Royal
Exchange
Theatre
School Links
Newsletter
AUTUMN WINTER 2014
Welcome to the first
School Links newsletter
of 2014/2015 - designed
to keep your school
linked in with the most
up to date news from
the Royal Exchange. You
will find our programme
of Tours and Workshops
for schools on page
2, information about
upcoming productions
on page 3 and key dates
for teachers on page 4.
We absolutely love
hearing from you, so if
you have any questions
or ideas please give us
a call, write us an email
or send us a letter!
You can reach Natalie
Diddams (Schools’
Programme Leader)
on natalie.diddams@
royalexchange.co.uk or
on 0161 615 6750.
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2013/14
It has been a busy year for the Participation & Learning department at
the Royal Exchange. Here are some of our highlights:
March 2014 – Theatreworks
March 2014 saw 14 Year 8 students from Our Lady’s High School
presenting a unique visitor experience entitled A RECIPE FOR
SUCCESS.Visitors were treated to a guided tour that included a
photography exhibition, a film presentation and a sound installation, as
well as the chance to chat to students acting as grown up and (most
importantly) successful versions of themselves.
“It’s made me see that some people put a lot of work into what
they do to be successful. [I learnt that] to get a job it takes
determination and courage.” Student, Our Lady’s High School
June 2014 – Royal Visit to the
Children’s Shakespeare Festival
HRH the Earl of Wessex visited the Royal Exchange in June to
observe rehearsals for the Children’s Shakespeare Festival, meeting
Year 4 children and teachers from Chapel Street Primary School and
watching their interpretation of MACBETH on the main stage. If you
would like to find out how your school could get involved in the
Children’s Shakespeare Festival, contact Chris Wright on chris.wright@
royalexchange.co.uk or call 0161 615 6715.
Arts Award/Artsmark
As well as becoming an Arts Award Supporter this year, we are
delighted to announce that the Royal Exchange is now one of six
Quality Hubs in Greater Manchester. Supported by Curious Minds,
we will be leading on an Action Research project with St James CE
High School and Mossley Hollins High School with the aim of
supporting those schools to achieve Artsmark Status.
TOURS AND WORKSHOPS
We offer a range of Tours and Workshops for schools and colleges
throughout the year:
Taster Tours – Free
Max 30 Pupils
Get a taste for the Royal Exchange Theatre with this
lively introduction to the history of the building and
the famous round theatre at its heart.
Backstage Tours – £100
Max 15 Pupils
Our knowledgeable guides will lead your pupils
through the backstage areas of the theatre, revealing
the secrets that bring our work to the stage and the
history of the Royal Exchange building.
A Taste Of Theatre – £100
Max 30 Pupils
A professional theatre-maker will introduce your
pupils to the craft of acting for the stage, exploring
voice, physicality and text with particular reference
to performing in-the-round. These workshops can be
tailored to suit a range of ages and abilities.
How To Write A Script – £150
Max 30 Pupils
This practical, lively writing workshop, tailored to all
ages and abilities, will use short exercises and writing
games to introduce your pupils to the practical skills of
scriptwriting for the stage. Led by a professional theatre
maker, workshops include individual and group writing as
well as opportunities to try out script ideas.
A Producing Theatre – £150
Max 30 Pupils
This interesting workshop will de-mystify the behind
the scenes production process for your students
through an in-depth discussion with members of our
production departments and practical exercises to
explore careers in the arts.
How To Book
All of the above tours and workshops can be booked in
advance by contacting [email protected] or
calling 0161 615 6697.
Please Note
- Tours and workshops are available on selected dates only.
Please visit royalexchange.co.uk/schools or get in touch to
find a suitable date for your school.
- If you are coming to the theatre with a particularly small
group, or if your group has any special requirements,
please do get in touch so we can discuss your visit options
with you.
Behind The Scenes – £4 Per
Student/Teacher
Max 100 Pupils
For individual dates of forthcoming sessions and
booking details please see page 3
Enrich your experience of a production with this
chance to peek behind the scenes and see how
it was made. These talk-based sessions will give
you an insight into the production process with
opportunities to ask questions and meet actors,
designers, directors and other members of the
creative team.
Creative Industry Days – £350
Max 30 Pupils
Fridays 26 September, 7 November and 27 February,
10.30am - 3pm. Book on 0161 615 6702.
Our Creative Industry Days are a fun and
practical way for your students to find out about
the wide range of careers available in the theatre.
Students are invited behind the scenes to spend
time with some of our departments including
Lighting, Sound, Wardrobe and Marketing with
opportunities to ask questions and have a go.
AUTUMN/WINTER PRODUCTIONS
Hamlet
Little Shop Of Horrors
11 September – 25 October
Tickets: £10
5 December – 17 January
Tickets: £10 Limited availability.
Fuelled by Faust and fertiliser
and with music by the legendary
Alan Menken (best known for
his numerous Walt Disney film
scores), LITTLE SHOP OF
HORRORS is a cult film and
one of the longest running offBroadway shows of all time.
A fantastic show for Key Stage 3
and 4 – incorporate it into your
curriculum or come along as fun
and cultural school trip.
Get more from your visit:
• Enrich your experience of the
production with a Behind the
Scenes Workshop on Wednesday
14 January, 10.30am – 12pm
• Online resources are available at
royalexchange.co.uk/resources
• Have a look in the Lounge at
DON’T FEED THE PLANTS –
an installation of ‘supernatural’
plants created by students
from schools across Greater
Manchester
Limited availability. Tickets for
18 - 25 October at full price only.
