Education Resource Pack
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The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright contents
Introduction
2. Introduction 3. Synopsis 4. Who’s who 5. The writer 6. The director 7. Production diaries 8. A Brief History of Working Men’s Clubc 9/10 Design activity 11. Finding your voice
Welcome to the Education Resource Pack for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice ...where you’ll find invaluable resources to help you get the best out of your visit to the show. Find out more about the play and follow up your visit with classroom activities, discussions and worksheets. All the pages are printable and photocopyable for educational purposes.
12. Soundtracks activity 13/14 Follow up activities 15 Writing about the production 16. Further resources 17. Mousetrap
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice: Education Resource Pack was written and researched by Helen Cadbury www.theatrestudy.com (c) Helen Cadbury 2009
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Marc Warren as Ray Say, Diana Vickers as Little Voice
Synopsis This is the story of Little Voice, named on account of her quietness, a young, reclusive girl, living in the shadow of her loud, hard-drinking mother, Mari. Little Voice, or LV as she is known, seeks solace in the record collection left to her by her father. Alone in her bedroom she listens to the big voices of divas such as Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and Marilyn Monroe. The installation of a new telephone in Mari and LV‘s home brings Billy, the shy telephone engineer, into LV’s life. Meanwhile, her mother starts seeing small time agent Ray Say, who overhears LV singing. He dreams of launching her into show-business and begins to negotiate with the manager of the local club, Mr Boo. Mari is hungry for Ray’s affection and LV’s success, but LV herself is horrified about singing in public. Throughout the play, Mari and later LV are supported by the silent, caring presence of Sadie, the woman next door, while Billy is hovering, literally, waiting for his opportunity to win LV’s heart.
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Who’s Who? Cast Mari Ray Say LV Billy Sadie Phone Man Mr Boo
Lesley Sharp Marc Warren Diana Vickers James Cartwright Rachel Lumberg Tim Parker Tony Haygarth
Creative Team Author Director Designer Lighting Sound Composers
Jim Cartwright Terry Johnson Lez Brotherston Mark Henderson Ian Dickinson Ben and Max Ringham Choreographer Lynne Page Company Stage Sheena Linden Manager Deputy Stage Helen Smith Manager Producers
Nica Burns Max Weitzenhoffer The Fish Partnership Josephine Genetay
Question Can you explain what the all job titles on the left mean?
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Selected Bibliography Road Methuen, 1986 Bed Methuen, 1991 To (later retitled 'Two') Methuen, 1991 The Rise and Fall of Little Voice Methuen, 1992 Plays One (Contents: Road; Bed; Two; The Rise and Fall of Little Voice) Methuen, 1996 Hard Fruit Methuen, 2000 Supermarket Supermodel (novel) Doubleday, 2008
The Writer Jim Cartwright was born in Farnworth, Lancashire in 1958 and educated at Harper Green Secondary Modern School, Farnworth. His first play, Road, opened at the Royal Court in 1986. It was created as a promenade performance in which a character called Sculley took the audience on a tour of a run-down terraced street in a 1980s Lancashire Town. In 1987, it was revived and then toured the country. Road won the Samuel Beckett Award, Drama Magazine’s Best New Play Award, and was joint winner of the Plays And Players Award and The George Devine Award. In 1988, Road was produced by The Lincoln Centre, New York. During the production of Road, one of the actresses used to warm up her voice by singing impressions of her favourite artistes. Jim Cartwright was so impressed that he wrote a play for her. The actress was Jane Horrocks and the play was The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. The film of Road (1987) was directed by Alan Clarke. It starred Jane Horrocks as Louise and Lesley Sharp as Valerie. Lesley is playing Mari in the current production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. Other plays include: Bed (1991), at the National Theatre in 1989; Two (1991), at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton in 1989, which won the Manchester Evening News Best New Play Award and transferred to The Young Vic, London in 1990; Eight Miles High (Octagon Theatre, Bolton 1991). The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice (1992), was first performed at the National Theatre 1992 and then transferred to The Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End later that year. The production was nominated for six Olivier Awards, was winner of The Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year in 1992 and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 1993. It opened on Broadway in 1995. Jim Cartwright has continued to write plays which have been produced in theatres all over the world, including the Royal Court in London and the Royal Exchange in Manchester. He has also written widely for radio and television.
