As one of the core values of our organisation, we continue to encourage and nurture children and young people’s active participation in the Arts. Partnering with the highest calibre of professional artists & theatre companies, we seek to serve the needs of all age categories, offering learning opportunities to engage with fun and meaningful Arts in Education and community programmes.
It is the voice of the child and young person that informs our creative approach to designing, making and producing innovative programmes that connect, engage and enhance social, personal and artistic development in a safe and welcoming space.
This Autumn we collaborated with our associate artists Freshly Ground Theatre on a project called ‘Stepping Stones’.
What is Stepping Stones ?
Stepping Stones was an Arts in Education and Civic in the Community pilot programme partnered with Freshly Ground Theatre Company with the support of Education at The Civic to design and deliver an engaging programme for students from two 6th classes and two 1st year groups about the theme of transitions.
Freshly Ground Theatre Artists facilitated a series of drama, theatre, writing and performance workshops in the classroom in 4 schools across South Dublin; Sacred Heart Senior National School and Firhouse Educate Together National School along with first year students in the connecting second level schools; Firhouse ET Secondary School & Killinarden Community School.
It was an exciting opportunity to encourage school communities to connect and further engage with the Arts at this pivotal stage for children and young audiences.
78 Students from 11-14 years had the opportunity to devise, direct, design and stage manage their own original piece of work with the support of professional artists while exploring themes of transition and the process of moving from primary to second level. At the end of the programme each group presented from the 4 participating schools in The Civic on 25th November 2024 to an audience of 150 attendees made up of supportive classmates, Teachers, SNAs and parents.
The Stepping Stones Story from Classroom Workshops to presenting on the Main Stage.
The project took place from September to November 2024 with each group participating in theatre making sessions at their school. Students were given an introduction to performance with scene making exercises, improv and drama games.
Then received two storymaking workshops led by writer Seán Farrelly. Each group designed characters and a narrative of a short story that derived from conversations on the theme of starting in a new place. The students learned about the foundation of world building, story structure and character dynamics.
The narrative that each group developed was exchanged with another school group. The students were then given the task of devising a short piece of theatre based on the story framework they were given.
Students collaborated to make a tiny play. Some of the participants performed in the piece, others showed interest in prop and set making, stage management and directing. They also contributed to the sound and lighting design.
The rehearsal and making process was entirely led by the students with all of their ideas and imagination supported by the facilitators. They created their pieces mainly through devising with some students writing dialogue.
Students had the opportunity then to visit The Civic and rehearse their plays in the space. The 4 participating schools came together on 25th November to share their works in progress with each other on The Civic main stage. This was a really exciting day for the students to have their creativity platformed and their work shown to an audience. The majority of participants had never performed before or been to a theatre before!
Feedback Quotes
Killinarden Community School : Linda Kerr, School Librarian
- We enjoyed it very much. I thought the students got a lot out of it. They were excited every Wednesday morning to come to the library.
- The students learned about storyboarding and stage management. They also got to express themselves in a different kind of way.
- I didn’t realise how wide and varied the talents of my students are and how well they could express themselves
- I have a better understanding of live drama definitely. We run a film club where we make films so I was aware of how that worked but I didn’t know about some of the theatre aspects.
- A great way to guide students into creativity and self expression
Students Feedback – Firhouse ET Secondary School
Zara: 8.5/10 – great opportunity for us to get together and be ourselves. A chance to relax and take a break from work. Gives us energy for the whole day ahead.
Holly: 9/10 It’s very creative and fun. I think it’s good to have it once a week to get a break from writing work.
Misha: 10/10 – It’s nice for getting your mind off work. The facilitators are very nice people. It’s great for getting to work with your friend and makes you happy
According to Mary Sheehan, education executive at The Civic on the day of the final presentations:
“Yesterday saw the culmination of 8 weeks of work by 78 participating students from 4 local schools from ages 11-14 yrs to gather together in their local theatre. Freshly Ground Theatre Company facilitated a series of drama-led, theatre making, creative writing and performance workshops in the classroom from September to November 2024.
The work in progress presentation showcased the stories prompted with “Starting Somewhere New” and explored the transitions and the journey from the perspective of 6th Class primary students and 1st Year secondary students who exchanged stories to devise, make, stage and perform. It was wonderful to see a supportive audience of fellow students, Teachers, SNAs, parents and invited guests enjoy the very entertaining and lively showcase in the Main Space.”
Kindly Supported by Arts Council Ireland
