Outreach News - July and August 2012

The summer term is often a busy time for us in terms of our schools work, and this year is no different.  In July we are busy hosting backstage tours, running workshops for teachers and students alike, and arranging a visit from one of our (cue fanfare) rather well known practitioners working at The Watermill this season. We say sad farewells to our youth theatre groups as they finish for the summer, but already we are looking ahead and planning for the autumn. And in August we welcome new crowds in for our summer holiday courses (see below).

We love it all – so if you have any ideas you want to talk through, please get in touch.

Shakespeare at The Watermill
We are taking bookings for our production of Othello, which will be touring schools in the autumn – if your school is interested in hosting a performance, please call Beth on 01635 570927.

Othello is also performing at The Watermill as part of our Shake Up Shakespeare Festival in November – a week of community Shakespeare activities, workshops, and performances. We’ve not done anything quite like this before so we’re really looking forward to getting started. The final night of the Shake Up Shakespeare Festival will be The Bard Unboundon November 10th – an evening of Shakespeare highlights and excerpts, performed by local people. If you fancy performing on The Watermill stage, please do get in touch.

Interview Skills
Every Thursday morning our regular facilitator Sarah has been working one on one with jobseekers to hone their communication and presentation skills. In a project funded by West Berkshire council, and working with Careers Springboard West Berkshire, we are running these free weekly sessions until July. The performance skills that an actor like Sarah has learnt can be easily transferred into the interview room, and we’re thrilled that the project is working so well. Fingers crossed that those jobs keep coming.

The Poetry Relay: ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’
In a new project to celebrate the Olympics, and funded by West Berkshire Council, we have created a giant community poem involving ten local groups. Each group had a workshop with our writer, Ade Morris, during which they wrote the next section of the poem. The result is a rather glorious poem, which is on display in The Watermill’s grounds until 7th September.

Courses & Events Update
Our summer holiday courses: Play in a Week is now full, and just a handful of spaces in the Musical in a Week (as of July 11th). There are spaces in the Academy, for those aged 16+. For more information please click here.

We are starting a new drama group for adults, called Upstage, to start in the Autumn on Monday evenings. Please call the Outreach department to join (01635 570934) or email heidi@watermill.org.uk.

Bookings for the next Scratch Choir (Gershwin, on 14th October) open on Monday 30th July.

Regular Groups
Here’s a list of the regular groups we run:
Waterminis (toddler group on a Wednesday mornings)
Junior Youth Theatre (Saturday morning workshops ages 6 – 11yrs)
Senior Youth Theatre (Tuesday nights ages 11 – 16yrs)
Associate Youth Theatre (Wednesday nights, for those on the youth theatre waiting list, ages 8 – 16yrs)
Young Company (Thursday nights ages 17 – 25yrs)
Upstage (Monday nights, adults)
Encores (Older people no longer in full time work, Monday afternoons)
Actors Forum (professional actors, once a month)

To enquire about joining any of our groups / courses, please call or email Heidi (01635 570934 / heidi@watermill.org.uk)