Lyceum Creative Learning | Project Scrooge Report 2013

Report

“... this is actually how we want young people to be learning in the future.”

Head Teacher, Wester Hailes Education Centre

Royal Lyceum Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Carol (28 November 2013 – 4 January 2014)Photo Credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street, Edinburgh Photo Credit: Eamonn McGoldrick

About The Lyceum

The Royal Lyceum Theatre Company is one of Scotland’s leading producing drama companies with a world class reputation for both classical and contemporary work, and for developing and supporting creative talent.

Our beautiful late Victorian theatre sits in the heart of Edinburgh’s artistic and cultural quarter. We rehearse in our own rooms opposite the theatre, and costumes and sets are designed and built at our workshops in Roseburn.

Explore our spaces online at lyceum.org.uk/virtualtour

Introduction 1

IntroductionLucy Vaughan, Head of Creative LearningRoyal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh

Every year, the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company engages with young people in Edinburgh, the Lothians and beyond, though the work of the Creative Learning Programme. In 2012-13 more than 16,000 young people participated in the life of the Theatre, by

attending performances and learning events with their schools; and by taking part in Lyceum Youth Theatre workshops, holiday courses and productions.

In 2012 we created a new model of partnership working with schools, called Project Dream, based on the Company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In 2013 we developed the learning from Project Dream and again selected a production from the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company’s season as a stimulus. This time Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol became our Project Scrooge.

Project ScroogeProject Scrooge was a unique, interdisciplinary learning programme developed by Lyceum

Creative Learning and City of Edinburgh Council Arts and Creative Learning, and engaged both Primary and Secondary pupils in creativity across the whole curriculum. The Project involved a visit to The Lyceum to see the production and an active learning programme delivered in schools, and developed by artists and teachers working together over a period of 9 months.

The Lyceum Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Carol was a catalyst for an astonishing creative response from teachers and pupils.

The Primary pupils took part in Project Scrooge: Theatre Makers and developed their own creative responses to the story of A Christmas Carol over a period of 6 weeks, followed by a visit to The Lyceum to see a performance of the play.

The High School Challenge took place over 3 intensive days in schools, following their visits to The Lyceum to see the play. Creative ideas were developed by pupils working in groups resulting in the High schools being transformed, over the 3 days, into Dickensian Christmas Markets and Ghostly experiences, while the life of Scrooge was explored through formats as diverse as Game Shows, Graphic novels, and Social Media projects!

With Project Scrooge, pupils experienced theatre in a way that was exciting and memorable and also involved them as active participants in a creative process. Crucially, Teachers of all curriculum subjects, not just Expressive Arts, were involved and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Artists and Teachers was embedded within the Project planning and delivery.

This model of working has been developed over a period of two years with 7 High Schools and 13 Primary Schools in Edinburgh and we hope it will contribute to a wider conversation with other Arts Organisations, Teachers and Artists, and lead to even more creativity across the curriculum.

LYCEUM CREATIVE LEARNING

In April 2013 all City of Edinburgh Schools were invited to apply to take part in Project Scrooge and the following were selected to participate:

Project Scrooge Primary Schools:Buckstone, Broomhouse, St Josephs, Canal View, Clovenstone, Currie, Leith Walk, and St. Catherine’s.

Working with 280 pupils and 21 teachers in total.

Project Scrooge High Schools:Balerno, Currie with Woodlands School, Queensferry, Royal High, and Wester Hailes Education Centre.

Working with 685 pupils and 65 teachers in total.

I would very much like to see more Projects like this. In terms of the Curriculum for Excellence Agenda this is actually how we want young people to be learning in the future: working together across themes and across subject areas.

Sheila Paton, Head Teacher, Wester Hailes Education Centre, Edinburgh

PARTNERSHIP WORKING

2 Partnership Working

Partnership WorkingLinda Lees, Service Manager Arts and Creative Learning City of Edinburgh Council

A significant aspect of the role of Arts and Creative Learning within Children and Families is in brokering collaborations between schools and the arts sector developing skills and confidence. This means ensuring there is a shared understanding across both sectors about

creative learning and the role of the arts in developing creativity skills in learners.

Project Dream and Project Scrooge heralded a new way of working for The Lyceum’s Creative Learning Team. It was developed because the Creative Learning Team at The Lyceum recognised that the professional arts world could, if planned and developed in collaboration with schools, make a real impact across all curriculum areas. That the relationship between a cultural organisation and schools could result in lasting changes for staff and learners was the intended outcome.

