feedback from theatre venture

The workshops were well received and important to both Theatre Venture's groups. The East London Performance Ensemble (ELPE) and New VIc's Youth Theatre Ensemble (YTE) devise their work in a collaborative process and your work complimented our methodology.

Your Development Workshops were good for both groups to experience because they experienced a different Director with a different style and fresh eyes to the art form.

Also, the subject matter was "more serious" than our normal material and it was important for the participants to see that theatre can be used as a very serious tool in the "real" world.

The consequences of the work were a collection of freeze frames and words reflecting conflict and, with the East London Performance Ensemble, more detailed work on resolving the conflict and addressing how it was resolved.

On the whole the groups liked the workshop leader very much and gained from his experience and approach to theatre-making. There was a mixed response to the workshop itself and the more mature members saw experienced a deeper meaning. Members of the YTE were impressed by the amount of work that was achieved in a relatively short workshop. It is difficult subject matter because our sessions tend to be more light and up-beat but I think this work is incredibly important because it highlights the life-changing power of theatre.

I was very open minded about the workshop. In this respect I personally was very impressed and pleased by the workshop and how the groups reacted to it. I saw certain members in a new light and I was glad that so much work was produced.

We will build on the freeze frames and a selection will be in our final performance.However, I respect the importance of doing this work justice for the participants and how an audience might receive it. I'm a Theatre Practitioner and I do theatre and not therapy and I think work like this can only be done in skilled hands.

I think it would be good if we were able to keep in touch with you and see how the work progressed via the web site. And the future? Who know's but there might be more working together in the future.......
Ray Downing, Associate Theatre Director, Theatre Venture