Research Task Jim Cartwright’s old school, Harper Green, named a building after him. Does your school have buildings or rooms named after anyone? What did they do to earn that honour?
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The Director Born in 1955, Terry Johnson is both a director and a writer. He has
Awards as a Playwright
created work for the stage, television and film. Terry Johnson was awarded the 1982 London Evening
These are just the highlights of the last ten years in Terry’s amazing
Standard Theatre Award for
career as a director:
Most Promising Playwright for
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES By Jean Poiret Menier Chocolate Factory 2007 Playhouse Theatre 2008 - 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival With Douglas Hodge, Graham Norton and John Barrowman
Insignificance.
RAIN MAN 2008 By Dan Gordon Apollo Theatre With Josh Hartnett and Adam Godley
Comedy for his play, Hysteria.
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST By Dale Wasserman Co-Directed with Tamara Harvey The Gielguld Theatre London 2004 The Garrick Theatre London 2006 With Christian Slater
awarded the 1999 Laurence
HITCHCOCK BLONDE 2003 Royal Court Theatre Director and writer Transferred to the Lyric Theatre West End 2004 South Coast Rep American Premiere 2006
performed at the Jerwood
THE GRADUATE Directing his adaptation Plymouth Theater-Broadway 2003 Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane-Australia 2002 The Gielguld Theatre London 2000 With Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys
Theatre Award for Best New
SPARKLESHARK 1999 By Philip Ridley The Royal National Theatre THE MEMORY OF WATER by Shelagh Stevenson Hampstead Theatre 1997 Vaudeville Theatre, West End 1998-99 Tour Autumn 1998/ Second Tour Autumn 1999 CLEO CAMPING EMMANUELLE AND DICK 1999 Directed his own original play for The Royal National Theatre Nationwide Tour Olivier Award for Best Comedy 1998
He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1994 (1993 season) for Best
His comedy, Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick was Olivier Theatre Award for Best Comedy of the 1998 season. His play, Hitchcock Blonde Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court, was nominated for a 2004 Laurence Olivier Play of 2003.
Research FInd out more about Terry Johnson's work. Can you answer this quiz question ? Which famous mathematician meets Marilyn Monroe in Johnson’s play Insignificance, which was made into a film directed by Nicholas Roeg?
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The Production Diaries student digital resources Curriculum Links BTEC -Performing Arts Business (First and National), Creative and Media Diploma, GNVQ and Vocational GCSE Drama/Expressive Arts, As/A level Drama and Theatre Studies
Marc Warren
If you!ve ever wondered what getting ready to star in a West End show involves, Little Voice star Marc Warren, who plays Ray Say, has been keeping a rehearsal diary to let you in on the secrets behind the scenes. Click on the following weblinks to follow his amazing journey from auditions onward to opening night.
