YOUNG performers from across Tameside have taken to the stage with confidence and creativity, delivering original plays in front of a live audience as part of the Royal Exchange Theatre’s Den Festival in Stalybridge.
This follows our earlier feature on the Den Festival, where we explored the opportunities the Royal Exchange brought to local communities.
Over the past two months, pupils from Bradley Green Primary Academy, Micklehurst All Saints CE Primary School, St Paul’s CE Primary School, and St Peter’s Catholic Primary School have been working with Royal Exchange ambassadors and professional writers Lekhani Chirwa and Lauren-Nicole Mayes to create their very own scripts.
Each school’s script was developed through the ‘Best Mates, Top Bins & Venga Venga’ workshop, with the final pieces professionally directed by Tori Burgess and performed by Royal Exchange actors at Stalybridge Civic Hall.
In the lead-up to the event, the schools had a special opportunity to attend the full dress rehearsal. There, they saw their own stories come to life with sound, lighting and a full cast, and were able to meet the actors behind the performances. The excitement was evident as children also enjoyed a sneak peek at other schools’ work.
The plays were then showcased during Saturday’s Den Festival programme, drawing an appreciative audience of families, teachers, and community members.
Cllr Leanne Feeley, Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Lifelong Learning and Culture, said:
“What an amazing project for our schools to be a part of. The children have had an incredible time working with the Royal Exchange teams and having an opportunity to make fantastic memories that will last a lifetime and potentially inspire their future career aspirations. It also hopefully opened their eyes to try something new that they may never have come across before.
“It was brilliant to see the entertaining final shows, which amplified the children’s voices through the performance. I am so glad each school made the most of this experience and the classes were entirely engaged throughout the planning process.”
Scarlett from the Royal Exchange Theatre said: “Working with the primary schools across the last 6 months has been a joy, we’ve absolutely loved their enthusiasm, ideas, collaboration and compassion. I know that the staff and creatives who have worked on this project have got so much from working with the kids – it’s given us new ways of working, challenged us, made us feel a range of emotions and we’ve had so many belly laughs!
“Access to these types of opportunities is essential for young people, to develop their sense of self and understanding of the world, we hope this is the beginning of their creative journeys and this sparks an interest that lasts a lifetime.”