Scottish Book Trust are offering a secondary teacher or librarian £400 and support to develop a creative project inspired by the books of Juno Dawson!
Juno will be appearing in our free digital Authors Live event on Thursday 9 June 2016 (it’s easy to sign your pupils up to watch). We’re looking for a teacher or librarian who would be interested in using Juno’s books and the event as the springboard for an inspiring project. Find out more details on our website!
Each year Catherine Wheels tours one of our productions into school gym halls in the spring term. These productions will then go on to tour around the world.
In 2014, our production of The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk left Sighthill in Edinburgh to be performed on a Broadway stage! In 2015, two casts performed Lifeboat simultaneously in Scottish school halls and in large theatres across the USA.
We also regularly present productions in Scottish theatres and schedule a variety of schools performances.
All in-school performances are designed to fit into school facilities with tight schedules. Costs to schools are by fee at £3 per child (by capacity).
Primary 4-7: Lost at Sea (in schools)
This week, Catherine Wheels premiered a new production at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Lost at Sea was commissioned as part of EISF ‘Science in the Spotlight’ project which aims to bring together the wonder of theatre with science communication.
Suitable for P5-7, this production will be on tour into schools next spring.
The journey begins with a boy and a girl, fascinated by the story of 28,800 bath toys that accidentally ended up flung into the unrelenting currents of the Pacific Ocean.
Their investigation sees them uncover the mysteries of the sea and discovering its importance to every one of us on earth.
Primary 5-7: Pondlife (in schools and theatres) A new adaptation of Pondlife will be touring Scotland in the autumn. This is available for theatres, halls and schools (with larger facilities where space can be made available for longer set up period and black out can be achieved).
When Martin moves to a new school he feels lost in a sea of strange faces, especially when class bully Sharon takes a dislike to him. That is until he meets Simon McGurk and forms a friendship that not only changes Martin, but curses Simon for the rest of his school days. A poignant coming of age tale about just how difficult it can be to stay true to your friends.
Audience and Press Reviews Absolutely brilliant. Great performance. Wonderful storytelling. Very memorable. What a treat! (Edinburgh Fringe Audience 2012) The teachers of P5, P6 and P7 were very impressed with the performance. The actor was extremely skilled and engaging. The children could not take their eyes off him! It generated lots of interesting discussion back in the classroom. We would wholeheartedly recommend this performance to other schools. (Alyson Wier, Head Teacher, Tweedbank Primary)
Primary 1-3: The Story of the Little Gentleman (in schools)
The Story of the Little Gentleman is currently on tour into Scottish primary schools. By the time we reach the Imaginate performances at the end of May, we will have delivered 110 performances in 66 venues in 13 Scottish local authority areas.
Just had classes back from Little Gentleman performance – resounding triumph. Response from ALL kids and staff most positive I’ve ever seen (Head Teacher, Aberdeen Primary) The story was a powerful one. It grabbed the children’s attention from the outset and held it throughout. Pupils understood and could relate to the message it sent out and were eager to talk about it once back in class, linking it to their own experiences. The story was beautifully performed and was efficiently run by the company. Julie Conlan, Principal Teacher, St Mun’s PS (Dunoon)
Booking is open for all three productions. Schools performances are booked in a variety of ways, through Local Authorities or direct with schools themselves. Some schools come together to share a performance.
Please contact us if you require further information on any of the above.
Anna Derricourt
Touring & Schools Development Manager
Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
Tel: +44 (0)131 653 5255
A wide range of self-led arts activity takes place each week, in cities, towns and villages across the country – an estimated 10,000 voluntary arts groups meet in Scotland alone – from voluntary-led choirs and craft groups to amateur dramatic societies and film clubs.
For those of us already involved, the value of this grassroots activity and the positive effects that taking part can have on our health and wellbeing might seem obvious BUT there are many people who don’t know about the groups that meet on their doorstep or may be apprehensive about going along for the first time.
Each May, Voluntary Arts Week shines a spotlight on cultural groups across the country and publicises a range of events that invite people to ‘get creative’ on their doorstep.
The events that make up the festival programme are run by groups and organisations of all shapes and sizes – connecting more people with arts activity happening locally and boosting awareness of the voluntary arts on a national level.
There are lots of ways for groups to get involved in Voluntary Arts Week, from opening up your usual meeting and making it welcoming to new people, to putting on a ‘come and try’ session or group exhibition.
Voluntary Arts Week is also a great opportunity to do something special, this could mean taking your creativity outdoors as part of a group Flashmob, CraftBomb or Woollen Woods, organising a collaborative event with other groups in your area or staging a drop-in workshop in your local shopping centre.
There are lots more event ideas on the Voluntary Arts Week website along with event toolkits and useful links that offer practical guidance on how to organise, list and publicise your event .
Apply to the Voluntary Arts Week Microfund – we will award 40 pots of £100 groups that plan to reach out to new participants and volunteers as part of their Voluntary Arts Week event. The aim is that this modest funding will help your group to grow and be more sustainable in the long term.
