Category Archives: Drama

Community Learning and Development, Drama

Pupil films on the big screen – anti-knife crime

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Local youngsters attend premiere of anti-knife crime films

Two short films made by local young people about the consequences of knife crime have premiered at Loch Lomond Shores Sea Life cinema.

The films were part of the ‘No Knives, Better Lives’ project supported by West Dunbartonshire Council Community Safety & Anti Social Behaviour Services and its partners.

Young people, their families, and youth workers from across the area came together to share the celebrations, and the filmmakers received Oscar-style awards from Helen Turley, Head of Housing and Community Safety, in recognition of their hard work, effort and contribution to the anti-knife campaign.

http://www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/news/local-youngsters-attend-premiere-of-anti-knife-crime-films/

Community Learning and Development, Dance, Developing the Young Workforce, Drama, Languages and Literacy, Music

Festival Backstage competition on the lookout for TV journalists of tomorrow

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Edinburgh International Festival today launched Festival Backstage, a behind-the-scenes mini site for Festival 2012 which offers a backstage glimpse of what goes into putting the Festival together, with videos and interviews with artists, staff members and fans made by young local filmmakers. The first film is about Julien Thibault, a young dancer from French company Ballet Preljocaj, who takes a break from rehearsals to talk about the challenges and the excitement of being a professional dancer. Watch the video at http://eif.co.uk/festivalbackstage

This year, in partnership with Standard Life and Napier University, they are running a competition offering one lucky young person aged between 12 and 17 the opportunity to join the Standard Life Festival Backstage production team for a day during the height of the Festival. They are looking for budding film makers or presenters to make a short film reporting on their passion for or experience of something cultural – it could be anything from a weekly dance class, or their talented brother or sister, to a recent trip to the theatre. A selection of the films will be hosted on their digital channels and a panel of experts will choose a winner to join the crew during the Festival, as well as winning tickets to a Festival show.

Entrants to the competition must be between 12 and 17. To enter upload a video (maximum length of 2 minutes) to YouTube and send the link to backstagecompetition@eif.co.uk. The deadline for entries is 12noon on 29 June 2012. A shortlist will be announced on 9 July, with the winner announced on 13 July. For more information visit http://eif.co.uk/backstagecompetition

Dance, Drama, Music

Edinburgh International Festival joins Creativity Portal

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Edinburgh International Festival is three weeks of the best theatre, music, opera and dance the world has to offer. The Festival also works year round on a programme of projects and events that encourage engagement with the Festival’s work and with the arts in general for people of all ages.
Every year the Festival works with over a thousand primary and secondary school children, inspiring and challenging them through education and outreach projects which encourage a deeper understanding of the world in which we live. Our projects explore the diverse cultures and international artists we present and give young people the opportunity too work directly with some of the world’s most accomplished and challenging performers.
Our professional development workshops give Scottish-based artists the opportunity to interact with celebrated artists and creatives from across the globe, while our community engagement initiatives bring a flavour of the Festival into the locality and allow us to develop relationships with harder-to-reach groups.
During the Festival talks, discussions and study events allow our adult audiences to explore the themes and ideas of the Festival programme and participate in a wide-ranging set of conversations about relevant political, cultural and social issues. In our artist conversation and masterclass series, our audiences go “behind the scenes” to meet our visiting artists and learn more about their lives and work.

Drama, Music

14-21 year olds – Scottish Opera needs you – deadline Monday 28 May

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Scottish Opera Connect gives aspiring young singers a unique, practical introduction to the skills and experience needed to perform opera. Our Connect Chorus meets throughout the year and follows a programme of evening and weekend workshops, masterclasses and performances, running from September 2012 to March 2013.

During the year you will work with a range of professionals involved in making opera in Scotland from composers, conductors and voice coaches to stage directors, choreographers and wardrobe designers. This is your chance to develop your knowledge, technique and creative skills. You’ll also be able to attend some Scottish Opera rehearsals and productions so you can see what happens when everything comes together.

To become a member of Connect Chorus you need to complete our summerGateway Course in July 2012. This intensive, week-long programme explores the past, present and future of opera through practical workshops and seminars. The week culminates in a short performance for your family and friends. Entry is by audition and all applicants should have some performance experience and be able to read music.

If you would like to get involved and are aged between 14 and 21 years old then simply visit scottishopera.org.uk/connect to download an application form and email your completed form to iona.jack@scottishopera.org.uk byMonday 28 May.

