Facilitator Training: Working with SEN Children and Young People

Led by Richard Hayhow, Director of Open Theatre.

The workshop is an opportunity for arts practitioners, artists and teachers who want to extend and adapt their practice to be more inclusive of young people with learning disabilities.

The workshop will involve an exploration of the non-verbal physical theatre methodology developed by Open Theatre Company over a period of 25 years of work with adults and young people with learning disabilities and of its application within special schools. The key elements of this methodology are as follows:

• It creates performance work on the borderlines of theatre, dance and mime, physical theatre at its best – a new kind of aesthetics.
• It places the creativity of people with learning disabilities at the heart of the process
• It trains people with learning disabilities as performers of professional standard
• It has significant impact on children and young people’s learning within the school curriculum
• It develops the skills, abilities and qualities that these young people need to survive and thrive as they make the transition into adulthood

The workshop will develop an understanding of and skills in this way of working through a combination of practical work and theoretical discussion.

If you have anything specific that you would like to be covered, please email getinvolved@tobaccofactorytheatres.com so we have time to consider your request in advance.

Feedback from previous Facilitator Training sessions:

It covered everything I wanted to know in a really engaging and exciting way.

So insightful and inspiring!

Invaluable for anyone working with young people in theatre.

Very informative, enthusiastic, welcoming, supportive of the whole group, made all aspects understandable.

Open Theatre works to put young people with learning disabilities centre stage.

Over the past 25 years from their West Midlands base, they have used nonverbal physical theatre to collaborate with young people with learning disabilities, creating quality art which reflects and celebrates their unique creativity. In the 80’s and 90’s Open Theatre created nationally touring shows with all-disabled performance group The Shysters, and have since broadened our work to working in 20 special schools all-year-round, producing theatre, conferences, festivals, short films and other creative media.

Open Theatre wholeheartedly believe in the ability of young people with learning disabilities to contribute to the creative and cultural life of the places where they live, and work as advocates for their valued involvement as artists and leaders.