Emma (Hammond Performing Arts School)
Mon 2 – Sat 7 Feb
I’ve loved my time at Doorstep! Although I’ve only been here for 5 days I feel like I’ve learned so much with working in an office environment, working with children in a primary school and even experiencing a fun workshop with students the same age as me and inspiring artists.
On Monday I was given such a clear insight on what I would be doing throughout the week and I had a really good introduction to the office learning new skills already. Monday evening was definitely one my highlights as Doorstep had Jamaal O’Driscoll and his dancers in for a 4 hour workshop. I felt a little nervous before I went in but all the young people who train at Doorstep were soo nice and I made some really lovely friendships whilst also getting a chance to dance all evening which is something I am super passionate about!
On Tuesday and Wednesday I experienced being in an office environment. I learnt so much about all the time and effort the staff at Doorstep put into the business and I also felt really inspired being at the big heartbeat meeting and listening to all of the amazing things it takes to run a business like doorstep.
On Thursday I went to assist Polly at Homelands Primary School and it was probably my favourite part of the week! Being a dancer, I felt right in my comfort zone and discovered I love working with children!! It was such a fun day!
On my last day, I came and helped out at a Saturday theatre club all morning and as I already discovered I loved working with children, it was just as fun!
Overall, my week at doorstep was something so special I won’t ever forget it. I will take things I’ve learnt this week with me forever and always remember the lovely faces of all of the kind, supportive staff at doorstep who really bring theatre alive in Torbay! All the work they do is so inspiring and I hope I can help the performing arts industry for young people (especially in the South West) when I’m older just like how the Doorstep team do at the moment! I will certainly be back at doorstep in the future ⭐️
Amy (Churston Ferrers Grammar School)
Mon 2 – Fri 6th March
My work experience placement at Doorstep Arts gave me so many opportunities and provided me with such a welcoming environment as soon as I arrived thanks to their kind staff.
On my first day Helen showed us around and told us about the company and all the wonderful things they do. Then Helen showed us a bit about how they plan the costumes they need for a show which was cool.
After our lunch break we met Jade and she talked to us about something they are planning called Theatre of the Mind and we all had a really interesting conversation together.
Another lovely Doorstep employee -Erin- was kind enough to come and see us and let us meet Clark Bain who does amazing work with drama therapy in prisons, we also learnt about something he created called -The Drama spiral. We all continued to talk and then Clark gifted us his book for us to give to our drama department, very generous.
Later on we took part in DAS with Polly and the junior and senior groups which was super fun and at the moment they are preparing for their next production- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! So lots of great games and singing.
Day two, the morning started with us sitting in on their ‘Heartbeat meeting’ which was really inspiring as I got to see how hard they work and all the aspects there are to running a company. After the meeting and lunch, Polly asked us to go to the attic and look through for anything that could be used for costumes for Chitty, which I loved and we managed to find lots of useful clothing. In the evening we went to DAS again where Laura looked after us and we were given the chance to teach the Hushabye Mountain routine to the junior group and that was great, we also helped out by organising their drama cupboard.
For our last day, Polly took us to Homelands Primary School where she runs dance based activities and we took part and helped out with the Year 1s, 4s and 6s. At lunch Polly ran a dance club and games for all year groups to join in and it was so joyful and fun. This was definitely one of my highlights during my work experience because seeing how much fun all the kids had dancing and being active made me so happy as the work Polly does with them is so beneficial for them.
It was also really sweet seeing all the year 1s so smiley dancing in their World Book Day costumes. Finally we joined in with the after school club run by Harriet which was so entertaining and they were practicing their songs and scenes from musicals such as Matilda.
Overall, I had the best time at Doorstep Arts because of the AMAZING staff, all the fun with Chitty chitty bang bang practice and working with children and others doing such joyful activities and having really useful interesting conversations about working life.
Thank you so much!!
Jorja (St Cuthbert Mayne School)
Mon 27 April – Sat 2 May
During my time with doorstep arts I have been involved in a variety of tasks and have had an abundance of fun. It has already given me a massive growth in confidence and has cemented a huge love for nurturing youth in the performing arts industry. I think the best part has been getting stuck in with a group and seeing the huge amount of joy a piece of drama can provide for a young person. This placement has inspired me to think about not just my career performing but also consider a path in education as seeing the changes that a teacher can bring to a young person’s life has truly touched my heart. This heartwarming experience has made me enthusiastic to share my passion for performing arts in the future and if you are an aspiring performer I would highly recommend this outstanding opportunity for growth in both passion and talent in theatre with Doorstep Arts.
Morgana (St Cuthbert Mayne School)
Mon 27 April – Sat 2 May
Hi, I’m Morgana and I chose to do my work experience with the lovely Doorstep arts team. I had previously done a devise and discovery which was super fun, that was one of the reasons I chose to do my work experience with Doorstep. My experience over the week with Doorstep arts has reached past my expectations of what was going to happen and has been super informative of what working in the industry is like, working with the groups (DAS and DYT) has been super fun as they are all very friendly. This has definitely helped boost my confidence and my communication skills and how to work together as a team and watching all the choreography for Chitty! The staff at Doorstep are the nicest people I have met, they’re so kind and thoughtful and easy to have a laugh with and explaining what they do in the industry and it’s definitely broadened my horizons for when it will eventually be my time to look for a job in the industry.
Lacy-May (St Cuthbert Mayne School)
Mon 27 April – Sat 2 May
I’m Lacey-May, work experience at Doorstep Arts was an amazing experience. I got to help children live their dreams. My time with Doorstep has also opened myself to different opportunities in the future in performing Arts. One of my favourite times this week was working in homeland primary school with polly. I loved working with the nursery, primary and SEN children in the morning, then doing different activities on the field such as: dancing, singing and playing games. Another great time was watching how far they have gotten with chitty and learning the choreography ourselves. We played games with the younger groups, we planned what games they would play and what theatre techniques they can use in the games.
Orla (St Cuthbert Mayne School)
Mon 27 April – Sat 2 May
I went to Doorstep Arts for my work experience, The team were all super kind and explained all the tasks really clearly. It’s a great place if you are someone who is into drama , theatre or just wanting to learn about staging , lighting or the technical parts of performing. It’s also good for those who don’t want to be sat down all day as we went into schools and did group activities with young children – which helps you decide if later on life you want to work with children or not. I did my work experience with other people from my school which has made it an even better experience as it will be memories we can talk about after the experience is over. I think it’s a great place to go for classes or experience or even to watch the productions as there is always lots of effort put in.