The Audition “Home alone and unemployed. The phone rings. My agent. "They want to see you for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/sep/02/marc-warren-little-voice-diary
The Photoshoot “A car arrives at 10.15am to take me to the Lemonade Factory in Battersea... I'm off to do a photoshoot for the show's publicity posters – it's here the cast will meet each other for the first time.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/sep/08/marc-warren-little-voice-diary
The Read-through “As the scripts are opened, the pressure is on and my mouth turns dry. Time to concentrate ...” http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/sep/08/marc-warren-little-voice-diary
Rehearsals Begin “As we start rehearsals, I worry about risque snogging scenes, bumping into the furniture – and whether I can actually act at all.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/sep/23/little-voice-marc-warren-rehearsals
Week Two of Rehearsals “Two weeks into rehearsals, and a show is emerging. Sometimes the whole performance falls into your lap before you've even opened the script. Sometimes not.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/sep/30/marc-warren-little-voice Follow the links on the Guardian website to catch up on the remaining diary entries. The rest of the cast have also been busy and have created some fantastic You Tube video diaries of the process. Check these out at: http://www.nimaxtheatres.com/nimax/play/S1248438950/The+Rise+and+Fall+of+Little+Voice
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Historical and Social Context A Brief History of the Working Men’s Club The Working Men’s Clubs were a phenomenon which first appeared in the mid-nineteenth century, set up by Victorian philanthropists to create alcohol-free centres for working men to come together for leisure and learning. The CIU, the Club and Institute Union, was set up by Henry Solly in 1862. He was a great believer in working class people's political rights. In time, the definition of those rights meant that the clubs were organised by working people directly and soon alcohol was allowed. CIU clubs had to be owned by their members, originally all-male. As the twentieth century wore on, clubs began to admit women at certain times and they were only recently permitted full membership rights. In addition to a bar, some clubs offered sports facilities, but all offered entertainment in the form of musical acts, comedy or magic. Many well known performers, including the seventies TV comedy star Les Dawson and Jodie Prenger (Nancy in Oliver) have come up through the circuit of Northern Working Men’s Clubs. Peter Kay’s comedy drama, Phoenix Nights, evokes the atmosphere of the clubs, where the audiences were sometimes harsh and unforgiving. Although the clubs benefitted from cheaper beer prices than pubs, they have suffered a similar decline in recent years. The recent smoking ban may have served to further reduce their membership. Despite clubs facing closure all over the country, The Working Men's Club and Institute Union is still the largest non-profit-making social entertainment and leisure organisation in the UK, representing the interests and views of six million club members.
Streethouse Working Men’s Club (c) Bill Henderson C.C.
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Design Activity student resource Curriculum Links Performing Arts BTEC - technical, Theatre Studies AS/A level (design option)
Jim Cartwright sets the play in A Northern Town. There are two locations: Mari’s House, at the side of which is an alley, and The Club. The designer looked for clues within the text to get the ‘look’ of the piece right. He made notes and collected colours, textures, photos and fabrics in a note book and on a mood board.
Fantasy Theatre Designer • Read the play. Making notes about what spaces need to be shown, where does action take place, does it take place in more than one location at a time? • When you have worked out the practicalities of structure and sketched an outline, then think about how it will look. What do the characters say about the spaces they inhabit? What year is it? The play was written in 1992, is your production set then or "now! as the playwright suggests? What domestic details have changed in the last seventeen years? • Research in books, on the internet and in the streets themselves, the type of house that you think Mari and LV live in. What colours create the correct atmosphere? Will you show the brickwork or wallpaper in the house? Will you go into naturalistic detail or will you just hint at the decoration? • Produce a notebook which shows what the key colours and shapes are going to be used in the set: use photographs and add drawn or painted images or collage from magazine pictures. Add notes to your images, quotes from the text or ideas about themes to justify your choices.
continued on the next page
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Design Activity student resource Fantasy Theatre Designer continued
• Make a scale diagram on graph paper, showing where scenery and furniture will be positioned. • Make a model box based on your drawing, you can use an old shoe box. A simple method is to take a photocopy of your scale diagram and stick it to a piece stiff card. It is easier to paint the smaller parts of your model before you cut them out. • Cut around the shapes, leaving quite a large tab at the bottom of each one to stand them up. Take a large piece of card, cut to scale, to be your stage area. You can paint this black, or if you imagine your set to have a painted floor cloth, paint it accordingly. • If you are going to move the pieces around, as many directors and designers do during the production process, don!t glue them down yet. When you are satisfied with the positions, you can glue the tab down onto the "stage.! • Now for costumes: the costumes are part of the overall design, the look of the piece must be unified. As with the set, there are certain practical demands on the designer. Where in the text does the writer specifically describe what people are wearing, either in the stage directions or in the dialogue? Sketches of the costumes should include colour and texture and notes on style.
