Frequently Asked Questions | Court Youth Theatre

What do you mean by the complete production process?

Theatre and production is about so much more than performance, and at CYT we are delighted to be able to share all that it takes to prepare for and deliver a production.

This incorporates such things as storyboarding and script writing, character development, marketing and advertising, costume design, directing, stage management, lighting and sound and front of house and much, much more.

Giving children and young people the opportunity to develop these skills and the awareness of how the whole process knits together provides invaluable insight not just into the theatre and production industry, but in collaborative working as a concept.

My child is interested in technical theatre but doesn’t want to perform, can they still come?

Of course, we welcome everyone who has an interest in any aspect of theatre arts, media or production. With our vast experience of working in a child-led environment, the sessions are very much moulded to suit the participants.

I can safely say there is no such thing as an off the shelf CYT experience, and it is the skill of our facilitators that means that sessions are dynamic and engaging, constantly evolving to respond to the ideas, imaginations and creativity of the children and young people who attend them.

All of our sessions are dual led with the addition of Peer Leaders for added support, meaning that we can ensure that each participant is working towards something that lights them up.

My child is really shy, but wants to have a go. How do I encourage them to try it?

CYT has become known and celebrated locally for welcoming children into a playful, creative and supportive environment.

We offer trial sessions for your child to come along and see what we do, sometimes this might be to pop along with a parent and watch at the side, this might be to come and join in whilst a parent/guardian/older sibling comes and sits in or joins in the session too, or it might be to come along at the end of one of our sessions when all the other children have gone home to meet with us so we can tell you a bit more about what we do.

No-one is ever made to do anything that they don’t want to do, we listen carefully to the wishes of each child, and have a vast amount of experience in working with group dynamics. Our session age ranges deliberately overlap as we know that some children would prefer to stay on longer in a group so that they are the oldest of the group, rather than the youngest in the next group.

Our Saturday morning sessions are great for younger children who would like to try it out. Also, please just get in touch and we can chat about how best to support your child.

Why do you focus on devising rather than using scripts, and what is the intention behind this way of working?

Devising and storytelling are important creative skills and underpin the essence of what we offer as part of the CYT experience. Alongside our hands-on facilitation in theatre craft and production, we also provide a strong grounding in narrative theory and storytelling. This draws on theconcept that people are essentially storytellers.

Storytelling is one of the oldest and most universal forms of communication and so individuals approach their social world in a narrative mode and make decisions and act within this narrative framework. We use narratives and stories to explore and understand fundamental elements of our experience, in short how stories help people make sense of the world, while also studying how people make sense of stories.

Alongside stories from our own experiences, from common understanding and from shared events, when we encourage the development of imagination and the nurturing of creativity, we complement our storytelling repertoire with stories of fantasy and non-fiction, developing these into improvisations, scripts and immersive experiences from entertaining ourselves, joining together in playful creativity with others, to producing stories to be shared on stage and screen.

Whilst we of course acknowledge the great stories and scripts that have been created and at times will refer to them and include them in our process, we aim to empower children and young people to develop their own stories, find their voice and their narrative, as well as learning to listen, empathise and appreciate the stories of others.

Why is it so important to ladder their experiences?

We are very proud of the commitment of our CYT children, young people and their families, with many of our members staying with us for many years. Our longest serving member started with us when he was 5, and is just about to head off to Bristol Old Vic Theatre School!! All of our structures and models have been carefully crafted to guide the children and young people in a gentle, warm, nurturing and engaging process. This helps them to build confidence, communication skills, teamwork and theatre craft simultaneously by offering a variety of creative experiences.

As with all that we do at CYT, we are guided by the participants, we spend a long time observing the group dynamics, meeting each child where they are, and then inviting them to take steps forward into new and exciting territory. We promote bravery and courage, reminding and reassuring the participants of their skills and their preparation so that they feel exhilarated to push themselves forward without feeling out of control and overwhelmed.

How can this help support my child if they wish to pursue a career in the theatre, media or production industry?

The industry is highly competitive, and alongside the specific skills of the job or career in question, companies or employers will be looking for individuals with a wide ranging set of skills; people who are adaptable, resourceful, dynamic, hard-working, great communications, problem solvers and practical workers.

Essentially, people who are be part of a team and do what it takes to get the job done. As our sessions increase with age, so they also increase with responsibility, we move from structured facilitation, to guided facilitation, to supportive facilitation – at each step of the way empowering and encouraging CYT members to move towards independent working.

As they reach the senior groups there is the opportunity to take part in the Arts Award accredited by Trinity College, London, to support CYT as a Peer Leader, to create a portfolio of work experience and creative storytelling. We are also always delighted to celebrate our young people by writing references and supporting applications.

What is the role of a peer leader, and how can my child get involved?

Our Peer Leadership Scheme is an opportunity for children aged 10+ to work alongside the CYT team to offer and supportive, playful and nurturing role within our sessions. Peer Leaders need to be 2 years older than the youngest child in the group that they are supporting. So a 10+ year old can be a peer leader at our Saturday morning sessions aimed at 4-8 year olds, and a 13+ year old can be a Peer Leader at our Thursday afternoon sessions aimed at7-10 year olds.

There is space for 2 Peer Leaders per group, and we always offer the opportunity to our CYT members first before welcoming external applicants. We do ask for a full term commitment to ensure consistency for the sessions, and will invite potential Peer Leaders to meet with us so that we can discuss the role in greater detail…

The role of a Peer Leader:

To be a positive role model
To arrive on time
To be respectful
To listen and respond in a calm and kind manner
To engage fully with the sessions
To be playful
To share ideas
To bring energy and enthusiasm
To use positive language
To offer help and support when needed

If your child would like to become a Peer Leader please email liz@courtyouththeatre.org