Salford theatre-making programme ‘Stage Directions’ will host a free online creative classroom this Thursday, February 11.
“Theatre Thursday” will be a 45-minute session for Salford’s children and young people, which can be streamed from both Zoom and YouTube.
Steph Green, Stage Directions producer, said: “Emily, one of our creative practitioners has a variety of activities including writing, poetry and theatre. There’ll be ways for people to interact too and feel part of the session.
“We hope that young people will have a chance to do something a little bit different with someone new, be connected with more children in the city and feel part of something big!”
‘Stage Directions’ is a three-year programme funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
It is one of five new Youth Performance Partnership projects across the country.
The project is partnered with several large organisations within Salford, such as The Lowry Theatre and the University of Salford.
These partnerships have meant that Stage Directions have been able to keep working and encouraging imaginative thinking despite lockdown measures.
Ms Green said: “We have strong relationships in the city to keep activity running as much as possible, even if it looks different.
“The pandemic has also made us reassess the needs and priorities for schools and the young people in the city. Theatre Thursday is part of the way we’ve pivoted our delivery so we can still keep creating!”
The programme’s Instagram page have released a video explaining what people can expect from the event:
As we emerge from Children’s Mental Health week, Ms Green stressed the importance of developing creative skills, especially with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Children have missed out on so much! We know that schools have not stopped and will not stop in making sure children get everything they need academically, and we want to ensure enrichment stays part of their learning too!”
She added: “Part of the joy in our process is there’s no ‘correct’ way to be creative, so for many young people it can remove the fear of failure and allow them to grow in self-esteem, which can increase overall well-being!”
The event has already generated a lot of interest from Salford schools and the programme is keen to repeat the experience.
Ms Green said: “We would love to run it again. We’re aware that there is lots and lots for schools to contend with at the moment, so we will respond to their needs and listen to schools and parents – plus the children too of course!”
Stage Directions have been overwhelmed by registrations, so they are now encouraging parents and teachers to subscribe to their YouTube and watch the stream via their channel.
The event flyer can be viewed here for more information.
The creative session can be joined live from home or streamed into classrooms. It is aimed at primary school learners aged 8+ and will take place at 9.30am on Thursday, February 11.
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