Our after-school drama clubs take centre stage

My very first memory of visiting a theatre was when I was seven years old, which occurred after a few visits to my school from Neil. Neil would come to our school and deliver drama workshops. Whenever Neil’s name was mentioned by a teacher, it was met with excitement by everyone in the class, even the teacher – even those who preferred maths! One day, Neil invited our school along to watch our local theatre company’s pantomime. Neil – a name which I’m not expecting to mean much to the reader of this blog – had a face I can’t remember and a voice (probably), and would encourage us to clap in a circular motion when applauding our fellow classmates during drama sessions.

A clap which we all took home with us and bothered our parents with. Thanks to people like Neil, I knew from a very young age that the theatre was a special place where I could belong. These early experiences led me to join my own local youth theatre, take part in school plays, study Drama and Applied Theatre at university, work as an actor/facilitator for over 10 years before working in my capacity now at Leeds Heritage Theatres. And without realising it – not until I began writing this blog post – it would appear that I have come full circle. But I have not returned as young Ashley. Oh no. It would appear… I have become Neil.

Since 2022, Leeds Heritage Theatres has been developing after-school drama clubs with primary schools in the local area. The purpose is to help young people develop confidence, wellbeing, communication and teamwork. And I’ve been fortunate enough to play a big part in it. These sessions last just one hour a week and while I do get to see the young people develop skills each week that I see them, I’ve always wondered if they were noticeably used in the classroom. I recently asked Jemma, a local teacher at a primary school where I’ve been delivering after school clubs, to answer a few questions…

During my time at Leeds Heritage Theatres I have had the privilege of inviting young people to our venues, watching their faces light up when they take their first ever steps onto The Grand’s stage. Their first ever steps, quite often, into a theatre. My job is incredibly rewarding and I’d say that some of the most rewarding experiences have been when I’ve had the chance to bring theatre to them. Last year I had the pleasure of writing and directing a piece of theatre for schools in Harehills with the purpose of opening important discussions surrounding the Harehills riots. For so many, this was the young people’s first chance to see a piece of live theatre.

The most rewarding experience, however, is being Neil. Being that person who brings drama activities and theatre opportunities to young people for the first time. Theatre can feel rather inaccessible to a lot of the young people that I meet. And I like to take it upon myself to prove to them that this is not the case.

My hope is to continue to build on the skills already being worked on and continue to reach more schools. To create more opportunities for young people and inspire them to visit their local theatre. And while it’s great to help young people feel as though they belong, I’d like to go one better and inspire them to feel a sense of ownership of our venues. That’s not to say that I’ll be getting ahead of myself either. Of course I believe that theatre has the power to promote positive change and improve wellbeing. But I also don’t expect the young mathematician to down tools after a drama club session and join the circus! I just hope that after a few sessions working with us that kid can say with confidence, ‘I love maths!’ as opposed to ‘I love maths.’

Anyway, thanks Neil.