Next Stage has been delivering Theatre in Education projects for over 17 years. To meet a school’s specific requirements a team of professionals will produce tailor-made workshops for children of all ages and abilities.

Through interactive workshops, pupils:

  • Enrich their curricular studies

  • Develop self-confidence, empathy and understanding

  • Explore literacy

  • Discuss and experience productions of GCSE and A-Level texts

For more information contact Ann Ellison on 01225 428600 or by emailing nextstagebath@aol.com

School Workshops

Redmaids’ High School: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (February 2023)

Next Stage Theatre Company was asked to deliver a tailor-made two-hour acting workshop to 75 Year 10 GCSE pupils at Redmaids’ High School in Bristol to facilitate their studies of Simon Stephens’ play: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time based on the novel by Mark Haddon.

The two-hour workshop was delivered by a group of 6 Next Stage actors along with the company’s Artistic Director, Ann Ellison BEM.

The company had been asked to deal especially with the following questions: “How does Stephens present conflict in the play?”; “Do you agree that ‘Judy is a bad mother to Christopher?” “How does Stephens present the relationship between Christopher and Ed in the play?”

We were delighted to receive very positive feedback from the staff at Redmaids’ High School. Comments included:

·       “It was great that you could bring to life key moments form the play for us.”

·       “The quality of acting was high.”

·       “The students responded well to the performing.”

·       “The groupwork generated interesting discussions both during and after the afternoon.”

A big thankyou to Redmaids’ High School for giving us the opportunity to run this workshop and explore new opportunities to use Next Stage for our Theatre in Education initiatives, we are looking to run many more of these in the future!

See what they had to say about the visit on their Facebook page here!

What We Offer

Primary:

  • Friend Not Foe - a series of drama games, improvisations and team building activities to encourage positive relationships within a peer group.

  • All The World’s A Stage - a multi-cultural, six week series of workshops exploring theatrical traditions and performing arts in different countries around the world.

  • Mind Your P’s and Q’s - using drama games and exercises to make manners fun.

  • The Snail - a six week series of workshops exploring ideas and inspirations based on Matisse’s famous painting.

  • Living In The Mountains - a six week series of workshops exploring all aspects of life in mountainous regions throughout the world.

  • Aztecs - life, culture and fighting in the Aztec society.

  • Giants - walk in Giants’ footsteps from the Big Friendly variety through to the Iron Man and the giants of pantomime. Five workshops exploring the giants of literature, theatre and poetry.

  • Bruegel - a six week series exploring the life and work of Pieter Bruegel.

Primary and Secondary:

  • Exploring literacy through drama - dramatic activities based on set texts helping youngsters to explore and develop characterisation, key scenes and important themes in stories or plays. Suitable for primary and secondary pupils.

  • Anti-Bullying - dramatic exploration of bullies and victims helping pupils to understand and cope with the complex issues involved. Suitable for primary and secondary pupils

  • The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time - See article below

Secondary:

  • Page to Stage - workshops linked to Next Stage productions, designed to enrich pupils study of a specific play.

Next Stage has worked on Theatre In Education projects for 27 years and can produce workshops to meet a school’s specific needs or interests. To discuss any TIE initiative, call 01225 428600 or e-mail nextstagebath@aol.com

HIGH LITTLETON: ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

The Next Stage Theatre In Education team delivered their ever-popular All The World’s A Stage series to 11 year old pupils at High Littleton C of E Primary School.

Having explored pantomime, Commedia d’ell Arte and Greek theatre, the youngsters made Indian shadow puppets and enacted scenes from Kipling’s Jungle Book stories. Moving on to Japan and Noh theatre, the pupils explored the world of stage combat with Next Stage Theatre Company’s Fight Choreographer Nicky Wilkins. In the final session of the series, the class were transported back to 16th Century England and using improvised movement and mime, explored Jacques’ speech from As You Like It: “All the world’s a stage…”

The workshops were facilitated by actors from Next Stage Theatre Company and led by Artistic Director Ann Ellison, and were enthusiastically received by the pupils. At the end of all the sessions the pupils took home masks, puppets and “passports” that confirmed they had been “around the world” on this dramatic journey.

MARKSBURY DRAMA TASTERS

As part of the Next Stage Theatre in Education work we were able to offer Drama Taster sessions to all pupils in Marksbury Church of England Primary School. Head Teacher Lucy Taylor had approached the Next Stage team seeking four lots of two hour workshops, each one tailor-made to meet the needs of the pupils and their teachers. Ann Ellison created the following workshops, which were warmly received by Marksbury’s talented pupils and their enthusiastic teachers.

For the Reception class, whose teacher wanted the drama workshop to tie in with the class project on bears, Ann and her team devised an exciting set of drama games and activities based on Jill Murphy’s popular book Whatever Next! In the story, Baby Bear goes to the moon in a home-made rocket and by the end of the workshop over 20 youngsters were able to enact the whole story. Indeed one enthusiastic pupil made his Mum sit cross-legged on the floor when he got home and he performed a one-person show!

On their second visit, working with years 3 and 4, the Next Stage team got to grips with life in Tudor England and using Pieter Bruegel’s paintings The Peasant Dance and Children’s Games they explored Tudor dress, hobbies and games through role play, mirroring and improvised drama. The Head Teacher said “Another fantastic morning enjoyed by all”.

In week 3 the Next Stage Fight Choreographer Nicky Wilkins worked with Ann’s team and years 1 and 2 in the school. The class had been looking at Medieval England and the drama workshop, Warring Knights and Quarrelling Kings, had provided the stimulus for all the children to make brightly coloured shields and cardboard swords ready for the morning’s activities. Under Nicky’s professional tutelage all the pupils learnt elementary stage combat and a lot about life as a knight in Medieval times. Much fun was had by all.

Finally, in the first week of December and working with the oldest pupils in the school who had been studying the Victorians, Ann and her team devised a 2-hour workshop based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. With chains, sheets and stuffed chickens for props, the pupils in four groups learnt, improvised and rehearsed a different part of the story and before the end of the session performed their own version of Scrooge! It was a Christmas cracker of a show with the staff and Head Teacher all agreeing that the drama tasters had been enjoyed by all and had enriched and enlivened the curriculum. Thank you Marksbury and we hope it won’t be too long before we are able to return.