Mask Workshops for Horse+Bamboo
Ahead of our Christmas residency at The Citadel (St Helens) I delivered some mask workshops in the local community.
I worked in primary schools, from reception classes through to year six, gently introducing masks and working towards mini-scenes centred around fairy tales. The Three Little Pigs was particularly entertaining! There's something really amazing about tiny children in adult-sized masks, the proportions make everything look beautifully surreal!
I also delivered two sessions in local libraries. These were for babes-in-arms through to about twelve years, and were particularly lovely as parents also attended and participated, These sessions took body language and emotions as a starting point... my favourite exercise was when the parents modelled their child(ren) into poses, and the children had to guess which emotion they represented.
One of the most rewarding workshops was a half-day spent working with The Citadel's open opportunities group for adults with disability and complex needs. I've since been back in touch with the group, and they're building on their new skills by making their own masks and talking about stories that could be told with them.
The final workshops were delivered for the public, and looked at the puppets and masks that will be used in our production. My favourite exercise with this group was Bizarre Family Portraits- every family member put on masks and posed together..even the babies!
Some Feedback:
"Lots of fun! Excellent and well-pitched at all ages."
"Lovely workshop, very hands-on, both children loved the puppets, mask & interaction."
"Great, interactive and fun! Excellent hands on experience which wouldn't easily have been accessed anywhere else. Fabulous leader of activites- fully engaging the children."
"Emily is 2 and a half...it was great to see her join in the activities and have the chance to think about emotions and acting."
"Children really enjoyed it and were fully engaged. Great learning experience."
"The actress had a lovely manner with the children. Our son said the best bit was being allowed to move the wolf himself!"