Experience = Passion

I am a very passionate person and the driving force behind my inquiry is my belief that:

                                            Theatre should be accessible to everyone!

I started to think about where this passion came from.  It is in direct relation to my professional practice and experiences along the way:

Theatre visits as a child

I adored our yearly family trip to see a musical in London every Christmas.  Coming from a small village in Sussex in opened my eyes to a new and exciting world.  This is where I fell in love with theatre.  Fully aware of how cheesy it sounds I really do believe theatre is magical.  It has the power to transport us, inspire us, educate us, make us laugh or cry and see things including ourselves in a new light.  These feelings I experienced as a child instilled a belief that everyone and anyone should be a part of this magic, why wouldn't they. 

My training

It turned out I wanted to be a part of creating this magic so much that I committed endless hours of after-school, weekends and holidays to training to be an actress.  Then eventually five years of full-time study at The Brit School and The Urdang Academy.  Even then I remember that every application form I wrote started with 'I want to make a difference....' I wanted to be the one to stand on the stage and create magic for the audience and I suppose I still do.  My experiences of working with inspirational teachers, practitioners and fellow students only increased my drive to be a part of this world for the rest of my life.  I also began to understand that there was a certain 'snobbery' around the type of people that went to theatre.  As I grew up grasping the concept of money I understood why, theatre can be so expensive! Yet in my naivety I just saw is as unfair that not everyone got to go to theatre even if it was only once a year.  The 12 year old in me still thinks it's unfair.  

Teaching performing arts

I taught performing arts in a variety of settings including after-school/weekend club ands workshops in schools.  This is where I built my passion for creating the audiences of the future.  I found it hard to understand that children were coming to theatre classes having never seen a piece of live theatre.  Their associations came from television programmes and film.  I worked in schools where children showed great interest and talent yet theatre was just not a part of their lives.  Whether that be for financial, cultural or simple lack of exposure, the reasons made me want to know more and be a part of do something about it.

 My jobs as an actress

Unintentionally most of my jobs as an actress have been in children's theatre.  This allowed me to see the power of theatre for children and young people.  I have always held a strong belief in letting children be children for as long as possible exploring their imagination and possibilities life has to offer.  Theatre allows this possibility.  I have been a part of audio-described performances for those hard of hearing, touch tours for the visually impaired and specific shows for those with learning disabilities.  All of these experiences have built my passion and interest in learning how theatre can be accessible for everyone.

Visiting Africa

When volunteering in an educare centre in a township my eyes were opened to a world very different to my own.  But I connected to the children here through song, dance and role play (acting) - the features of my experiences in theatre.  A trip to the theatre is unlikely to ever be an option for these children but in creating theatre for them (I dressed up as a pirate for a day among many different roles) these children got to escape from the unimaginable realities of their daily lives.  The got to be kids even just for an hour and be inspired, be transported, laugh uncontrollably and learn new things.  Then as a 6 year old child they went and picked up their 6 month old baby sister for the long walk home to responsibility.  It was life changing to be a part of allowing those children to be children through the power of theatre.  The poverty of Africa exists on some levels underneath our noses in London.  According to Kids Company 350,000 children in London are living in severe poverty.  I want to let these children and all others be kids and escape just as adults need too through the power of theatre.

Working with children with autism

Working with children with autism is inspiring, rewarding and challenging on so many different levels.  I learn something new about each child every day and the journey never ends.  The children I work with are mostly non-verbal so find other means of communication.  In my eyes theatre has always been a form of communication.  It tells a story, conveys emotions, invites us into another world.  I therefore felt myself always thinking theatre could be great for the students but it would need to be adapted and formulated in the right way.  I didn't know what this way was, I couldn't comprehend how theatre could become accessible for them in a way that would be successful.  This leads to to my inquiry!

My experiences have led me to my inquiry........

5,4,3,2,1 kissing has finished it's time for elephant!

Out of context the above statement is very random I know, but working with children with autism spectrum disorder I hear things like this everyday.  Just incase your wondering, one of the children kept kissing another on the cheek while we tried to keep focus on an activity about animals being performed by the lead teacher. 

As I begin to look at my key findings and start the scary task of writing my inquiry project it is important to remember what is driving my inquiry:

• Inspired by the amazing staff and students that I work with.
• Longing to build a deeper understanding of ASD.
• A desire to understand how the magic of theatre can be accessible to children with ASD.

It is easy to loose sight of my drive when I am overwhelmed by all the different aspects of the inquiry process.  I am beginning to look at my key findings and the tools I have to support them:

• Literature.
• Interviews.
• Show visits/reviews.
• Conference visits/reviews. 
• Personal experiences/diary extracts.

I have highlighted my last bullet point as it is easy to forget the importance of our own practice, feelings and experiences as we look to what I sometimes see as a 'higher power' of knowledge.  I need to remember that my practice is important and integral to this inquiry too.  I plan to share some of my experiences in my inquiry in order to support key findings.  This was inspired by an accessible piece of literature that shares personal experiences.  It was clear, informative and relatable, this is what I want from my inquiry.

I was planning to tackle all my literature before embarking on starting to write my inquiry project but have had a change of heart.  In having a tendancy of wanting to finish one aspect before starting another I am loosing time.  I need to accept that different elements can work alongside each other and I can still be in control.  I plan to approach my literature when I have time to read on London's transport (I spend a lot of time there) while also starting to write.  Then write when I have assigned quiet study time.  This allows me to feel a sense of progression as well as creating quality work that is not just rushed. 

Are others using a similar approach too?

Thanks Hollie xx