Dress Rehearsals at The Orange Tree.

It's the last week before Easter break and a chance for the Level 1 students to dress rehearse their Schools Based workshops before they take them out on tour in April. This year we've teamed up with The Orange Tree in Richmond to put the work together. Today was spent in their rehearsal rooms running through each groups piece in turn, taking an active role as participants to road test the work.

The workshops have all been designed to support Cabbages and Kings, using the Alice stories to frame some really interesting Maths and Science work. Students work in teams of four to put together the work and this year, for the first time, we've made the whole process more theatrical by insisting that the sessions are scripted. It's lifted the work, turned lesson planning into play making and really ignited the creative spirit of the group.

Each session took about an hour and was followed up with a rigorous notes session led by Henry Bell, who leads the theatre's education programmes.

I was really delighted with what had been produced. Inventive ideas, loads of fun, formal and informal learning opportunities aplenty and a great mix of storytelling and discovery.

I think the Richmond Primary Schools who've agreed to take the work are in for a real treat.

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