THEATRE IS… is delighted to
announce that from September young people aged 13-19 years in
Thurrock will continue to benefit from the opportunity to take part
in It’s Our Theatre: Thurrock. This will follow on as the second
year of a successful THEATRE IS… training programme in performance
and entrepreneurship with some of the leading young Hip Hop artists
in the UK.
It’s Our Theatre: Thurrock
is a product of THEATRE IS…, the leading organisation for young
creative talent in the East of England. It brings its unique
approach to developing young talent to Thurrock along with key
partner support from Thurrock Council, Children, Education and
Families Department and Thurrock Thames Gateway Development
Corporation.
The assured success of the
first year of It’s Our Theatre: Thurrock is due in large part to
the strength of the successful partnerships between THEATRE IS… and
its delivery partners.
Lois Bowser from Thurrock
Thames Gateway Development Corporation commented; “It’s Our
Theatre: Thurrock implements a wealth of opportunities for the
Thurrock community with an innovative strategy of work for a range
of young people. Core activities have ignited ambition, aspiration
and career progression for young people, whether it is working
towards an arts award or continuing to college or further training.
The project enhances skills across Thurrock and directly supports
the Development Corporation’s regeneration remit.”
The Frontline Crew will now
take an important role leading It’s Our Theatre: Thurrock forward
with their own workshops, slam nights and community based
opportunities. Most recently the crew volunteered to run hip hop
style informal workshops for young children at the Orsett Show,
Thurrock on Saturday 4th September. The workshops went
down a treat! Workshops were a free introduction to some simple hip
hop moves for young visitors to the Orsett Show.
It’s Our Theatre: Thurrock
will be led by young, professional Hip Hop artists from THROWDOWN
UK, one of the leading Hip Hop outfits and inspirational role
models. Over the past year they have been developing the skills and
talents of youngsters in Thurrock who have formed their own
‘FRONTLINE CREW’.
Now in its second phase,
It’s Our Theatre: Thurrock will provide opportunities for young
participants to work towards securing Arts Awards with dedicated
one-to-one career guidance sessions and mentoring opportunities.
Describing the method of how It’s Our Theatre works Terry Hammond
from Thurrock Council comments ‘‘The community backbone to It’s Our
Theatre, develops in young people the skills to take ownership,
participate in and manage projects for their own locale. This is
just one of many facets that underpin the success of our
partnership with THEATRE IS… Extending the already strong
relationship into 2011 will open up further access to a range of
opportunities for the young people of Thurrock and ensure that we
can support and celebrate their talents.’’
A recent sign of project
success is the invitation for It’s Our Theatre: Thurrock, along
with partners at The Hat Factory to perform in Brussels for the
European Open Days week in October (4th-7th),
an exciting opportunity to bring youngsters face to face with key
European policy makers as part of an international showcase
opportunity.
Enthusing on the outcomes
of the first year participating with It’s Our Theatre: Thurrock,
Roxy Jonson, 17, a member of the frontline crew stated; ‘‘It’s Our
Theatre: Thurrock really get people to do what they might not do
otherwise but might enjoy anyway. I’ve learnt a lot of positive
outcomes can come if you work hard.”
