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Community Outreach - Previous Projects

Chatroom/Choose Life Outreach Workshops

LyT ran an Outreach programme in Fife, Inverness and Edinburgh from March to June 2005. This Outreach programme was linked to the work of the Lyceum Youth Theatre.

As part of Shell Connections 2005, various youth theatre productions around Britain were performing Chatroom by Enda Walsh. The play revolves around a suicide chatroom and explores teenage depression and bullying.

LyT, along with Behind the Scenes Youth Theatre (Fife) and Out of Eden Senior Youth Theatre (Inverness), were among those in Scotland performing Chatroom.

The Lyceum received funding from the Choose Life campaign to provide drama workshops for young people who came to see a performance of Chatroom.

The workshops were for schools and youth groups and designed to enhance understanding of positive mental health. Participants in the programme were provided with free workshops, tickets to a Chatroom performance and travel costs.

The workshops aimed to:

  • Promote the benefits of drama and theatre in relation to mental health well being.
  • Be available to those with little or no drama experience.
  • Reach people who have not had access to LyT or the Royal Lyceum previously.
  • Be conducted by two LyT drama workshop leaders in a variety of spaces around Scotland.
  • Involve using excerpts of the Chatroom script as well as improvisation exercises looking at different issues such as communication, family relationships and society's perceptions on mental illness.
  • Promote the Choose Life campaign's objective of: promoting greater public awareness and encouraging people to seek help early.

 

A Madman Sings to the Moon

The Lyceum's first Outreach programme took place in September and October 2004.

The workshop programme was created to accompany the production of Mark Thomson's critically acclaimed play, A Madman Sings To The Moon.

Linking with the subject matter of the play the Outreach Programme was specifically aimed at groups in the Community with an interest in Mental Health and Well-Being.

The Programme had been developed to offer participating groups the opportunity to attend the performance of the play at the Lyceum and then to return to the theatre's Education space at a later date to participate in drama workshops based on the play.

The Programme was made possible with funding from the Scottish Executive's National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being.

The main aims of the programme were:

  • - To use drama to stimulate discussion about the Mental Health and Well-Being issues in the play that are relevant to the participants' lives.
  • - To introduce the benefits of drama and theatre experiences to the groups.
  • - To encourage community groups to come to the Royal Lyceum Theatre.

 

Outcome:

Twelve Edinburgh-based community groups took part in the programme with around 150 people coming to see the play, some of them visiting the Lyceum for the first time.

The Future

We welcome ideas for future Outreach projects. For further information or to discuss an idea for a project with our Education department, please call Lucy Vaughan, Head of Education on 0131 248 4838 or email lvaughan@lyceum.org.uk.