TYPE OF WORK
Devised drama and forum theatre employing disabled and non-disabled professional actors

TARGET GROUPS
Excluded or marginalised communities including people with disabilities, young people, the traveller community, refugees and communities receiving refugees.

GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT
UK, North Africa and Middle East, South America, East Asia Pacific, South Asia, Central and Eastern Europe

COMPANY POLICY
To work closely with participating groups throughout the process to gain an understanding of the issues of concern to participants.

The company has explored a range of issues with a variety of marginalised communities, including mental health issues with young people, active citizenship in Scotland, disability awareness in the Palestinian Territories and Japan, environmental concerns in Nicaragua, issues affecting Scottish travellers, and issues affecting refugees and communities receiving refugees in Scotland.

Projects with international professional artists and companies generally take the form of a two-way exchange.

SCALE OF PROJECTS
Number of practitioners: 1–10
Number of participants: 20–150
Preparation time: 2 months – 2 years
Contact time: 3 months – 3 years

PERMANENT STAFF: 15
Robert Rae, Artistic Director
Morven Gregor, Assistant Director
Anne Fleming, Acting Company Manager
John Gunn, Finance and Administration Manager
Jo Pink, Marketing Manager

Scottish Travellers Project (UK, 1999)
The project gave a teenage traveller, Evelyn Gilhaney, the chance to work with Theatre Workshop’s artistic director and actors, to develop a short story she had written into a full-length play. The project also aimed to give a wide range of perspectives from those within the travelling community and included an exhibition and publication. It gave many local school children the opportunity to meet with young travellers and chat to them about their lives.

Partners: Scottish travellers, NGOs working with Scottish travellers such as Scottish Gypsy Traveller Association and Save the Children, members of local community education authority, Scottish Arts Council.

Theatre Training Exchange with Japan (UK/Japan, 2001)
In collaboration with Taihen Theatre Company, Osaka, Theatre Workshop’s director, Robert Rae, visited Osaka and gave workshops on developing a large-scale community play and on devising theatre. Taihen’s artistic director Manri Kim then came to Edinburgh to spend two weeks teaching her unique form of choreography to Theatre Workshop actors. This was followed by a co-production between the two companies, which was staged in Edinburgh.

Asylum Project
Tour of forum theatre piece to community venues and local theatres in Edinburgh areas, with a day on forum theatre for community education workers. (UK, spring 2003)

New Young Europeans Project
Theatre Workshop will be a partner in this British Council creative writing and photographic project. (Autumn 2003)

Anne Fleming
Theatre Workshop
34 Hamilton Place
Edinburgh
EH3 5AX

T +44 (0)131 225 7942
F +44 (0)131 220 0112

E afleming@twe.org.uk
W www.theatre-workshop.com

“I keep them right about how it should be with us, about how things are said and if it’s true to traveller tradition.”
Evelyn Gilhaney on her role in Scottish Travellers Project (UK, 1999)

“Evelyn’s really lucky, she gets to travel a lot but she gets bullied in school.”
A teenager from a local school on Scottish Travellers Project (UK, 1999)

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