Lesley Sharp, Diana Vickers and Marc Warren
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Finding Your Voice student resource Singing LV’s life is sad, she is feeling the effects of grief from the death of her father and is emotionally abused by her mother. Singing takes her out of herself and allows her to express her feelings. Singing has huge benefits. It has been proven to relieve depression, boost immunity and improve the circulation. In order to release the sound fully, it helps to smile. That smile releases endorphins in the brain which will cheer you up. Singing can also improve literacy and numeracy, in fact any kind of learning where you need to remember something: basically, knowledge can be embedded in the memory better if you sing it.
Citizenship Challenge In your drama/ preforming arts/ music class , can you teach your group a song? Once they have learnt it, can you teach it to the whole class? Once the whole class knows it, could your class teach it to the whole school? A generation ago, all secondary schools sang hymns in assembly, what songs would you choose to help everyone feel good together and start the day on a high note?
Acting Do you warm your voice up before you perform? Here are a few exercises to start you off, you could add some of your own in your group. • stand with your feet hip-width apart, soften your knees and make sure you are not arching your back. Let your arms hang by your sides. • take deep breaths, up from the floor to the top of you head, breathe in and sigh out. • shake your hands loosely to relieve any tension, let the shake travel up into your arms to your shoulders, bring your shoulders in to the shake, then add your waist, your hips and your legs. • you should be breathing more freely now, so let the next breath travel in though your nose and blow it gently out of your mouth until all the breath has gone. Feel your ribs expand as you let the next breath in. Repeat a few times. • hum on a note that is comfortable for you. Chew as if you had a toffee in your mouth while humming. Experiment with humming up and down in pitch. • breathe out and let the next breath in naturally. Hum the out breath and then open up your mouth so you make an ‘aah’ sound. (It will sound a bit like hummmm-aaaah!) • now the sound is coming out, you need to think about articulation. Do you know any tongue twisters? Everyone in the group could have the task of teaching the others a new tongue twister at each rehearsal.
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Soundtracks of Our Lives teacher’s resource Curriculum Links Drama GCSE, BTEC First Diploma
In many of Jim Cartwright!s plays, ordinary people find their voice. LV finds it in the music of Shirley Bassey, Edith Piaf, Marilyn Monroe and Dusty Springfield. The young people in Road find it in their communion with the music of Otis Redding.
Preparatory Homework ask students to use the internet to find the lyrics of the song they feel is their personal sound track. Ask them to choose one line that stands out and type it on to a slip of paper (it is important to type them in order to anonymise them).
In class • Put all the slips of paper with song lyrics on, into a hat or box. (At this point the teacher may need to secretly remove any that are not going to be suitable for using in class, if for example the lyrics are derogatory or offensive.)
Research Task How much do you know about the singers LV loves? Each group could choose one artiste mentioned in the text and create a presentation about their life and their music, including live renditions of their songs, video or recorded music.
•Put the class into groups. Ask each group to pick one at random. •Each group should create a still image which demonstrates the song lyric. •Show these. Ask the other students what they notice, what body language and stage shapes are being used. •When the tableau has been discussed then the presenting group should read out the song lyric. Discuss how successful their depiction was, what could they have done differently? Repeat with the other groups •Each group to pick a second lyric. This time the they should create a scene with dialogue but in which both the first and second lyric are spoken as lines. They can use other lines but the lyrics should be spoken at key points in the scene. • Present the scenes and explore in discussion how the heightened language of the song lyrics creates meaning in the scene. • To celebrate the work, the whole group could create a collage of all the lines and photographs of the still images or key moments from the scenes. This montage could be entitled The Soundtracks of our Lives.
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Back to School teacher’s resource suggestions for follow up work Curriculum links: GCSE Drama, AS/ A level Drama and Theatre Studies
Language Discuss Jim Cartwright’s use of language in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. When is the language non-naturalistic? What is the effect of this? Is the use of swearing effective or distracting? How is it used in context?
