London students learn playwriting skills thanks to Donmar Warehouse education project sponsored by United House

08/12/2011

To accompany the Donmar Warehouse’s most recent season at the Trafalgar Studios, the season sponsor United House, in tandem with the theatre have launched an initiative for local schools to encourage playwriting skills. A-level and BTEC students from Lambeth College, Jo Richardson Community School in Barking and Dagenham and Beacon School in Banstead gathered at the Trafalgar Studios in the West End this week to take part.

United House, the specialist social housing contractor and developer, arranged the schools situated within the communities it is currently working on social housing refurbishment projects to take part in the education programme.

The scheme was based around the current production at the Trafalgar Studios, SALT, ROOT & ROE and involved working with the three schools to equip the students with the skills to write their own plays, and give them a first-hand insight into the workings behind a professional theatre production.
The 16-18 year old students had been working with the Donmar since September when they met Tim Price, the writer of SALT, ROOT & ROE, and the director of the play, Hamish Pirie, at a launch day where they took part in a series of master classes. Following this, the students developed their own pieces, based on themes inspired by SALT, ROOT & ROE. The Donmar’s education team also visited the schools to work with the students on their plays.

The project culminated this week when a selection of the students’ scripts were chosen, by the Donmar Warehouse, to be performed by actors on the stage of Trafalgar Studios, watched by the production’s cast members Imogen Stubbs and Anna Calder-Marshall. The students were also given tickets to watch SALT, ROOT & ROE – a new play which was specially commissioned for the Donmar Trafalgar Season. Strongly influenced by the writer’s Welsh roots, the play is a heartbreaking, humorous tale of love and family set against the mythical backdrop of rural Pembrokeshire.

Jeffrey Adams, Group Chief Executive of United House, sponsors of the Donmar Education Project and the Donmar season at Trafalgar Studios, said: "We are undertaking refurbishment work on estates in London and we chose schools from the areas we are working in to take part in the Donmar Education Project - part of our investment in the local community. I am passionate about theatre and we have sponsored the Donmar for the past 14 years.  This project gives London teenagers a great opportunity to visit and work with a West End director and actors."

Michael Grandage Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, said "The whole of the Trafalgar season is geared towards young people and so I am particularly delighted that the education work for Salt, Root and Roe has been so rewarding and so well achieved. I am also delighted that United House continue to support us in this important venture. Without them, we would not be able to reach out to as many young people as we do."