The strength of the partnership is manifest in the level of collaboration that continues to take place at all levels: The effective partnership between The Lyceum and participating schools - particularly around planning and delivery - and between The Lyceum and Arts and Creative Learning in Children and Families in the more strategic aspects of the project.

From the perspective of Arts and Creative Learning, this is an exemplary partnership that is founded on shared values and purpose coupled with a reflective and constantly evolving shared understanding. The evidence is in the impact of the project on learners and staff who report a shift in their thinking and practice. We continue on a shared journey.

What we’ve got here is young people engaged in a Project that makes sense to them, set in a really good context with The Lyceum. This is not a traditional theatre linked Project – it is much broader and much wider. Everyone is taking chances with this and as a result we are really seeing people coming out of their comfort zones and young people really learning from them.

David Cameron, Education Consultant

Theatre Makers Timetable

Week 1 – Explore the Play: A Christmas Carol The themes, story and characters are introduced and used as a starting point for group work and devising. The artist facilitates the ideas from the group and helps to shape the outcomes, but project is designed to be led by the participants.

Week 2 – Devise Your Story Using contributions from the class, the theme and the story lines are worked on to devise the narrative outline.

Week 3 – Polish Your Story (and rehearse/ make/ create!) Continuing the work developed in week 2, and including any additional work from the classroom, the pupils will develop the story.

Week 4 – Visit to The Lyceum A half day to rehearse and to make Props. Working with a specialist Prop Maker the class make the props they need for their show. The class also has a tour backstage at The Lyceum.

Week 5 – Rehearsal / Final Preparations Rehearsal incorporating props made the week before and finalising of performance details.

Week 6 – Performances or Sharing of Work – with school community

The final part of Theatre Makers took place when all the participating Primary schools visited The Lyceum to see the Company’s production of A Christmas Carol.

Feedback from Pupils

“Fantastic, amazing, phenomenal, splendiffico, brilliant and terrific!”

“Having just completed Project Scrooge – I’d love to do it all over again!”

Teacher

“Really good because you got to have fun while learning.”

“We especially enjoyed seeing your version of the play. The actors were amazing. We loved how they all sung, danced, played instruments and moved props.”

PROJECT SCROOGE PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Primary Schools 3

What is Project Scrooge?

A cross curricular project inspired by A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, involving Primary school pupils as ‘Theatre Makers’ working with Lyceum Creative Learning.

Who is it for? Primary 6 or Primary 7

What happens? Over 6 weeks, a Drama Artist from Lyceum Creative Learning works with pupils in weekly sessions to create their devised response to A Christmas Carol.

Where? At school, with 2 visits to The Lyceum for a half day props workshop and a performance of the play.

Session Length 90 mins, once a week for 6 weeks, with classroom follow up led by Class teachers.

Impact on pupil learningFeedback from Teachers

The Project creates a buzz of excitement and engagement in school. From the planning and preparation stage through to the visit to the theatre; and then the following week with the end performance by the pupils in sharing their learning with parents.

For many pupils it is the first experience they will have had of visiting a theatre and experiencing a production outside the pantomime season. The key aspect is lifting the barriers in the formal curriculum so that pupils can apply the learning from the subject based experience in a creative manner within this Project. It is a model that is inclusive of all pupils and allows young people to find their own role and responsibilities in their contribution to the final product. It develops them as individuals, to be adaptable and flexible in dealing with situations and people as they emerge. Finally it creates an opportunity for pupils to share with their parents the learning they have been involved in. This is something that secondary schools rarely have the opportunity to do.


“Best day at High School since P7!”

“I would never have volunteered to take any position where I was a group leader but the Project gave me the opportunity to do this. My confidence grew as I saw that I actually could do it!”

BALERNO HIGH SCHOOL

4 Balerno High School

Year group S3

No. of pupils involved

125

No. of teachers involved

9 Teachers were on the Steering Group. During the three days in school another 4 teachers were involved as well as the Business Manager and Librarian.

Curriculum areas covered

Maths, Computing, English, CDT, Art and Design, Science, PE, Dance, Drama (Plus Support departments: Library and Business Manager)

Project groups Ghost Train – Animation and Installation, Event Management – Film and Website, Charity and Wealth, Redemption – Dance, Want & Abundance – 2 sides of the same coin, Past, Present & Future Installation.


We gave the Currie High School S3 year group and the S3s from Woodlands School a massive challenge – to transform the whole school completely into a series of creative, exciting and interactive experiences, themed to A Christmas Carol. These were to be

presented to a range of guests including parents and Council representatives. The most crucial part of it was that it was to be led by the pupils themselves—realised through their skills and their vision. Oh, and they had only three days in which to pull it off !

