Welcome to the Community Outreach section of Theatre Futures.
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Rose Bruford College is a friendly institution with a long tradition, going back to our founder, of placing theatre at the heart of the community. That tradition is still being maintained, by a series of working partnerships with schools, colleges and theatre companies.
This section of the site contains information on past and future projects, and resources for people interested in theatre outreach and training.
For more information on recent outreach projects, click on “Recent Projects” in the side bar.
Latest Community Outreach News
Creative Way research on progression
Creative Way have just published a short video on YouTube, which was the outcome of joint research between Lewisham College and Rose Bruford College. We’ve embedded it onto the website: click on the link above.
The research looks into issues of widening participation and social capital.
Changing Curriculum Forum 2010
Check out the line up for the Changing Curriculum Forum 2010 under Partnerships and Relationships on the right-hand side of your screen.
The Changing Curriculum Forum is a one-day small-scale conference, about the relationship between further education, industry and specialist performing arts HE, particularly regarding widening participation. 2010 will be the second event: the first is reported at http://tinyurl.com/ccf09
The Rokeya Project - visit to India
Rose Bruford College is breaking new ground again. It is supporting a visit to three universities and a school in Kolkata by a graduate company, taking workshops based on a production they wrote and developed.
“Rokeya’s Dream” was developed in association with Tara Arts, and describes three young women discovering a visionary text by the Muslim feminist campaigner and educator, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, written in 1905. Rokeya was a tireless campaigner against women in purdah, and she envisages a time when women are empowered to take control by using the earth’s resources wisely. At a time when young women are choosing to wear the veil, her writing still holds a relevant message for today; indeed, her championing of women’s education feels very contemporary. The play performed in March 2009 at Tara, at Brady Centre in East London, and at Rose Bruford College.
The Rokeya Project continues the story. The company comprises graduates Rae Leaver and Claudia Jazz Haley, who scripted and designed the original show; Showmi Das who choreographed it, and includes Alia Wilson who has been acting as promoter; Shaheen Westcombe MBE, who was the original promoter of the project on behalf of Mahila Sangha women’s group, will be delivering supporting lectures.
The company will be visiting three Universities: the Rabindra Bharati and Viswa Bharati Universities both have strong links with the great poet and dramatist Rabindranath Tagore, while an invitation has also been received from the Women’s studies programme at Burdwan University. They will also visit the school for young women founded by Rokeya, which is celebrating its centenary. While there they will be delivering workshops on the original production, while collecting reactions from their counterparts to the material to shape a truly intercultural reaction to the material.
Film night
The College played host to Chocolate Films’ showing of their community project, in the refurbished Barn Theatre. Young film makers from Welling and Trinity Schools have been working with them for months, making documentaries on transport and on the history of Erith, using material from Bexley Libraries’ film archive.
The films will be sent out in DVD form, to be used in schools and local community settings. In particular, they will support the inter-generational work in the North of Bexley Borough. Rose Bruford graduate company The Fiasco Division have already been working with groups of young people and elders on a drama project bridging the gap in understanding between the age groups.
The College is giving strong support to film in the borough: we have been key players in the development of Pointless Taxi productions, a project for young film makers, now hosted at Lamorbey Park campus; and have contributed many students and emerging artists to organising the Rob Knox Film Festival. The Festival will get its second outing in June of this year, at Cineworld Bexleyheath.
Map of NALN and Creative Way partners
View Rose Bruford College outreach partners in a larger map.
This year’s roadshow has just been successfully completed, delivering advice and training to nearly 300 young people, in eight centres across England. About two dozen brave young people chose to put themselves forward for auditions in regional centres, saving the cost of travelling to London. Brave, because it is much harder to be judged on home ground, without the psychological preparation of the journey. But for young people who are members of the “Performance Passport” progression agreement scheme, it can represent a considerable saving, which for students from lower income backgrounds makes it possible to apply.
The College is working closely with the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills, and is seeking to build partnerships developing the understanding of the arts of technical theatre with all of the Founder colleges.
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