Kirklees College Performing Arts students are working in partnership with Chol Theatre and Kirklees Libraries on an industry project.
The pandemic has had a significant impact on the theatre and performing arts sector with live entertainment being cancelled for over a year. This project is helping to promote the importance of the arts and raise the profile of the local arts community.
Chol Theatre is a Yorkshire-based theatre and arts company that aims to bring together local communities, inspire creativity and make art accessible for everyone. The students will be taking part in exploring storytelling and workshop facilitation workshops led by the organisation.
Drawing on their expertise and passion for creating and sharing stories, the students have been tasked with delivering their own workshops based on the novel Furious Thing by Jenny Downham to other sixth form students.
This collaborative project is also helping to respond to industry needs, as facilitation workshops are growing within the performing arts sector and many educational settings are employing theatre companies to help support classroom learning. Storytelling also extends beyond education and is an essential skill that can be applied to many forms of the entertainment industry.
As well as developing their own professional capabilities, the college students are also helping to influence the delivery of educational drama, as Chol Theatre will continue to run the workshops created by students to other young people in the local area.
For more information about Performing Arts courses at Kirklees College, visit www.kirkleescollege.ac.uk/subjects/performing-arts.