We began the first morning with a bemused S3, a group of slightly anxious teachers and a small pile of tinsel.

By the end of the second day,, the whole place was buzzing with a sense of industry and enthusiasm. It is no exaggeration to say that before our eyes we saw confidence levels increase, new skills being developed, new friendships being made, a whole year-wide ethos of co-operation and collaboration. Individuals showed initiative, resourcefulness, determination and commitment—all qualities keenly sought by colleges, universities and employers.

On our presentation evening, guests were greeted by poised and self-assured guides, they could purchase mouth-watering treats from a marketplace, they took part in dazzling gameshows and won cash, they were entertained by a dance routine choreographed and executed by a great pool of talent, they saw stunning art installations enhanced by creative use of lighting, they were scared witless in a room of ghosts, were serenaded by a choir of angels, had their materialism and morals questioned and were made to think about the gulf between rich and poor.

Including Everyone – Pupils from Woodlands School (next door to Currie High School) were invited to be part of Project Scrooge and joined with their peer group at Currie in a fully integrated approach that included all learners. During the 3 days, any preconceived ideas that the pupils had about each other were challenged and overcome, and the Woodlands pupils coped very well with being part of a mainstream school community.


“I thought it brought our year closer than usual and we got to be with people we aren’t normally with as much, so it was good.”

“We got to choose what we wanted the project to be like. We got to tell the teachers what we wanted and they helped us achieve it.”

CURRIE HIGH SCHOOL & WOODLANDS

Currie High School & Woodlands 5

Year group S3


140 Currie / 10 Woodlands


20 Currie / 2 Woodlands


English, Literacy, Maths, Numeracy, Health and Wellbeing, Expressive Arts, Social Subjects, Technologies.

Project groups Choir, Graphic Novel, Game for Laugh, Money – Dance, Game of Life, Deck The Halls, Reward Room, Blast from the Past.


All S3 students at QHS took part in Project Scrooge. Their normal timetable was suspended for the three days in December, to allow them to work on the creative challenge.

The pupils knew nothing else about what was in store for them until the morning of the first day, when they joined one of seven groups focusing on a creative challenge! They also knew that they had to be ready to showcase their work for parents, carers and other invited guests on the evening of Day 3!

The seven teachers leading the groups and the Lyceum staff were absolutely amazed at the high quality of the evening showcase, as well as the responsibility, independent learning and sheer enthusiasm shown by the S3s during the three days!

Exhibits at the evening showcase included… A Victorian feast served in costume, a modern take on the play imagining Scrooge in the Big Brother House, a Dragon’s Den scenario in which characters in the play pitched inventions to Scrooge and his fellow Dragons, two contrasting adverts for financial products launched by Scrooge before and after his transformation, a mixture of video and live performance exploring changes in communication from Dickens’ time through to the present day, a genuinely terrifying Soundscape inspired by the music and sounds of the play, a fashion show featuring dresses inspired by the fashion of the Victorian era and Christmas in Dickens’ day.


“We had to be quite creative and think outside the box to create a unique experience. I think the past 3 days has helped me to become more inventive in my work.”

“I have furthered my communication skills and can confidently perform and speak to people. I can take control of a group and can offer ideas and write confidently and creatively.”

QUEENSFERRY HIGH SCHOOL

6 Queensferry High School

Year group S3


120


11


English, Maths, Science (Chemistry), Music, Drama and Dance, Modern Languages, Business and Computing, Art and CDT.

Project groups Scrooge’s Den: Are You In?, I Nominate Sound Scape, Scrooge’s Social Network, Humbug: EbenEASY Money, Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?, How to Look Good All Wrapped Up.


A Christmas Carol was a memorable and thought provoking production, which really engaged our young people and set the tone for the rest of the project.

To take part in Project Scrooge lessons were suspended for three days and pupils faced the challenge of working in teams alongside staff to create a Scrooge experience within the school. Ideas began to flow and at first these seemed far too ambitious to achieve in three days. Surely this could not be managed in such a short amount of time? How could we even begin to think about creating all of the edible, festive and artistic wares?

But they did it! On our Presentation evening the school was open to family and friends to come and enjoy the Scrooge experience. The drama production was superb and played to several full houses; the giant book was a real eye catcher (about four foot tall and when opened out into panels, stretching about 60 feet); the Victorian market place was fully stocked and visitors purchased almost all of the festive fare; the time tunnel swallowed up quite a few people as they re-discovered objects long forgotten from days gone by; and the Spooky Corridor set a wonderful ghostly atmosphere for the whole experience.


