Workshops

THEATRE WORKSHOPS & TEAM-BUILDING
(For writing workshops, please scroll to the bottom of the page.)

Shadow Road offers several creative and educational workshops, some of which are designed to enhance or expand upon your experience of watching certain of our productions, for example the general Macbeth or Secret Storytellers workshops (mentioned on each of their specific pages). Others can either be presented as part of a longer visit, together with any production of your choice, or as standalone events and team-building exercises. Unless otherwise stated, these workshops will be led by Emma, with assistance from co-producer Amy Floyd).

If you are unsure which option to go for, please get in touch at shadowroadproductions@gmx.com and we will be happy to advise.  Prices vary, depending on the specific workshops chosen, whether or not they are booked as part of a larger package, and the number of participants etc. Each enquiry therefore results in an individual quotation, with discounts offered for school visits.

● AN INTRODUCTION TO PLAYWRITING

Do you have an idea for a script you’d like to write but no certainty as to where to start? Or would you like to pen a play but you’re not sure what you want to write about? Let us guide you through those first steps, helping you to find or firm up your ideas, create an outline, and look at character, motivation and dialogue. By the end of this workshop you will have written your first scene, heard it performed out loud, and possess the necessary tools to complete the script in your own time.

● CREATING A CHARACTER

Creating a believable, fully-rounded character is key to delivering a great performance and raising the overall standard of any production. This workshop, a mixture of theory and practical exercises, will give you a number of different tools with which to do just that. All you need is a notebook and pen, comfortable clothes to move in, and a willingness to explore new ideas!

● IMPROVISATION & DRAMA GAMES

Participation in theatrical activities offers huge advantages - everything from an increase in confidence and the chance to uncover and explore new talents, to the benefits to mental health and wellbeing that come from the teamwork involved, the friendships forged, and the simple chance to focus on something other than exam results and essays or spreadsheets and reports for a short while. This relaxed and entertaining drama workshop, an excellent team-building exercise, can be tailored to suit particular ages and numbers of participants.

● AN INTRODUCTION TO STAGE COMBAT

(Suitable for all levels of fitness and agility, delivered by Amy Floyd)

Bloody, brutal and violent - at least for the audience! Stage combat is the art of illusion, and in this workshop we’re going to pull back the curtain for you. Perfect for team-building and creating trust, together you will learn how to sell a punch, slap, or fall, ready to amaze or horrify your colleagues!

For school groups and drama students, we will also spend some time focusing on the reason for each moment of violence - why it happens and what it achieves. Physical combat often occurs when emotions run so high that words are no longer enough and these climactic moments offer deep insights into characters. Why does Mercutio say Tybalt "fights by the book of arithmetic"? If you want to find out - and learn to do the same yourself - then this is the workshop for you.

• Other theatre workshops - including AN INTRODUCTION TO DIRECTING - will be available soon...

WRITING WORKSHOPS

FOR ADULTS

WRITING CHILDREN'S FICTION: THE BASICS

Have you always wanted to write a children's book but never really known how to get started? Do you have a great idea but no clue how to turn it into a manuscript and then get that manuscript sent off to the right agent or publisher? If so, then this workshop, in which Emma endeavours to cover a variety of both the practical and creative aspects of writing for children and getting published, is the one for you!

Emma offers three different types of course, all of which cover the same basic material and include a comprehensive range of handouts. The only difference between them is the time that you will have available to spend on each subject and therefore the depth in which some of them will be covered.  Please contact Emma to discuss your preferences or to book for the next workshop.

a) 1 x  four hour session

b) 2 x two hours

c) 6 x one hour, once a week (The first five sessions will focus on the creative side of writing for children, the final one will concentrate on the practicalities.) 

All of the above options will cover the following subjects: 

• Getting Started
• Age-groups and Content
• The Main Character
• The Best Way to Tell Your Story
• Setting
• To Plan or Not to Plan?
• Opening Lines
• Editing
• Competitions, Resources & Opportunities
• The Basics of Submission - Who, When & How
• Is Self-Publishing a Viable Alternative?
• Staying in Touch with the Market
• Networking
• The Realities of Publishing

Depending on your child's preference and/or their particular needs, both of the following workshops for children can be conducted either on a one-to-one basis or in small groups.  Please contact Emma to discuss your requirements.

Feedback:

~ Excellent. Very good advice on the technical aspects of writing and publishing. Very good creative exercises and tips to boost creativity. Very useful handout material. - Graciela P, Kew

~ As a complete novice, I thought it was excellently put together, very generous with information and top tips. Clearly explained also. Very engaging. Loved it - feel inspired and not put off! - Netty Chapman, London

~ Excellent - a delightful way to spend my birthday! [I particularly enjoyed] all the detailed information and advice based on experience and delivered in a balanced and enthusiastic manner. - Judith Blakemore Lawton, Teddington

~ I thoroughly enjoyed it all - don't think I can really single one thing out. V enjoyable workshop. Thank you! - Cheryl Bywater, Richmond

FOR CHILDREN

CREATIVE WRITING

This course will involve a great deal of creative writing and will focus on a different subject each week. Your child can choose either to attend the whole course or to book only the individual sessions in which they are interested. Week by week, they will consider the following subjects.

• Where do ideas come from?
• How can I create a great main character?
• Which is the best way to tell my particular story?
• How can I make the world of my story real?
• How can I grab a reader's attention?
• Beginnings, Middles & Ends
• The basics of publication

For those attending more than one session, a little bit of enjoyable homework will be set each week! 

Feedback:

 "10/10.  I really liked the creativity of it - thank you so much!"

Amira C, Barnes

 

"9/10.  I particularly enjoyed when we got to write a paragraph about our character."

Isabel L, Mortlake

* * * * * * *

MAKING ENGLISH ENJOYABLE

Unfortunately, the way in which English is taught at school, with a heavy emphasis on exams and targets, can occasionally end up putting children off the subject altogether. The focus on literary techniques and learning the correct answers to anticipated exam questions can often obscure the beauty of the language, the richness of the history behind a piece of work and the simple strength or value of the content.

Emma wants to make English fun for your children and she believes that a large part of doing that successfully comes down to choosing both the right material to look at and the right way to approach it - something that varies from one individual to another. That's why the first session will simply involve a detailed chat with your child, during which time they will fill in a questionnaire on their particular likes, dislikes, interests and opinions. She will then be able to tailor her choices of material and approach for subsequent sessions in as informed a way as possible.

As well as doing a certain amount of reading and creative writing, throughout the course of their sessions together they may also watch a number of films and plays, meet and talk to a few actors, do some acting themselves and visit certain museums or other places of interest.*  Some of these activities may be assigned as homework, others will take place during the lessons.

Whether you have only a couple of sessions together or a couple of hundred(!), it is Emma's hope and intention that your child will emerge from them with a better understanding and love of English in general and the specific material that they have looked at in particular - and the sense of empowerment that only a true feeling for the language and what you can do with it can give you.

*Where an entry fee is payable, you will be responsible for the cost of your child's ticket in addition to the fee for their lessons.