Schools
ENACT is a healthy relationships project funded by the Home Office, which explores and examines the culture of peer-on-peer abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) in schools, through participatory arts workshops, and encourages young people to enact the changes they want to see.
Featuring four original plays written by professional playwrights, Enact explores and examines the culture of peer-on-peer abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) in schools, written in response to the young people’s observations and experiences throughout the life of the project.
Designed and developed by Cherwell Theatre Company, in collaboration with young people as the voice and critical thinkers behind each script, this professional production is being performed for one night only. Be part of the conversation and enact the change you want to see.
These plays present adult themes and reference to sexual violence, self-harm, suicide, pornography, rape, abuse, bullying, paedophilia, sexual perversion, physical assault, harassment, coercive control and the impact of rumours. With strong language.
An accompanying copy of the play text can be downloaded here.
Do You Accept?
"Do You Accept?" is an interactive film project. It follows our drugs awareness play ‘The Buzzed’ (now seen by over 100,000 young people across the UK), and explores the internet and social media.
The 40 minute film has been developed with teachers, young people and community safety officers across Oxfordshire and covers topics as diverse as cyberbullying, oversharing and personal security. It sees CTC returning to what they do best: creating drama that doesn’t patronise its audience but sparks debate, entertains and moves in equal measure.
"Do You Accept?" is accompanied by a 90 minute online workshop led by the film's actors, in which Year 6 children can explore the themes through practical forum theatre exercises, group discussion and a range of further creative activities provided in a teacher's resource pack.
"Do You Accept?" is presented in partnership with Arts Council England, Thames Valley Police, Cherwell District Council, Safeguarding Children in Banbury, Oxfordshire Community Foundation, West Northants Council and The Northamptonshire Fire Police Crime Comissioner.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
We have worked closely with local primary and secondary schools for many years, co-designing projects in response to the needs of children. This has often included Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training, which we’ve delivered to help teachers and support staff to incorporate inclusive drama approaches into their teaching of the National Curriculum.
We were delighted to initiate a new training programme for Banbury primary schools in 2023, with funding from Cherwell District Council. The focus of this programme, which has resulted in the creation of training sessions, mentorship and an extensive handbook, was to support teachers in establishing and maintaining their own inclusive after school drama clubs, for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 children.
We worked closely with 3 fantastic schools to develop this programme and its associated resources over 9 months. It was clear to us as facilitators that the staff who took part already had so many of the skills required to facilitate drama workshops. In most cases they simply needed the repertoire of exercises we were able to introduce, an understanding of the practices we use to ensure that everyone can take part and the confidence to wear the hat of ‘active facilitator’, to create the joyful and collaborative spaces CTC are known for in their schools.
In 2024 and 2025 we will further develop this programme with Warriner Schools trust, working closely with Literacy and History leads to create a new bespoke programme which helps staff to deliver the curriculum through practical drama exercises and reflective practices.
We look forward to continuing to develop, deliver and increase the reach of our CPD training programmes, which also include work with other youth focussed organisations, for many years to come.
We love working in partnership with local primary and secondary schools, both online and in person! Our experienced artists offer a variety of practical workshops suitable for primary and secondary school drama including:
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Creating a character
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Shakespeare in Performance
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Devising
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Physical Theatre
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Stanislavskian Practice
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Practitioner Focus: Katie Mitchell
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Children's Theatre
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Monologue Clinic
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Accent and Dialect Support
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Ensemble Singing
We deliver exciting, accessible projects with local schools too, using art and drama to explore a variety of topics such as inclusion, school transitions and literature, introducing children to practical storytelling from an early age.
In 2021 we initiated a new programme with Safeguarding Children in Banbury. CTC created and continue to deliver forum theatre workshops on substance misuse and peer pressure.
Looking for something specific? With the wide range of industry professionals we work with, we can tailor workshops to your needs - please email us on info@cherwelltheatrecompany.co.uk for more information.
Bespoke Workshops