“[...] the whole of 3rd year realised the enormity of what we had achieved. With a helping hand from teachers and theatre artists we had managed to bring Ebenezer Scrooge and his Christmas tale to the Royal High School.”

“It was fun to have the whole year working to achieve something. It was also fun to do different types of learning.”

“I got to be creative. My parents really enjoyed the Project too.”

“It was a break from normal school work and you got to do something different.”

THE ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL

The Royal High School 7

Year group S3


220


11


English, Literacy, Maths, Numeracy, Health and Wellbeing, Expressive Arts, Social Subjects, Technologies.

Project groups Scrooge Reflections, Drama Performance, Spooky Corridor/Art, Ghostly Sounds, Giant Illustrated Book, Dickens Research, Question Time, Past, Present, Future, Victorian Market, Victorian Kitchen, Crafts for Market, Video and Still Photo Recordings


Led by our Drama teacher, the project was delivered by the whole of our S3 year group, Curricular Leaders and Teachers from English, Maths, Technologies, Science, Health and Wellbeing – as well as our CDT Technician, our Janitors, our Office staff and our AV/ICT

Technician! This was a whole school creative literacy initiative. A team from The Lyceum advised us through every step of our three day suspended timetable. The research, creativity and hard work culminated in what I can only describe as our Dickensian Scrooge Experience.

Parents, Carers and Staff were invited to walk through a series of Past, Present and Future “Scrooge sets”. Different groups of S3 students demonstrated Victorian Christmas crafts; sold mince pies and Christmas cards, showed off Dickensian, New and Imaginative Future word walls and invited visitors to play word quizzes as well as handle “old” money, £s shillings and pence! Past, Present and Future Christmas Trees were on display and carbon footprints decorated the Future Christmas tree! In our drama theatre we were invited to watch S3 girls dance an interpretation of Christmas: Strictly Past, Present and Future.

School Librarians have a pivotal role to play in facilitating research for such events as well as support students’ creative thinking.

It was a fantastic project to be so involved in, enabling imaginative cross-curriculum collaboration and time to work with our young students in a truly creative context. Bah-humbug - it was not!

Anne Brownlee, Librarian at WHEC


“My favourite thing was getting to work on what we chose to do.”

“I liked that the teachers knew the same as us and we were learning together.”

“My favourite thing was getting to work on what we chose to do.”

“Working with other adults that weren’t teachers was really good.”

“I was really nervous at first, but then I was helped to feel more confident and was really proud of the dance.”

WESTER HAILES EDUCATION CENTRE

8 Wester Hailes Education Centre

Year group S3


60


8


English, Drama, Art, Business, Health & Wellbeing, Literacy, Dance, CDT, Computing, Maths.

Project groups It’s all about the Money, Money, Money (and Sweeties), Who’s Pulling your Strings?, The Big Scoop, Strictly Past, Present and Future.

Project Scrooge Artists and Theatre Production Staff

For Lyceum Creative Learning: Lucy Vaughan – Head of Creative Learning John Glancy – Producer LYT Christie O’Carroll – Drama Artist Tanwen Llewelyn – Creative Learning Co-ordinator Becky Catlin, Kim Donohoe – LYT Interns Xana Marwick, Caro Donald - Associate Artists Paul Rodger, Emily Bull, Fiona Johnson, Alex Bird, Arran Howie, Anna Gibb - Project Associates

Student Placements

Jack Stancliffe (Royal Conservatoire Scotland), Gemma (Lighting Apprentice, The Lyceum) Valentino Fabbreschi

For more information on the work of Lyceum Creative Learning, please contact: Tanwen Llewelyn on 0131 248 4800 or email [email protected].

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street, Edinburgh Photo Credit: Eamonn McGoldrick

Teachers and Lyceum Staff

Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh 30b Grindlay Street

Edinburgh, EH3 9AX lyceum.org.uk 0131 248 4848 @lyceumtheatre

The Lyceum would like to thank each of the following supporters who have helped make Project Scrooge possible:

Edinburgh Airport Community Fund The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust The Nancie Massey Charitable Trust The Robertson Trust

For more information on how you can support the work The Lyceum does with our local communities please contact: Zuleika Brett, Development Director Phone: 0131 248 4831 Email: [email protected]

Project Scrooge Photography Credit: Jennie Douglas

Documents

Lyceum Creative Learning | Project Scrooge Report 2013