people were encouraged to explore. Using mood boards and visual stories, the pupils produced a series of works that not only show their unique artistic perspective, but also highlight the impressive level of creative ability at the school. Natasha Skinner, Wincheslea School
Martin McLeman, Headteacher at QE School, reflected the general tone of successful schools, when he wrote: ‘The Governors, staff and students are absolutely delighted, thrilled and excited about the invitation to become a Lighthouse partner school. A partnership such as this, with one of the premier arts providers on the south coast, enables us to secure those aims of stimulating, enlightening and entertaining our local community.’ Geoff Cherrill, Headteacher at Winchelsea School, a community special school in Poole for students with a wide range of learning difficulties, stated: “This will open doors for our school community which may otherwise have remained closed. We are certain it will leave a lasting and powerful legacy on both the children and their families, whilst challenging the often misjudged perception of accessibility and inclusion for all within the Arts world.” Two Partner Schools, Lytchett Minster and Winchelsea, have
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Booking Fees: Prices quoted are for tickets booked in person at the Ticket Office. Tickets booked via telephone or online are subject to a booking fee of up to £1.75 per ticket.
WHAT’S COMING UP Lighthouse will, as with most seasons, be offering a wide variety of shows, exhibitions and workshops with special interest for schools and learners this autumn. : Many visiting companies offer workshops, ranging from drama to dance to music. This provides schools with the opportunity to have artists often with an international reputation visit and lead workshops in your school. Fees vary. : Lighthouse hosts a burgeoning series of pre and post show talks, free to attend, where you or your students can ask questions about a show you have seen direct to the company involved. : We also organise a fantastic outreach music programme connected to our studio jazz programme, and don’t forget the wonderful variety of concerts offered by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. : Lighthouse also regularly screens live broadcasts from the National Theatre, RSC and other fantastic nationwide venues, plus close ups of art exhibitions from the Tate and elsewhere.
: We are looking for 6 schools who would like to host creative writing workshops connected to themes thrown up by Cinderella, and visual arts workshops, to produce materials for an exhibition at Lighthouse during the pantomime season. The workshops will be delivered in your school : Workshops are aimed at primary or secondary schools; one class per school : Workshops will be funded by Lighthouse; however, schools may need to supply some materials : Each participating school will receive a half day writing workshop and a half day visual art workshop : We would expect all schools that host these opportunities to bring a group of students to see the pantomime (which runs from 8 December – 7 January). You will also need to bring artwork created to Lighthouse. If interested, contact learning@lighthousepoole.co.uk and tell us how these workshops will benefit your school. Closing date for applications is 30 September 2017
THREE LITTLE PIGS
There will be a Learning Section on the website going live soon which will list some of the opportunities arising, so keep checking www.lighthousepoole.co.uk.
Outreach Workshops for Younger Students
And… if you have learning ideas of your own connected to a show in our programme, please do get in touch at learning@lighthousepoole.co.uk
Our Christmas show for younger students this year (Reception, Y1 and Y2), taking place in the Sherling Studio 9-24 December, will be the story of the Three Little Pigs, produced by Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company.
SPECIAL OUTREACH PROJECTS FOR SCHOOLS IN AUTUMN 2017: CALL OUT FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Working with Bournemouth and Poole Cultural Hub (www. waveartseducation.org.uk/cultural-hub/) Lighthouse will be facilitating workshops in schools focused around scientific, architectural and structural themes explored by the story, but with a distinct artistic twist. House building, straw, wood or brick… discuss...
As well as opportunities from visiting companies, Lighthouse will be leading two learning projects of our own connected to our Christmas shows in autumn 2017. These will be FREE to schools, so register your interest as soon as possible.
CINDERELLA
Creative Writing and Visual Arts Workshops: October – November
: We’re looking for 4 schools to take part : Workshops will take place in November : You will receive a day of workshops in your school : Artwork produced as a result of the learning will be displayed at Lighthouse for the duration of ‘Three Little Pigs’ Tell us why these workshops would benefit your school by emailing learning@lighthousepoole.co.uk by 30 September 2017.ST
: Our pantomime this year is Cinderella, and once again it is being co-produced by ex-Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan.
