Drama Projects 2006
Cardiff Prison Drama Project
"Being
a writer was not something I had ever considered until I came to
Cardiff prison after being transferred here from Wormwood Scrubs
and even then it began out of necessity rather than a desire. I say
necessity because it was my dogged determination when I came here
to stage plays for the prisoners and staff that forced my hand, so
to speak. I had no idea how to write a play, all I had was some previous
experience of acting in plays at the Scrubs and so I drew on that
experience and wrote, from memory, 'Snow White and the Seven Addictions'.
Staging a play here at Cardiff prison was unheard of but a significant success when it finally happened; it might have been a basic production with very little funding but thanks to the sheer hard work and determination of everyone involved we did something special.
The foundations were now laid and I discovered in myself something that I actually enjoyed but I also realised that the next play I wrote had to be my own work. The next play I wrote was an adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol', the benefit to me of doing this was having a story I already knew but one that I could make my own.
I wrote 'Scrooge' as a contemporary tale with the miserly Scrooge as the boss of a Cardiff car clamping firm who forces his staff to go out over the Christmas period and clamp anything and everything or lose their jobs. It was another great success and again it was due to the hard work and determination of everyone who took part, but by now I had met someone who has been an inspiration to me ever since and whose experience has been something that I have been able to draw upon; Cardiff prison had appointed its first ever Writer in Residence, Bridget Keehan.
After 'Scrooge' it was decided to try something different and so we came up with the idea of a satirical view of prison life which we called 'Little Prison'. I did a lot of the writing for this but I certainly can't take all the credit and Bridget's input taught me some valuable lessons in how to work creatively. 'Little Prison' was a hit with prisoners and staff and by now I really had the bug to do something that was unique.
In collaboration with Bridget we set out to do a production that would be by far our most ambitious yet, first of all we needed a story. We came up with the idea of multi-national conglomerates such as McDonalds and British American Tobacco being run by egotistical maniacs who have plans to brainwash the world and convince everyone that fast food is healthy and nutritious and that smoking is a good thing to do. Eventually though their plan is thwarted by a group of environmental activists led by an expert computer hacker called Oliver.
Apart from Oliver the script also included characters such as Fagin, Dodger, Nancy and Bill as well as a host of characters entirely of my invention. I felt that by using some characters from Dickens's Oliver Twist I was able to make a challenging script more accessible to a prison audience. When developing 'Oliver the Twister', I found I was writing about a lot of issues I actually had very little knowledge of so I had to rely on research and other people's personal beliefs.
With funding from the Arts Council for Wales I was really excited about this production but I knew it wasn't going to be easy. First of all we had to find a cast that could pull it off, unlike most theatres we haven't got a wealth of experienced actors to choose from. Most prisoners have never done things like this before; it's not that they can't do it though, as we have discovered in the past, there is talent in abundance in a prison and sometimes it comes from the most unexpected quarters.
Some of the cast members that came forward had been in previous productions staged here but the rest had no experience whatsoever, and their determination and commitment was extraordinary. An added bonus was the introduction of Alex Alderton, a professional actor whose experience was something that the other cast members were able to draw on, and of course we also had a great director in Bridget Keehan.
In staging this production we had gone much further than ever before and there was a concern in its early stages that maybe we were being too ambitious. I think the assumption was that this production was beyond the intellect of most prisoners. Going back to the script briefly I must admit that when writing the various scenes I had a tendency to repeat, at times, the main plot lines for fear that the plot would be lost along the way.
I know now that there was really no need to have done that and so I learned a valuable lesson. The whole experience has taught me so much and I know I will use what I have learned in whatever I do next, but working with great people like Bridget and Alex and learning so much from them will be no good unless I remain determined and committed to becoming a great writer and that is what I intend to be."
George McIvor, Cardiff Prison, Spring 2006
Port Talbot Youth Offending Team - Expect the Best
Valley and Vale have been running a pilot Community Drama Project with the Youth Offending Team in Neath Port Talbot in Spring 2006. The young people have had a variety of Drama workshops, and have been working on a short film about what happens to young people who offend. Using drama and film the young people have spoken about the difficulties they face in terms of jobs and housing, their lives and their loss of liberty. They worked with magistrates in Port Talbot to make a drama of what happens to them in the court room and how this feels.
They want their film to be used to show to other young people, to make them think about the consequences that offending behaviour may have upon their lives in the long term. The project has been hugely successful and will hopeful lead to ongoing creative workshops with the Port Talbot YOT.
Roots - Creativity and Relaxation
For
the last three months adults from Hafal Bridgend have been coming to
Valley and Vale at the Sardis Media Centre on Tuesday mornings to take
part in creative arts workshops run by Drama Development Worker Ali
Franks and Dance Development Worker Saydi Williams.These workshops have
mostly involved drama, forum theatre techniques, dance and physical
expression.
Over the course of the project the participants have had the opportunity to reflect on memories, feelings and emotions whilst at the same time building a safe and trusting environment amongst themselves. As the project came to an end in January 2006, the participants interviewed each other about their experiences in the project.
Everyone who took part talked about how they had gained confidence, enjoyed getting closer as a group and building trusting relationships. Although sad to see the project draw to a close, we are excited about possible future projects which we are developing with Hafal and other mental health service users.
Hafal provide services for anyone affected by severe mental illness in order to help them recover a better quality of life. Hafal means "equal" in Welsh and is the operating name of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship. For further information about their work go to www.hafal.org
Rapping it up in Picasso's Kitchen
Caswell Clinic in Bridgend has produced its first ever music CD written and performed by the patients in workshops with Valley and Vale. 'All My Dreams' was created by Picasso's Kitchen during a series of Thursday night workshops running from April to June 2005 with Valley and Vale Community Arts. 'All My Dreams' was launched on 31st August 2005, where project participants were joined by friends and guests to listen to the track for the first time.
In the short space of 10 weeks the patients of Caswell Clinic learnt DJ skills and creative writing techniques. The Captain and Ali Franks from Valley and Vale who facilitated the workshops were amazed at the amount of progress made during the time and the quality of the end product. As the project progressed it was agreed that each participant who attended the sessions was responsible for writing and performing his or her own verse. During the course of the workshops a theme emerged amongst the participants, and it was decided that the track should be about dreams, as much of the creative writing had a surreal dreamlike quality to it.
At the beginning of the project it would have been difficult for many of the patients to believe that they would have the confidence to stand up and rap their own verse into a microphone by the end of the ten weeks, but due to the safe, trusting environment created in the group, confidence and self-esteem grew with much fun and laughter!
Valley and Vale Community Arts were really excited about this project which is part of a larger Arts and Mental Health Initiative called Arts, Minds And Souls. The feedback has been really positive and we hope to do more similar work in the future.
"Picasso's Kitchen was such a positive and productive project that really highlights how beneficial the creative arts can be in releasing potential for people in this kind of environment." Alex Bowen, Director, Valley and Vale.
"I really enjoyed having the opportunity to make up words and perform the rap" Chris M
"I'd like to thank OT's for the chance to have a go at DJing. I really enjoyed myself and like to do it again." Carl J
"I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed being part of what has to be the finest piece of music genius ever to come out of Caswell Clinic. It was great to work as part of a team, listening to the lyrical madness other patients had painted out of the void. Given more time Picassos Kitchen would have been a match for anything making an appearance on Top of the Pops or any other show. Eminem, eat your heart out." Daniel B