Last year groups used this money to cover venue costs, Facebook advertising, materials and refreshments. The Microfund application is straightforward to fill in and is an ideal first funding application for youth-led groups that may not have made a funding application before. For more information see the Voluntary Arts Scotland website. Deadline: 22 February.
Recycling Heroes is touring again from Jan 2016 and we still a a few spaces left for schools within Scotland!
Lead by Eco Drama’s very own Recycling Superhero (Bag Girl), the workshop will explore waste minimisation and the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Bag Girl will be ZIP, ZAP and BOINGING into primary schools, nurseries and venues throughout Scotland.
The workshop is a fantastic creative learning experience that engages children emotionally and intellectually with current Eco School’s topics and assist schools towards attaining Green Flags. Suitable for nursery and P1-5, it also makes an excellent choice for school Eco Days or Community Events.
There are still a few slots available on this tour so please contact Eco Drama for more information and prices.
0141 552 9920
07 982 159 071
What’s The Grey Matter With Gregory?
School pupils in Stirling, Inverness and Edinburgh are invited to step back to the 1980’s and study the rules of attraction at Abronhill High
Venues in Stirling (Macrobert Arts Centre, 11th January), Inverness (Eden Court, 12th January) and Edinburgh (Summerhall, 18th January) will transform into 1980’s Abronhill High School in this thrilling mix of arts and science education. Students will take biology lessons on the science of human attraction alongside PhD scientists and witness the characters from the film step off the screen and into the classroom as classic scenes are recreated by young actors from the local area. The day will be rounded off with a screening of Bill Forsyth’s classic, Gregory’s Girl.
Abronhill High School appears to be undergoing a rather strange outbreak of ‘flirtatiousness’ that the authorities are none too pleased with. The Department for the Investigation of Amorous Disorders (D.I.A.D.) have been called in to help understand what has befallen those students at Abronhill High – and that is where local 21st century students will come in.
During the course of the day, students (as scientists from D.I.A.D.) will step into the 1980s and the strange world of Abronhill High, meeting the characters from the film, observing their behaviour and taking part in a series of workshops. Students will meet and work alongside PhD scientists as they examine the influence that psychology and hormones hold over human behaviour…
Each event has 100 free tickets available for school pupils aged 13-16 and their teachers. The event runs from 10.30am – 3.15pm and comprehensively covers Science and Health and Wellbeing in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. Anyone interested in
attending should contact education@cmi-scotland.co.uk.
What’s The Grey Matter With Gregory? is a UK-wide event created by Cinelive in partnership with BFI Education, Film Hub Scotland and The Wellcome Trust as part of the BFI’s LOVE Season, celebrating our enduring love affair with big screen romance. This project is managed by Centre for the Moving Image in partnership with Summerhall, Macrobert and Eden Court.
Dance for Core PE for Secondary Teachers
Wednesday 27 April 2016
9.30am – 4pm
£75 (+ VAT)
Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre, 13 Whitevale Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G31 1QW.
With a focus on contemporary and street dance styles learn how to warm up your pupils, play creative dance games, teach a simple sequence, develop a sequence, use stimulus to create dance material and encourage your pupils to develop their confidence, creativity and co-operation skills. These sessions for secondary teachers also address some of the CfE Health and Well-being outcomes.
Refresher Courses
Aimed at secondary teachers these courses provide a refresher of the basic technical skills required for the National Qualifcations in dance (NPA Dance, Nat 5 Dance and Higher Dance). It is advisable you have completed one of our courses before attending a refresher however this is not mandatory.
Refresher Courses at St Andrews High School, 9 Old Monland Road, Coatbridge, ML5 5EA
Jazz, Tuesday 17 November 2015
Choreography, Tuesday 8 December 2015
Contemporary, Tuesday 19 January 2016
Courses run from 4.30pm – 7pm
Refresher Courses at Dance Base, 14 – 16 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU
Contemporary, Friday 11 December 2015
Jazz, Friday 15 January 2016
Choreography, Friday 22 January 2016
Courses run from 1.30pm – 4pm
Refresher Courses in Glasgow (Venue TBC)
Hip hop, Tuesday 24 November 2015
Course runs from 4.30pm – 7pm
Costs
£35 per course (+ VAT)
National 5 Dance
This SQA qualification requires students to study 2 different dance styles and choreography to achieve this national qualification. Choose from the options listed below to build your own National 5 Dance course.
Contemporary, Monday 9 May 2016
Jazz, Tuesday 10 May 2016
Choreography (SQA Mandatory Unit), Wednesday 11 May 2016
Hip hop, Thursday 12 May 2016
All courses will run from 9.30am – 4pm.
Costs
National 5 single day costs – £85 (+ VAT)
Choreographic DVD – £95 (+ VAT)
OR
YDance National 5 Package costs £300 (+ VAT). This includes 2 dance style days, the Choreography day and a copy of the Choreographic DVD resource.
