Chelmsford Theatre’s Discover programme nurtures youngsters’ creative potential

Over the summer holidays, young theatre enthusiasts aged 6 to 18 enjoyed a series of thrilling creative arts workshops at Chelmsford Theatre. The sessions were the first in the theatre’s exciting new creative engagement programme, ‘Discover’. As the school term resumes, the theatre has just released a fresh series of creative learning workshops to entertain young people over the upcoming October half term.

Expert-led holiday workshops enjoyed by children of all ages

Workshops over the recent summer holidays saw specialists from the theatre and creative arts industries lead sessions on varied performing arts, from acting to puppetry.

Dance teacher and choreographer, Grace Walker, ran several sessions for 6-11- and 12-18-year-olds, exploring acting, singing and street dance techniques. Little ones worked together to learn and perform a dance routine to Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ for their families, while older kids mastered the vocals to ‘How Far I’ll Go’ from Disney’s ‘Moana’.

Children enjoying workshops at Chelmsford Theatre over the school holidays.

At West End Audition Technique workshops for 6-11- and 12-18-year-olds, participants got to work with Amy Ross – who played the role of Elphaba in ‘Wicked’ and Nicola in ‘Kinky Boots’. Meanwhile, special puppetry workshops saw young people learn how to do puppetry ‘Muppets’ style with Chris Thatcher.

Thrilling stage combat sessions with Squire Stage Combat demonstrated how to safely throw punches and stage falls whilst ensuring nobody gets hurt. Participants worked with a specialist fight director with credits in ‘The Rings of Power’ and ‘House of Dragon’ to create their own action fight sequence for a movie.

Chelmsford Theatre’s Creative Engagement Officer, Megan Crisp, says the young participants were inspired to challenge themselves and come out of their shells during the sessions:

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“I noticed in so many of our sessions that the young people were gaining more and more confidence just in the short time we saw them. A perfect example of this was in our Musical Theatre workshop. At the beginning of the day, when we started working on our first musical, Mary Poppins, there wasn’t much of an uptake for the solos, but by the time we got onto our second musical, Matilda, and they’d been working with Grace and really developing their skills, almost every hand was raised for a solo!

“It was great to see how, in just one day, they went from being slightly nervous and holding back to being willing and excited to challenge themselves and take on a solo!”

Megan Crisp, Creative Engagement Officer, Chelmsford Theatre

Discover programme provides fresh opportunities for young people to engage with the arts

These holiday workshops aim to nurture a new generation of young actors and theatre makers, with each session designed to provide young people with opportunities to meet new people, develop core creative skills, and build up their confidence.

They’re all part of the theatre’s Discover programme, which recently launched to bring fresh, affordable and engaging creative learning opportunities for children and adults alike to enjoy.

Summer workshops varied from puppetry to singing.

The programme particularly looks to reach new communities by removing barriers to the arts and improving access for those less likely to engage creatively. With this in mind, Chelmsford Theatre worked with YMCA Essex to secure limited free spaces for some of this summer’s workshops, to benefit those who would otherwise be unable to take part.

Councillor Jennie Lardge, Cabinet Deputy for Cultural Services at Chelmsford City Council, says Discover aims to unlock individuals’ creative potential through new, affordable and diverse opportunities:

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“Chelmsford Theatre’s Discover programme is all about providing equal opportunities for anyone from any background to get involved, be creative and make connections that will enhance their overall wellbeing and open up future opportunities.

“We particularly want to see this programme support our city’s talented young people to explore their passions and interests, gain new skills and develop their confidence within a safe, welcoming and non-judgmental environment. By making these sessions affordable, and even creating free spaces for those who need them, we hope to draw in new creatives, especially those who may have great potential within them that just hasn’t been unlocked yet.”

Cllr Jennie Lardge, Cabinet Deputy for Cultural Services

New workshops released for October half term

With the kids back at school, it’s already time to start thinking about entertainment for the October half term! Chelmsford Theatre has parents covered for this with more activities just released, including a Verbatim Theatre workshop on Tuesday 29 October for 13-18-year-olds and a Frozen Musical Theatre workshop for 5-10-year-olds on Friday 1 November.

Kids aged 6-10 and 11-15 can also join theatre company The Paper Birds on Tuesday 29 October, for a fun and fast-paced workshop on creating original theatre content through improvisation. And to celebrate Halloween later in the week, Stage Makeup Masterclasses for 8-12- and 13-18-year-olds on Thursday 31 October will demonstrate how to create spooky and dramatic Halloween looks using makeup.

More workshops are coming to Chelmsford Theatre this October half term, including improvisation sessions, verbatim theatre, singing and acting.

For older children, a full day Filmmaking workshop on Monday 28 October will teach 10-16-year-olds how to make a music video. The Offshoot Foundation will run participants through filming techniques and editing, before supporting them with making their very own video to a song of their choice. They’ll get to use professional film equipment and editing tools, and don’t have to be filmed to take part – they can stay behind the camera if they prefer.

There’s even more magical news for the autumn, as Princess Elsa is visiting the theatre on Saturday 26 October for a special ‘Princess Breakfast’! Elsa will entertain families with singing and dancing as they enjoy a delicious breakfast of waffles, fruit, yoghurt, orange juice and a special treat. There’ll be opportunities for photos and every child will receive an Elsa autograph.

Not just for little ones, grownups can enjoy what’s on offer too!

Discover at Chelmsford Theatre isn’t just for the little ones, grownups can learn new skills too through creative and expressive activities, from cosy and relaxed ‘Paint and Sip’ art sessions to indulgent ‘Musical Theatre Mixology’ workshops.

There’s even a special ‘Moulin Rouge Dance Class’ coming to the theatre on 16 October. Especially for adults, this session will see Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Bethan Marshall (aka ‘Mary P’) transport participants to the romance of Moulin Rouge’s Paris to learn the moves of the iconic musical. The class is for people of all dance abilities – with no previous experience required to take part and have fun!

The theatre also runs regular Backstage Tours to give theatregoers a glimpse of the mysterious ‘behind-the-scenes’ magic of local theatre; learn about the theatre’s history; and find out how different teams work together to put on a great show.

Adults can enjoy varied workshops at Chelmsford Theatre too.

Follow Chelmsford Theatre for the latest Discover news

There’s even more yet to come from the Discover programme so keep an eye on the dedicated web page and follow Chelmsford Theatre for the latest news.