EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS

Visual Attic offer workshops to schools and other venues, which can be designed to your needs to accompany a project, or we do offer a range of flexible workshops which are listed below. Generally our workshops cross over between the mediums of art and drama, although we have sorted workshops into the two separate veins for your ease. One off workshops are available as well as a succession. A discount will be available if you book a series of workshops. Length of workshops detailed below are based on a group of 25 participants.

In short just about anybody, children or adults. However we aim to offer imaginative, creative and accessible projects for various groups, for educational purposes, pure fun or therapeutic endeavour. Particularly our sessions would work well with adults or children with learning disabilities, adults with issues such as drug/alcohol abuse or as an interest in rehabilitation for various groups.

MASK MAKING WORKSHOP – A simple but effective introduction to mask making. Create a mask, moulded on the individuals face, using brown parcel paper and a bit of imagination. The theme can range, from creating characters from classic plays such as Macbeth, a futuristic robot, through to wild animals and even a caricature of your own features! Designed for school year 4, through to senior school and adults. A more basic workshop can be designed for younger children if required. Length of workshop from half to a full day.

MURAL WORKSHOP – Paint a giant mural to brighten up a dull and shabby wall. The mural can be painted directly on to a wall or onto a board and then mounted. Please take a look at our Beach Mural in the gallery to see what can be achieved. It could even be painted on to cloth and used as a back drop for a show. For this workshop we would need at least 1 full day. Suitable for school year 3 through to senior school and adults.

COLLAGE CREATING - Make a giant collage using recycled materials, paints, fabrics anything we can transform. Previous themes have been ‘The Seasons’, ‘The Future’ ‘Our Body’ and 'Our Wonderful World.' The result is a wonderful piece of art, great for displaying in your school hall or maybe even as scenery in a school play. Length of workshop is flexible but will need at least 1hr depending on amount of children. Suitable for any age.

CREATING A CHINESE DRAGON – As a group create a large Chinese dragon, monster, jabberwocky, large caterpillar or anything remotely monstrous (the more surreal the better!). The large puppet can be tailored to your requirements and could be used for performances. One full day will be needed for this workshop or a succession of smaller workshops. Suitable for school year 3 and onward.

COSTUME CREATION – How to create your own theatre costume using plastic bags and a bit of sparkle and buckets of imagination. Create a period costume, or something more fantastical. Length of workshop is flexible, but at least one and a half hours is needed. Suitable for school years 1 and onward.

CREATE LARGE AFRICAN MASKS - A simple introduction to african art and textiles, During this workshop you will learn about the background to african art, how to create a stencil based the stimulus, then use that stencil to print and create part of a large mask. The finished article will be created as a group effort and will look stunning on display! You will need at least one full day for this workshop. Suitable for school year 5 and onward.

MAKING ROD PUPPETS - Design and create your own rod puppet to take home. Imagination and use of fabrics is endless, but we always start with a foundation shape/armature to build upon. Length of workshop is flexible depending on age and what you want to achieve. Suitable for all ages.

SHADOW PUPPETS - Design and create your own shadow puppet and create a small show to share with parents or peers. Learn how to make a shadow puppet with moving parts. A simple caricature can be created or a more intricate design, dependent on the ability and age of the participants. The length of this workshop is flexible depending on age and what you want to achieve. Suitable for all ages.

SCENOGRAPHY AND THE ART OF THE THEATRE - Learn how to create a set design and build your own model theatre set. Adaptable for various age groups and abilities. You would need at least half a day for this workshop. Suitable for school year 4 and through to senior school and adults.

PROP MAKING - Learn how to design props for the theatre and what materials are used. Create your own design and produce a fantastic prop, anything from a tasty jalousie pie to a futuristic robot. This workshop could work well if you are working towards a production. The finished item/items can be used in your production! Workshop length would need to be at least half a day, but ideally a full day. Suitable for school year 3, through to senior school.

ACTING WITH MASKS – A two hour workshop designed as a basic introductory to using masks for performance. Suitable for school year 4 through to adults.

CREATIVE WRITING & ILLUSTRATION - Be inspired to create a wonderful story and learn how to illustrate your stories from fantastical adventure tales to comic book chronicles. A full day would really be needed for this workshop, however a more basic workshop could be designed for half a day. Mainly suitable for school year 3 through to senior school, although a simple workshop could be designed for younger children.

ANTI-BULLYING - Using forum theatre to explore this sensitive but growing issue in schools due to the digital era we are now living in. Touching on the internet and the dangers behind this. Showing young people an empathetic view into bullying and how young people are effected by it, also showing an insight into why the antagonists fall into this trap. Length of workshop is adaptable depending on amount of participants. Suitable for school years 5 & 6 through to senior school.

DREAMS & WISHES – A mime based workshop using the themes of peer pressure which touches on the issue of bullying. This workshop discusses achieving your goal in life, exploring how young people are affected by others and more importantly not feeling pressured by them. You will need at least 2 hours for this workshop. Suitable for key stage 2 through to senior school.

THEATRE CRAFT - A basic introduction into acting skills needed for the stage. Exploring voice work and projection. Delving into character work and discovering stock characters. Length of workshop adaptable. Suitable for all ages.

Price Guideline
The cost of the sessions are based on two workshop leaders, so fees are priced accordingly. Below is the basic flat rate, the overall fee will be plus travel expenses and for some workshops will be extra for art materials. However fees are not set in concrete and can be negotiated according to the group and project. Also if you are particularly interested in a workshop but money is an issue, we can tailor the session to cut costs for you, i.e. One workshop leader or we could direct you to charities that will help you fund the workshop/project. Please feel free to contact us to dicuss options.
1hr workshop - £60
Half day workshop- £200
Full day workshop- £400

RESIDENCES
This could work as a project to support teachers that are taking on their first theatre production, or to support teachers/ leaders that need help and advice with visual arts related projects. It could also be to create a production from start to finish, over a period of time. This would be valuable for teachers who have limited theatre/art skills or time to dedicate to a production. It would also be valuable for a community group that wish to enrich their company by learning theatre skills and learn how to create a professional performance. Company residences can be negotiated; we can tailor a project over a succession of weeks to culminate in a finished product or performance. Fee is negotiable depending on project. Please see our Performance Project Page for further details.