Gateways School GCSE and A level drama students recently took part in an innovative workshop, organised by Lyndsay Fleming Subject Leader in Drama and Dance at Gateways and run by Leeds-based theatre company Paper Birds.
The group of students attended a performance of Paper Birds’ latest production On the Other Hand at the West Yorkshire Playhouse last month – a lyrical, devised piece about women and ageing. The workshop, led by company co-founder and outreach director Kylie Walsh, explored the theme of ageing and aimed to help the students gain a deeper understanding of the production they had seen while also developing their improvisational skills.
During the course of the two-hour workshop, the students were led through various exercises including choreography and character development, eventually working towards a short performance piece at the end of the session.
Dr Tracy Johnson, Gateways School Headmistress, said:
We were delighted to welcome Paper Birds into school – the workshop seemed to be very well received and our students found it extremely useful and stimulating.
