Inspiring Futures
The Inspiring Futures project is touring exceptional diverse artists and new performance work for children and young people and their families to Torbay. If young people can’t see high quality theatre on their doorstep then how are they going to make it? We are working closely with a range of community venues and partners, including schools between 2023-2025 to deliver an exciting touring theatre programme. Keep an eye on our What’s On pages for live performance and workshop opportunities.
The funding allows us to provide employment opportunities for artists and other creative practitioners, supporting them to develop sustainable creative careers in Torbay.
Development Bursaries 2024
Theatre Buddies
We are thrilled to launch our new programme called ‘Theatre Buddies’. This programme is all about encouraging young people to attend the theatre and experience productions that they may not have had the chance to see before.
We are increasingly aware that with the cost of living considerably rising, many of the young people in Torbay haven’t had the opportunity to watch live theatre performances in and outside of the region.
Which raises the question ‘How can we expect young people to create original, imaginative and innovative theatre if there are multiple barriers simply getting to the theatre?’. With this in mind, we aim to make the theatre an affordable, memorable, accessible and sustainable experience for the young adults we are working with.
Life On The Edge – AONB
We were the cultural partner for the Life On The Edge project with AONB – a multi-partner project funded by a development grant from Heritage Lottery Fund. We were commissioned to support the design of their arts engagement programme during the development phase. The project aimed to restore thriving populations of some of the UK’s rarest insects living along the South West Coast Path between Berry Head and Wembury – working with residents, parish councils, schools and land owners to protect and restore precious Coastal wildlife and connect communities with nature.
Talking Turns
Torbay’s children to get extra help with their literacy through schools’ brand-new partnership with local arts organisations
11 schools in Torbay are taking on an inspirational new partnership with local arts organisations Daisi, Doorstep Arts and Sound Communities. The Riviera Education Trust’s Shiphay Learning Academy will take a leading role in Talking Turns, a project that they helped to design. Running until June 2024 the project will bring in a significant resource to help the schools and their teachers, and local creative practitioners, work together with Torbay’s school children. They’ll be finding creative ways to increase children’s oracy – being able to express yourself well. It’s about having the vocabulary to say what you want to say and the ability to structure your thoughts and express them so that they make sense to others too, in lots of different situations. Talking Turns is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
“The purpose of the Arts-based Learning Fund is to support work which enables pupils in formal education settings, particularly those experiencing systemic inequality or disadvantage, to thrive through engagement with high quality, arts-based learning.” (Paul Hamlyn Foundation, 2022)
Riviera Education Trust’s Lead for Arts and Music, Lou Darvid, says “I am just so delighted that this project is now funded and getting going. We have worked so hard with our arts organisations to secure this funding and it means so much to us that our children will have such wonderful experiences in school, while their teachers grow in skill and confidence to create even more effective ways of helping them learn – in ways that they enjoy and that help them develop such vital skills for life.”
Liz Hill, Director of the project’s Lead Organisation, Daisi, says, “This has all grown out of Torbay’s Cultural Education Partnership, which is led by Doorstep Arts and has been working throughout the pandemic to support our rich mix of local, inspirational cultural and educational professionals to work closely with each other and come up with new, creative ideas that really respond to children’s needs.”
Stewart Biddles, CEO at Riviera Education Trust says “This is exactly what we need for our children and teachers right now. We are extremely grateful to Paul Hamlyn Foundation for seeing the quality, teamwork and vision that has gone into this project plan, and for recognising that children in Torbay will benefit so much from this work, and bring their own ideas to it too. Everyone will be learning!”
Kate Rudman, Director at Sound Communities says “We are very excited about working collaboratively with teachers to help children creatively express themselves about the challenges that they are currently facing.”
Theatre of the Mind
In 2018-19, Doorstep Co-Director Jade Campbell and Associate Artist Becky Dobson worked at Brixham College over a year in a long term residency model to pilot an innovative new programme. The sessions supported Year 8 pupils in their PSHE courses, supporting the development of positive mental health, wellbeing, and awareness. The sessions use Boal and Forum Theatre drama techniques to rehearse tactics, coping strategies and communication skills linked to positive mental health cultivation.
This programme is now available for other schools, either as a 3 or a 6 week residency. Email polly@doorsteparts.co.uk or visit the Theatre of The Mind Page to find out more. You can also read our blog post about why theatre of The Mind is needed after the pandemic here.
Moor to Sea Early Years Collaboration
A special and imaginative weekly musical playgroup for Early Years children and their childminders, parents or carers at the beautiful site of Torre Abbey Historical House and Gardens. Sessions are tailored for children aged 0-4 with a focus on group music-making, multi-sensory imaginative play, fun musical games and songs. Co-hosted by Moor to Sea Music and Doorstep Arts, we offer a safe space for a parent or childminder to relax, have a cuppa or join in with the fun, whilst children immerse themselves in musical play.