Text
No Voice
Cartwright, Jim Plays:1 (Road,
LV has no voice but finds her voice in song. DIscuss other ways in which a
Bed, Two, The
disempowered young woman might seek to express herself. Using a full,
Rise and Fall of
neutral mask, create the character of Little Voice and explore how she
Little Voice)
responds, physically to the world around her. Choose lines from the text to
Methuen Drama
stimulate a physical, non-verbal response to the lines in the text. This could
1996
form the basis for a devised scene exploring the psychological effects of Mari’s words on the mute LV.
The Lure of Showbiz Diana Vickers came to the attention of theatre professionals because she reached the semi-finals of X Factor. Discuss the pros and cons of reality TV as a route into the profession. Meanwhile, the government wants to outlaw children appearing in reality TV shows such as Britain’s Got Talent. Is this right? Discuss the phenomenon of the pushy showbiz mother. From your discussion, devise a fictional story about a reality TV child star. Explore the mother-daughter relationship and the power of the agent.
Historical and Social Context Cartwright wrote the play towards the end of seventeen years of a Conservative government in Britain, which had seen a dramatic decline in manufacturing and in the economy of Northern towns. In what ways do think Little Voice reflects these issues? In what ways could it be described as a political play?
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Back to School teacher’s resource suggestions for follow up work Curriculum links: GCSE Drama
Improvisation Off The Text Okay In her video diary of week two of rehearsals, Lesley Sharp (playing Mari) comments on how Rachel Lumberg (Sadie) has the ability to say the word ‘okay’, and it never sounds the same. In pairs, try this scene out. The person playing Sadie needs to decide exactly what she means each time she says ‘okay’ and vary the tone/mood/ intonation. Mari: Come in, Sadie...Sit down. Crush a chair anywhere you like. Sadie: Okay. Mari: Do you want a cuppa or ‘owt? Sadie: Okay. Mari: Make us one when while you’re at it. Sadie: Okay. Mari: What am I this morning, the Okay Corral or what? Now create your own scene in which two friends are talking. Agree the situation, are they in a club, at the park, shopping, it’s essential that you know what they are doing. Decide what word you are going to use which is the equivalent of ‘okay’ - for example, it could be ‘yes’ or ‘don’t know’ or ‘whatever’. One friend is the dominant character and carries the conversation, while the other responds. How can you let us know what the second character is thinking and feeling? What is her/his attitude to the friend? Show and evaluate you scenes. How did they compare to the relationship between Mari and Sadie in the play? What stories were beginning to emerge?
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Student Resource Curriculum links: GCSE Drama, A/AS level Theatre Studies, BTEC Performing Arts/ Acting
Building a Character Jim Cartwright creates clearly defined characters, whose specific and different personalities carry the story. The process by which a writer and an actor create a character are very similar. Try these exercises with reference to the text of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, or apply them to your own devised work.
Writing/Devising Exercise 1. On a blank piece of paper draw the outline of a human shape 2. Give this human a name 3. Decide on what’s going on inside this person, what does he/she think and feel? Write these ideas on the inside of the shape. 4. Decide what’s going on outside, write these ideas around the outside of the shape. 5. Is a story emerging? 6. Reflect on how story can emerge from character 7. Write notes on how you might want to develop this story.
Acting Exercise Read the script and then read it again making notes on connections of all the characters- including ones we never see you meet. You need to make decisions on how you feel about all of these characters. Remember a good playwright will always make decisions on characters that will assist your understanding if you know the text inside out. Draw up a chart to fill in the following details Character Name Who they are? What do they want from me? What do I want from them? How do I feel about them? Do I get what I want from them by the end of the play? You could try a spider diagram where you put your character in the middle and draw arrows out the diagram connecting you to everyone in the play. Remember to comment on your relationship with that character by finding the clues to how you feel about them in the text. with thanks to Katie Posner for this exercise
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Writing About the Production student resource Why does a director make certain choices? Watch carefully and write notes at the interval, or after the play. What do you see and hear on the stage and in the audience, when you are waiting for the play to begin? To work out what effects are being created in the production, ask yourself these practical questions and think about why these choices have been made:
The Set • • • • •
what is your first impression of what you see? what shapes, levels and colours are being used? how does the set hide or reveal actors? what is the effect of the revolve? how are the different locations and scenes in the play demonstrated?