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Booking Fees: Prices quoted are for tickets booked in person at the Ticket Office. Tickets booked via telephone or online are subject to a booking fee of up to £1.75 per ticket.
STUDIO JAZZ OUTREACH WORKSHOPS
In partnership with SoundStorm Music Education Agency, and the SoundStorm Music Education Hub, Lighthouse regularly promotes school concerts and workshops by visiting jazz artists. Artists who have recently visited local schools include Tina May, Jump Monk, Simon Spillett, Laura Jurd, Mads Mathias and many others. Because of the funding behind these workshops, they are only open to SoundStorm members or Lighthouse partner schools. If you qualify as one of these, please contact learning@ lighthousepoole.co.uk to register an interest, and we will then contact you with opportunities coming up…
COMMUNITY EVENTS YOUNG PROGRAMMERS COHORT 3: APPLY NOW! Lighthouse will run a third cohort of young producers in 2018. If you’re 16-18, you can register your interest now, by emailing learning@lighthousepoole.co.uk. We will send you an application form, which you will need to return to us. The closing date for receipt of applications is 30 September 2017. We will be looking to our new group of Young Programmers to put on an event to mark the start of spring 2018: the festival will take place in late March 2018. We are looking for 12 participants, aged 16-18, to be our new cohort of producers. You will be guided by a professional artist/producer and shape, budget, programme, produce and market an event of your devising. When? : 2 days in October half term: 23, 24 October 2017 (10am – 3pm) – essential, initial programming sessions
REGULAR SESSIONS BY EXTERNAL PROVIDERS SATURDAYS
Stagewise School for the Performing Art and The Industry Performing arts training for young people aged 4-14 years. www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/whats-on/2017/stagewiseschool-for-the-performing-arts/
MONDAY – FRIDAYS
Dorset School of Acting Offering 1 & 2 year full time vocational courses in Acting & Musical Theatre for those wishing to pursue further training (which includes a 95% success over 7 years of getting students into prestigious drama schools) or those seeking a career as a professional performer. The school also offers youth theatre courses for ages 5-21 years in Acting. Musical Theatre and Performing Arts. www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/whats-on/2017/hello/
TUESDAYS
Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Youth Chorus Singing opportunities of a high standard from age 8 to adult, often alongside Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Membership by audition. www.bschorus.co.uk
THURSDAYS
DFA (Dance for All) Dance Four All offer weekly Street and Break Dancing Classes in Poole at the ‘Lighthouse’ and the Dolphin Swimming Pool. Classes are fun and educational and open to all age groups from 5 years to adults. www.dancefourall.co.uk
: Every Thursday evening from 18 Jan– 22 March 2018 (except half term): 6.15-8pm – attendance at most of these sessions is necessary : The festival itself: Saturday 24 March 2017 (tbc): 10am – 8pm
Booking Fees: Prices quoted are for tickets booked in person at the Ticket Office. Tickets booked via telephone or online are subject to a booking fee of up to £1.75 per ticket.
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DO YOU LOVE LIGHTHOUSE? SUPPORT THE ARTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Our mission at Lighthouse is to entertain, stimulate and inspire the people in our community, but we can’t do it without support.
PLAY YOUR PART
As a registered charity, we rely heavily upon the individuals, companies and trusts who choose to help us. Their generosity enables us to provide life-enhancing opportunities for people to enjoy and participate in the arts, both at Lighthouse and out in the community. How would you like to join them? COME AND JOIN US
We rely, too, upon all who are involved with Lighthouse being part of our integrated approach to fundraising. Without this we would not be able to raise the money needed to fulfil our exciting mission. If you would like to know more about how you can play your part, please contact Eifron Hopper on 01202 781320 or email him at eifron.hopper@lighthousepoole.com.
01202 280000 www.lighthousepoole.co.uk