Inspired through school

Theatre in the Quarter (TIQ) is a small, professional theatre company based in Chester. We create original, high-quality productions, mainly with new music, in many different spaces, from theatres and village halls to palaces and railway stations. We work with a combination of professional performers and community participants, engaging with over 4,000 local people and performing to over 50,000 people over the last two years. We have two thriving youth theatre groups and many young people play integral roles in our professional and community productions. I believe that it is our relationship specifically with local schools that has enabled so many young people to be involved with our projects.

Our work with schools covers all key stages and abilities, and includes workshops themed around our professional productions as well as commissioned workshops generated by school projects. Many young people initially engage with us through our programme of workshops linked to our Christmas production. The young participants spend half a school day on an exciting journey as they are taken through the story in song, drama and dance. This not only adds value to their experience when they watch the show, but provides opportunities for further work inspired by the production back at school. We have also found that the students talk positively about their experience with us, and that encourages friends and family to see our work, and so we engage with a wider cross-section of the community.

The greatest success is when young people, who may not otherwise have engaged with theatre, join our regular year-round youth theatre groups

Over our ten-year history we have built relationships with over 30 local schools, forging strong links with teaching staff from music and drama departments. We started with the initial contacts that the previous artistic director had established with schools and have since developed links with more schools. To maintain and strengthen these links we must offer consistently high-quality opportunities for the pupils as part of a relatively regular programme. For example, Frodsham Manor House School, 12 miles from Chester, regularly engages with us. Naomi Anstice, the school’s Music Coordinator, says: “We regularly participate in workshops linked to Theatre in the Quarter’s productions… Even the less confident feel supported to perform and reach their potential. When they finally meet the cast and crew at the venue they feel like celebrity visitors.”

We collaborate on these workshops with Homegrown Dance Company which has a track record of engaging young people from harder-to-reach communities. Working with another arts organisation to deliver work for schools allows us to share our network of contacts and broaden our reach.

Over a thousand young people were involved in a recent production, Over by Christmas, during its month-long tour. Part of the First World War centenary commemorations, it toured to railway stations across the north west of England. Each performance included a newly commissioned anthem performed by schoolchildren local to each station. Again, school workshops were the starting point, with members of our team preparing pupils in their own school environment for the performance.

Pupils who have taken part in our workshops throughout the year also have the opportunity to audition for the children’s chorus which we recruit each year for our Christmas production. Rather than simply calling auditions in Chester where the show takes place, we target schools with which we have an existing relationship, drawing in young performers from a cross-section of backgrounds from outlying estates, villages and neighbouring towns.

For us, the greatest success is when young people, who may not otherwise have engaged with theatre, join our regular, year-round youth theatre groups. Over a third of the members of our current programmes have joined as a result of participating in a school workshop. In our experience schools are likely to respond positively to us if they fulfill some or all of the following criteria:

There is a good relationship between us and key figures in the school.
The young people aspire to take part in a high-profile arts activity or event.
The arts activity complements or enriches areas of the curriculum.

We are beginning to reap the rewards of our investment in young people from varied backgrounds. This engagement at grassroots level aims to widen participation in the arts and open up a wealth of experience for as many people as possible.

Matt Baker is Artistic Director of Theatre in the Quarter.
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