“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
— William Shakespeare
TWAS THE NICHT BEFORE XMAS*ish
Twas the night before Xmas*ish was a devised performance with a group of female students in custody. The group worked together for eight weeks to learn new skills and build their confidence. Some of the females in the group find socialising and working with other to be quite challenging so we worked gently and without pressure, if we made a show - great, if not, then we still had the process. We focused a lot on humour and slapstick comedy as it was an art form we all understood and connected with, we then worked together to write a blue print script and devised a Christmas show for the other residents within the hall they lived in.
The group worked incredibly well together and this project will continue in to 2021.
Passion Play
Mixed gendered population drama group
As part of my practice I pioneered a mixed gender drama group in one of Scotland’s largest prisons. Taking the male participants from one population and mixing them with the female participants from another on an eight week pilot project for a mixed drama class. Throughout the eight weeks we were tasked with responding to one of the Passion Plays - that go on across Edinburgh during the Easter period.
We focused on the idea of the Last Supper, looking at how food and community often are the staples in our lives in which we can all connect despite our backgrounds.
The group ran successfully and this project is looking to continue into 2021.
I was also nominated for a Staff Innovation Award for Outstanding Delivery of Learning & Teaching for this project, as it was the first of its kind across Scotlands Prisons.
IN THE DUG OUT
RADIO PLAY PROJECT
Whilst working in one of Scotland’s prisons, I was responsible for running and delivering a Creative Writing Class. In the class the students would work on solo writing projects as well as a class project, giving that I was a new tutor for them, I offered the option of writing and recording a radio play together, the class worked super hard on something new to them and went on to win a group award from Koestler. The radio play was a huge success in building their confidence and group relationship.
Koestler is an arts award agency for those in custody, hospitals and secure units.
WHERE I DO MY GROWING.
Where I Do My Growing was a week long arts residency in HMP Cornton Vale.
I worked with the Garden Work Party within HMP Cornton Vale, as an artist to engage them on a devising process. Throughout the week we shared time together, me helping them with their garden work duties and them collaborating with me to create a show using the theme of growth, and more poignantly growth within prison and themselves. During the week I was fortunate to work with the participants through gardening keeping the literal within the metaphorical but to also watch them flourish as performers and to become more confident, articulate and creative individuals. This residency was set up as part of my degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland studying the Arts In Criminal Justice module.