Costume • • • •
what colours and styles are being used? what impression do they give about the personality and background of the characters? compare different costumes, for example, focus on Ray Say’s costume changes, what story do the costumes tell about the journey of his character? how do the costumes interact with the lighting design?
Lighting • • • • • • •
how does the lighting show where we are? what colours and shades of colour are being used to create time of day, atmosphere or mood? what levels of brightness are being used and why? think about angles of light, who is well lit and who is in shadow? when do the lights change? what is atmosphere and what emotions are suggested by the lighting? what is the effect of Billy’s light show for LV? How is that effect created?
The Performers • • • •
how does each actor create their character through the way they move? how effective is the transition from speech to song ? how do the performers use the set? how do the performers relate to the audience – and when does this change?
The Music • how does the music help to tell the story? • what is the emotional effect of the songs on the audience? Personal Response What does The Rise and Fall of Little Voice make you think, feel, want to talk about?
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Further Resources Books Cartwright, Jim Plays:1 (Road, Bed, Two, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice) Methuen Drama 1996
Houseman, Barbara Finding Your Voice, Nick Hern Books 2002
Johnstone, Keith Improvisation Methuen 1981
DVD (1999) Little Voice starring Jane Horrocks, Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor. directed by Mark Herman written by Jim Cartwright screenplay by Mark Herman
Weblinks www.nimaxtheatres.com www.mousetrap.org.uk
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Mousetrap Theatre Projects offers young people with limited resources and access, the opportunity to engage with the best of London’s live theatre. We are an independent charity, working with theatres in the West End and across London. Since 1997, we have taken nearly 60,000 young people to the theatre. We create innovative and exciting theatre access, education and audience development programmes. Young people take part with their school or youth group, their family or their friends.
Mission Statement We believe that all young people should have the opportunity to attend outstanding theatre, irrespective of their cultural, social or economic background. Our mission is to increase young people’s access to the best of live theatre in London (particularly those young people with limited resources, opportunities or support) and to enable them to engage creatively with that experience. As an independent charity, Mousetrap Theatre Projects is in a unique position to select the appropriate or relevant theatre productions in and beyond the West End that stimulate and inspire young people. We devise programmes that use theatre as a catalyst to explore ideas, learn new skills, develop creativity and offer new perspectives. At the heart of our education and outreach work is the desire to open doors to young people who might otherwise consider London’s rich cultural heritage closed to them.
Areas of Endeavour Access:
To provide young people with limited resources, support or a disability, the opportunity to attend London theatre, often as a firsttime experience: The London Theatre Challenge for mainstream and special schools, All- Schools Matinees, Family First Nights and Envision
Education:
To enable young people to engage actively with their theatre experience and to use theatre as an educational resource in and out of the classroom to stimulate creative work and to develop theatrerelated skills: TheatreWorks, Play the Critic, Insight sessions, WriteThinking, TechTaster, PowerPlay and Stage Business
Audience Development:
To encourage a legacy of theatregoing among young audiences by reducing barriers and enhancing their knowledge and understanding of theatre: C145 and West End for £10
Creating Links:
To develop collaborations with young people, schools, teachers, artists, arts organisations, youth groups, community organisations and social service agencies with the theatre industry: Meet the Artists Events, Special Seminars/ Round Table Discussions, Teachers’ Advisory Group, Teachers Preview Club and StageXChange Mousetrap Theatre Projects 23-24 Henrietta Street Covent Garden London WC2E 8HA www.mousetrap.org.uk Tel. 020 7836 4388