Our Work
Producing and touring pieces of entertaining, funny, thought-provoking and relevant theatre to a wide variety of venues is a large part of what Open Clasp does. We also work with community groups to create their own plays and performance pieces, enabling people to voice the things that matter to them.
How plays are created
Challenging Theatre, Inspired By Women - The Process
Phase One
Workshops
Aims: women and young women gain self esteem & confidence, have their voices heard and we gain knowledge and insight of needs and issues they experience
- On average eight workshops are facilitated with individual groups across the region (anything from 60-100 women can be involved in this part of a project).
- Through the creation of characters using drama techniques participants voice their lived experiences, opinions and views.
Scoping
Aims: to bring together and understand the information gained in the workshops. For the women to feel valued through the validation of their experiences and voices and continued contribution to decision, storyline and script development.
- Analysis of issues, initial characters and potential storyline from workshops
- Characters are chosen, issues identified and storyboard created
- Storyboard is presented to groups for consultation
Phase Two
The Tour
Aims: to communicate the learning from phase one with communities & audiences, fostering understanding, encouraging debate and challenging preconceived ideas.
- Plays are toured to community and mainstream venues, reaching approximately 3000 people each tour (usually in February and March)
- Accompanying workshops can be facilitated after performances at community venues
- A report is written on the learning gained during the project and tour.
Phase Three
Enabling projects (additional phase added to some projects)
Aims: for groups to not only voice their experiences but to perform them. Where there is a third phase, groups further develop self esteem and confidence, and compound the voices heard in Phase Two.
- Workshops are facilitated with groups to explore further their lived experiences
- Characters are created, and storyboard agreed
- A script is created in consultation with the groups
- Play and/or film is presented to an invited audience
- A report is written with the learning gained and distributed
"Open Clasp’s work shows a grass roots radicalism and genuine commitment, coupled with professionalism"
"moving, funny and brilliantly acted... thought-provoking and heart-warming."
"At once endearing, hilarious, passionate and tear-jerking."
"Open Clasp is truly a treasure of the north east that must be supported and encouraged to become a treasure of the nation"
"Open Clasp have the balls, the brains and above all, the sense of humour, to tackle issues in a fresh and beguiling way"