Higher Dance
This SQA qualification requires students to study 2 contrasting dance styles and choreography to achieve this national qualification. Choose from the options listed below to build your own Higher Dance course.
Two days are allocated to each style to allow time for technique class, exploration of sequences and support to develop a centre set performance solo, meeting the outcomes set out in the Higher Dance Performance unit. Two days are allocated for Choreography to cover the Higher Dance Practice Activity Assessment requirements and to demonstrate the progression through the learning outcomes.
Training Courses Available
Contemporary Technique, Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 May 2016
Jazz Technique, Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 May 2016
Choreography Unit (SQA Mandatory Unit), Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 May 2016
Hip hop, Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 May 2016
All courses run from 9.30am – 4pm.
Costs
Higher Dance single unit costs – £150 (+ VAT) per 2 day course
Choreographic DVD – £95 (+ VAT)
OR
YDance Higher Dance Package costs £500 (+VAT). This includes 2 dance style courses (2 days each), the 2 day Choreography course and a copy of the Choreographic DVD resource.
Venue
To be confirmed
All courses can be booked via our website www.ydance.org or by contacting Lauren@ydance.org for more information.
Dance for Primary Children
Tuesday 26 April 2016
9.30am – 4pm
£75 (+ VAT)
Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre, 13 Whitevale Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G31 1 QW.
Come and explore what dance could be in your classroom. Using simple games, tasks and sequences your YDance tutor will help you achieve the Curriculum for Excellece experiences and outcomes required for planning your dance session for early – upper primary.
World War 1
Friday 3 February 2016
9.30am – 4pm
£75 (+ VAT)
Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre, 13 Whitevale Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G31 1 QW.
This session is for primary school teachers and will cover What it Was Like in the Trenches, Training to be a Soldier, Life at Home and Armistice Day.
Discovering the Olympics
Thursday 16 March 2016
9.30am – 4pm
£75 (+ VAT)
Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre, 13 Whitevale Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G31 1 QW.
This session will be for primary school teachers and will cover the Olympic Motto, Olympic Sports, Olympic Rings and Exploring Cultures such as Rio and Japan.
All courses can be booked via our website www.ydance.org or by contacting Lauren@ydance.org for more information.
Dance for Early Years
Monday 25 April 2016
9.30am – 4pm
£75 (+ VAT)
Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre, 13 Whitevale Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G31 1QW
Develop your teaching skills for delivering dance with early years children in this one day course covering creative ideas for dance classes inspired by stories and topics, planning and structuring a lesson plan or creative workshop and using props and music.
Discovering the Olympics
Discovering the Olympics
Wednesday 23 March 2016
10am – 1pm
£45 (+ VAT)
Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre, 13 Whitevale Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G31 1QW
Sessions are aimed at teachers working in nurseries or early years settings and will cover sport themed dance, Japanese inspired cultural dance using fans and parasols and carnival inspired session.
All courses can be booked via our website www.ydance.org or by contacting Lauren@ydance.org for more information.
Tour booking is now open for Eco Drama’s 2016 production The Worm – An Underground Adventure.
Touring from Jan-March 2016, The Worm, is an enchanting, musical tale celebrating the wonder of life beneath our feet, specially devised for Nursery and P1-3.
Underneath your feet in the muddy brown soil squirms the world’s best kept secret…a wonderful, magical creature called the Worm. Join Wilma and William, two nature lovers, on a journey underground as they discover a family of friendly, musical worms and their colourful miniature world. The Worm is a fun filled musical tale guaranteed to make everyone giggle, wiggle and love the squirmy wonders beneath our feet.
After the performance, the audience are invited to see some real worms in a specially designed wormery.
Watch a short clip of The Worm on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/93151473
Curriculum for Excellence links: Social Studies:People, Place & Environment, Science: Planet Earth, Expressive Arts: Drama & Music
Eco Schools links:Food & the Environment, Bio Diversity, School Grounds
http://www.ecodrama.co.uk/productions/the-worm-an-underground-adventure/
“Fantastic. Children were captivated from the onset. Discussion afterwards highlighted their obvious enjoyment. I felt the need to compliment the 2 performers after the show and tell them that this was one of the best shows I had ever seen in a school.” Sharon Barclay, Aultmore Park Primary
Catherine Wheels Theatre Company is a multi-award winning company, based near Edinburgh, creating theatre especially for children. Since 1999, we have performed all over the world, including Broadway and Sydney Opera House but love most when we can perform at home. We are supported by Creative Scotland. 
Our in-school production for spring term 2016 is The Story of a Little Gentleman, adapted from the much-loved Swedish children’s book by Barbro Lindgren, this production is a moving and humorous story about loneliness and the power of friendship.
Directed by Gill Robertson.
Suitable for P1-3 Touring February – April 2015 (70 performances available)
This production is specially adapted for school halls, is quick to set up and dismantle. Running time 50 mins. Maximum audience 120.
Cost = £350 + VAT (discounts apply when booking more than one performance)
Please see attached for full booking information.
For more information on our theatre for schools, please contact anna@catherinewheels.co.uk
