Get Creative over February Half Term
Get Creative this Christmas!
This year with the kind support of Cheshire West and Chester Council and Sanctuary Housing, we have decided to further develop the offline creative pack that we created for children in Lache and Frodsham over Christmas into a pack for all our Youth Theatre families this February Half Term. Packed with fun creative exercises and tasks to keep children busy over the period it will be going out for free to every Youth Theatre family to receive in time for the holiday.
If you are not a YT member family and would like to get your hands on an online copy of the kit, please drop us a message using our Contact page with 'HALF TERM' in the subject and we will arrange to get you a copy for a small donation to our survival fund.
This year with the kind support of Cheshire West and Chester Council and Sanctuary Housing, we have decided to further develop the offline creative pack that we created for children in Lache and Frodsham over Christmas into a pack for all our Youth Theatre families this February Half Term. Packed with fun creative exercises and tasks to keep children busy over the period it will be going out for free to every Youth Theatre family to receive in time for the holiday.
If you are not a YT member family and would like to get your hands on an online copy of the kit, please drop us a message using our Contact page with 'HALF TERM' in the subject and we will arrange to get you a copy for a small donation to our survival fund.
Spare Parts Participation Project
After a substantial pause in activity, Spare Parts is now live and kicking again for 2021 and our engagement programme is in full swing. Here isa blog form project manager Emily and a few of our Young Producers about how things are going...
We are still cracking on through lockdown with our Spare Parts Participation work in association with Sandbach Transport Festival. Spare Parts are programming the magical Lullaby by Luke Jerram for the 2021 festival, and we’ve been very busy with planning for the event since the start of 2021.
Working with Spare Parts, we’ve decided to commission a North West based writer to write an original children’s bedtime story, to be read the night before the Lullaby passes their doors. We recruited the talented Matt Smith a couple of weeks ago, and we’re also working with Illustrator/Designer Carl Waine to illustrate the story along with our Young Producers.
The Young Producers have had an exciting and busy start to their programme. So far they’ve worked along side us to recruit the writer including attending the writer’s interviews, they’ve done some recruitment planning for the performance artists and cyclists, and have helped us map out the route for Lullaby in Sandbach.
Here’s some more info about our Sandbach Young Producers and what they had to say about the programme so far:
Emily
Hi, I’m Emily. I’m really interested in sports and music. I take part in many sports including karate and play a while host of instruments, piano gr7 and clarinet gr8 being my main ones. This project was something new that I’ve never tried before and working as a team to complete this would be fun. So far this project has been amazing. It’s taught me new skills I can take away and has been really nice hearing other people’s ideas.
Connor
I enjoy drawing, playing my guitar by myself and in a band with some friends as well, writing songs and I also used to perform a lot on stage as a part of a youth theatre this has currently come to a halt due to the current lockdown and previous restrictions. I was interested in the young producers project as it sounded like it would be interesting and as a way to further my skills. It sounded good to be a part of a community project in these times not only for myself but for the whole community to have an upcoming event to look forward to. So far this project has been very exciting and very fun to do. We have done a lot of things already such as interviewing and recruiting. Which are things that I have not done before and I’m looking forward to see how this project can change from its starting stage, through its development and on to the finished event.
Becca
I am Becca and my interests and hobbies include spending time with friends and family and dancing. I applied for this project as I would love to gain experience in event management in order to prepare me for university. But I also saw this opportunity as a way to get involved in the community and to meet new people. So far, I am loving the project and I love giving my suggestions as well as listening to the other members of the group.
We’re now moving onto logistical and promotional planning for the event, and are looking forward to getting stuck in with this exciting next step of the work as we move closer towards April. Wish us luck!
For more information about Spare Parts, visit their website here.
We are still cracking on through lockdown with our Spare Parts Participation work in association with Sandbach Transport Festival. Spare Parts are programming the magical Lullaby by Luke Jerram for the 2021 festival, and we’ve been very busy with planning for the event since the start of 2021.
Working with Spare Parts, we’ve decided to commission a North West based writer to write an original children’s bedtime story, to be read the night before the Lullaby passes their doors. We recruited the talented Matt Smith a couple of weeks ago, and we’re also working with Illustrator/Designer Carl Waine to illustrate the story along with our Young Producers.
The Young Producers have had an exciting and busy start to their programme. So far they’ve worked along side us to recruit the writer including attending the writer’s interviews, they’ve done some recruitment planning for the performance artists and cyclists, and have helped us map out the route for Lullaby in Sandbach.
Here’s some more info about our Sandbach Young Producers and what they had to say about the programme so far:
Emily
Hi, I’m Emily. I’m really interested in sports and music. I take part in many sports including karate and play a while host of instruments, piano gr7 and clarinet gr8 being my main ones. This project was something new that I’ve never tried before and working as a team to complete this would be fun. So far this project has been amazing. It’s taught me new skills I can take away and has been really nice hearing other people’s ideas.
Connor
I enjoy drawing, playing my guitar by myself and in a band with some friends as well, writing songs and I also used to perform a lot on stage as a part of a youth theatre this has currently come to a halt due to the current lockdown and previous restrictions. I was interested in the young producers project as it sounded like it would be interesting and as a way to further my skills. It sounded good to be a part of a community project in these times not only for myself but for the whole community to have an upcoming event to look forward to. So far this project has been very exciting and very fun to do. We have done a lot of things already such as interviewing and recruiting. Which are things that I have not done before and I’m looking forward to see how this project can change from its starting stage, through its development and on to the finished event.
Becca
I am Becca and my interests and hobbies include spending time with friends and family and dancing. I applied for this project as I would love to gain experience in event management in order to prepare me for university. But I also saw this opportunity as a way to get involved in the community and to meet new people. So far, I am loving the project and I love giving my suggestions as well as listening to the other members of the group.
We’re now moving onto logistical and promotional planning for the event, and are looking forward to getting stuck in with this exciting next step of the work as we move closer towards April. Wish us luck!
For more information about Spare Parts, visit their website here.
Alongside our Youth Theatre provision, we also run a range of other projects out in the community. Sometimes these are commissioned by other people and sometimes they are big ideas that we cook up ourselves at Minerva HQ and then try and find the money to make happen. Generally, these pieces of work fit into three themes...
HeritageOver the years we have developed and delivered a range of Heritage themes projects including our Wirral to West Africa project in 2013 and the Cheshire Souling project in 2017.
We have also worked with partners to bring heritage themes alive in schools including Sutton Green Primary in Ellesmere Port and St. John's Primary in Skelmersdale. We regularly work with festivals and arts and cultural partners such as the Knutsford Promenades, Heritage Open Days and the Chester Midsummer and Midwinter Watch parades to bring performance and heritage together. |
Social ActionMany of our project work supports young people to use the arts to explore ways of getting involved in their communities.
We have worked closely with UK Youth on their Money for Life and Change Squad programmes to encourage young people to develop events in their community and become ambassadors for financial literacy. We have also been commissioned by local third sector organisations to deliver projects that have included supporting the re-settlement and integration of Syrian refugees, working with young carers to educate the public about their lives and creating advocacy films to combat Disability hate crime. We gave also worked with schools to deliver work that supports young people's literacy and social and emotional development. |
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