Drama, Languages and Literacy, Social Studies

Special Delivery: The William Wallace Letters

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The National Records of Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Parliament, is mounting an exhibition in the Parliament from Wednesday 15 August to Saturday 8 September 2012 featuring two surviving original documents with a direct link to William Wallace. Many visitors to the exhibition are unlikely to know much about this turbulent period of Scottish history so primary and secondary pupils are invited to provide text, artwork or short films to help tell the story in a modern way.

Contributions for the exhibition must be submitted to the Scottish Parliament Education Service by Friday 15 June. Full details about this and the Education
Programme during the exhibition are available on the Scottish Parliament website (www.scottish.parliament.uk/education/wallace <http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/education/wallace> ).


http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/visitandlearn/Education/50458.aspx

Drama, Health and Wellbeing, Technologies

Primary pupils’ film under the spotlight in UK finals

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A primary school in Inverness will be flying the flag for Scotland next month after successfully winning through to the finals of a UK- wide technology competition.

The challenge for schools taking part in the Make IT Healthy 2012 competition was to demonstrate how they use IT to contribute to a healthier life for students, the school community and even for those in the wider community.

A group of P6 children from Raigmore Primary School chose to make a film all about their ‘Big  100’ event held at the school on 12  March, for Sport Your Trainers day which was part of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games team campaign to get everyone wearing their trainers.

http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/news/newsreleases/2012/May/2012-05-21-03.htm

Drama, Languages and Literacy

Royal Shakespeare Company webcast – Monday July 2nd

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On Monday 2 July at 10.30, a filmed version of I, Cinna (The Poet) will be streamed exclusively to schools around the UK. The film will be followed by a live question and answer session with the actor and writer.

This unique online event gives students aged 11 to 16 the chance to participate in a real-time nationwide project in which they can interact with thousands of other young people across the country. It will be a one click and play live broadcast, which teachers will be able to access on their computer and play through any projection device in the classroom, including a Whiteboard.

Written for ages 11+, I,Cinna (The Poet) is Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar told through the eyes of a jiggling fool.

Cinna asks the young audience to consider the relationship between words and actions, art and politics, self and society. During the performance he will ask students to write poems with him: small poems on big themes. These poems can be reworked after the performance and sent to the RSC, where a web archive of responses to the play will be created.

I,Cinna is the latest in a series of solo shows written and directed by Tim Crouch inspired by Shakespeare’s lesser characters, including I, Peaseblossom and I, Malvolio (RSC, 2011) and has been commissioned as part of the World Shakespeare Festival.

Community Learning and Development, Dance, Drama, Music

Eric Booth Masterclass – motivating arts learning experiences

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Activated environment – motivated participants
An Eric Booth Masterclass, for ArtWorks Scotland

19 June 2012, 10 am to 4pm, at the Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh

Spend a day exploring the mechanics of motivation with a master ‘teaching artist’ and arts education consultant from the USA.

“Research shows that the single greatest influence on the quality of an arts learning experience is the motivation of the learner, and the second greatest influence is the social environment that impacts that individual’s motivation. Our workshop will explore the ways that teaching artists can better support the courage of participants to pour themselves into our learning opportunities, and the ways we create conducive environments—quickly.” Eric Booth

Places on this day long masterclass are limited to 30 and are open to artists across all artforms and levels of experience. As the ArtWorks team are keen to offer places to a cross section of artists, participants will be selected by a panel based on the criteria in the booking form.

To submit a request for a place on this masterclass request a booking form from Hilary Nicoll (ArtWorks Scotland project manager) viahilary.nicoll@creativescotland.com
Drama, Languages and Literacy, Social Studies

The search is on for Scotland’s Favourite Place – Scottish Book Trust, BBC Scotland

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http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/press-releases/2012/03/the-search-is-on-for-scotland%E2%80%99s-favourite-places

Scottish Book Trust and BBC Scotland have launched an exciting new writing project to encourage people to write about the place in Scotland that they love the most.

My Favourite Place in Scotland is running from 19 March to 31 August 2012, and in that time Scottish Book Trust wants to involve everyone in Scotland in building a written picture of Scotland’s best-loved places.

Submissions should be made to Scottish Book Trust website and can be written in a huge variety of different forms, such as a story, poem, song lyrics, a short play or sketch, a letter or even diary entry.

Each submission will feature on Scottish Book Trust’s website and a selection of the most interesting and inspiring offerings will be broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland and published in a book in late 2012.

Submissions can be made online athttp://www.scottishbooktrust.com/myfavouriteplace or by post to My Favourite Place, Scottish Book Trust, Sandeman House, Trunks Close, 55 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR.

The closing date for entries is 31 August 2012.

For more information read Scottish Book Trust press release.