Maxine Peake plays the title role
in the ultimate play about murder
and madness. Particularly suitable
for English and Drama students
at Key Stage 3, 4, 5 & beyond.
Get more from your visit:
• Enrich your experience of the
production with a Behind the
Scenes Workshop on Wednesday
1 October, 10.30am – 12pm
• Online resources are available at
royalexchange.co.uk/resources
UT!
O
SOLD
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
By Tennessee Williams
30 October – 29 November
Tickets: £10
Maggie the Cat and her husband
Brick return home for Big
Daddy’s 65th Birthday. The
evening spirals into disaster as
the family scramble to secure
their futures and renegotiate
their relationships. Brimming with
emotional intensity, CAT ON
A HOT TIN ROOF is fuelled by
drinking, desire and deceit.
Don’t miss if you are studying
Tennessee Williams as part of
Key Stage 5 English or Drama.
Get more from your visit:
• Enrich your experience of the
production with a Behind the
Scenes Workshop on Wednesday
12 November, 10.30am – 12pm
• Online resources are available at
royalexchange.co.uk/resources
• Post show workshops also
available. Please contact natalie.
[email protected]
for more information
Scuttlers
WORLD PREMIERE
by Rona Munro
5 February – 7 March
Tickets: £10
The Scuttlers were Manchester’s
original gangs. Throughout the
1870s and beyond, the streets of
Openshaw, Gorton, Ancoats and
Salford were terrorised by rival
groups of young mill workers
fighting for control. With their
bell-bottoms and floppy caps they
fought with blades, fists, feet and
the heavy ends of their leather
belts.
This is the thrilling story of young
people navigating a life without
respect. A sense of place and
purpose can only be found on
the streets. Based on real court
reports, it’s timeless and timely
with themes that resonate with
remarkable clarity 150 years on.
Get more from your visit:
• Enrich your experience of the
production with a Behind the
Scenes Workshop on Wednesday
25 February, 10.30am – 12pm
• Online resources are available at
royalexchange.co.uk/resources
Please also see royalexchange.co.uk for details of
Studio productions:
• SECRET THEATRE (four new plays from the Lyric
Hammersmith that are thrilling audiences with their
brave, bold and inventive style)
• GROUNDED (a gripping new play that targets our
assumptions about war, family and what it is to be
a woman)
• 3 LITTLE PIGS (the classic children’s fairytale
transformed into a feast of comical puppetry)
£10 tickets and free teacher seats. Book for all productions and Behind The Scenes
Workshops on 0161 615 6702 or email [email protected].
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
WATCH
OUT FOR…
Exchange Forum
CPD
Fun Palaces Open Day
The Exchange Forum brings
together theatre practitioners,
teachers and educationalists to
share best practice, see Royal
Exchange productions, network
and hear about recent and
forthcoming projects. Membership
of the Exchange Forum costs £15
per academic year and includes a
free ticket to 4 of our productions.
To find out more or to join,
simply contact natalie.diddams@
royalexchange.co.uk or call 0161
615 6750.
We offer 4 CPD sessions at the
Royal Exchange per year and we
can also be booked to run INSET
days at your school.
Upcoming CPD sessions are:
Wednesday 12 November:
Playwriting In the Primary
Classroom, 2 – 5pm (£30 per
teacher inc. light refreshments)
Wednesday 19 November:
Playwriting In the Secondary
Classroom, 2 – 5pm (£30 per
teacher inc. light refreshments)
These lively, practical workshops
will explore a range of strategies
to help you and your pupils
develop scriptwriting and
playmaking skills. Led by
a professional writer and
educationalist, sessions will offer
accessible, inventive activities
suitable for use in the classroom,
exploring character, structure and
dialogue and asking the important
question: what makes drama?
Book on 0161 615 6702.
Sunday 5 October, 11am
- 5pm. Join us for our
FREE Open Day. This is
your chance to get behind
the scenes of a working
theatre. There will also be
Family Friendly activities,
workshops for all ages, the
chance to dress up in the
Theatre’s costumes, free
entertainment in the Great
Hall, and much, much more.
“For me the interest, the
contacts and the opportunities
afforded fill me with a desire
to go back into practice and
get our youngsters immersed in
drama in its many forms.The
Forum has already opened great
opportunities for experiences,
collaboration and learning for
me and those I teach.”
Simon Birch (Longford Park Special
School), Exchange Forum member
Don’t Feed The Plants
This Autumn, the Royal
Exchange will be supporting
creative and cultural
learning in Key Stage 3 with
a collaborative, school led
project entitled DON’T
FEED THE PLANTS!
In response to the Royal
Exchange’s Christmas
production LITTLE SHOP
OF HORRORS, 15 schools
from in and around Greater
Manchester will be creating
3D ‘supernatural’ plants
inspired by the production
to be displayed in a dark
and deadly installation in
the Lounge.
Behind The Scenes
Work Week
royalexchange.co.uk/schools
[email protected] / 0161 615 6750
St Anns Square, Manchester M2 7DH
Our Behind the Scenes
Work Weeks provide
opportunities for young
people to spend a week
observing, learning from
and working with the
professionals behind the
scenes at the Royal
Exchange Theatre.
We run Behind the Scenes
Work Week twice a year for
young people aged 14 to
19. To find out more please
contact chris.wright@
royalexchange.co.uk or
call 0161 615 6715.