19 November 2008

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Chicken Shed Theatre

Treat your children to a trip to the theatre this Autumn. Chicken Shed Theatre is offering a free child's ticket for every adult ticket purchased for their season of "Tales from the Shed". Please quote whatson4kids when you book. This offer runs until 4th October.

"Tales from the Shed" from Chicken Shed Theatre

Step into a world of music and magic - 'Tales from the Shed' brings stories, both original and traditional, to life in a land of colour, characters and fun. This interactive performance for the under 7's introduces them to a universe where there is no edge to the stage, so children and performers travel a theatrical journey together.

"Tales from the Shed" has been running since 1996 and has created hundreds of songs and stories and many, many characters. Thousands of children have passed through its magical world of make-believe, building friendships with the characters, learning the songs, almost as they learn to talk, bringing their own magic to an ever-changing show that absorbs their contribution and imagination.

'Tales from the Shed' is part of Chicken Shed Theatre's inclusive programme. It is for all children and shows us a world where everybody can come and share together and not only believe in the magic but make it happen. (Children attending must be accompanied by an adult).

Tales From The Shed

Every Friday and Saturday morning
Venue: Chicken Shed Theatre, Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 4PE
Time of Event: 09.30 am and 11.15 am
Entrance Cost: £5.00 adult / £3.50 children £4.00 / £2.50 concession.
Dates:
Friday 15th September / Saturday 16th September
Friday 22nd September / Saturday 23rd September
Friday 29th September / Saturday 30th September
Friday 6th October / Saturday 7th October
Friday 13th October /Saturday 14th October
Friday 20th October /Saturday 21st October
Friday 27th October / Saturday 28th October

Box Office: 020 8292 9222, Minicom: 020 8350 0676

CHILDREN'S AND YOUTH THEATRE

As a company with six hundred and fifty members under the age of twenty-one we undoubtedly have the largest children's and youth theatre in the country. Yet even with such a large membership we remain committed to the individual and encouraging and acknowledging their contribution to the work - this is central to our inclusive approach. How do we achieve this with our relatively limited resources?

Part of encouraging creative contribution in an inclusive environment involves giving responsibility over to our members. Therefore, from the moment a child comes to their first Chicken Shed session, at the age of five, they are made aware of the impact that their presence has made on a group and they are encouraged to see the impact others are having. This continues to be emphasised as they move through our children's theatre both by members of staff and the huge pool of Youth Theatre members who work with us in the Children's Theatre sessions. It is this process of reciprocal support and respect that is encouraged amongst all groups that enables us to work with such large numbers of children from such a wide range of backgrounds. By the time our members reach the Youth Theatre (aged thirteen) they work independently as a self-supporting peer group. They have an advanced understanding or the way that we work and they share this with the rest of the membership.

Throughout the artistic programme our children's and youth theatre members experience a wide range of theatrical settings. But whether they are part of a cast of a thousand moving up the Mall to represent 'the future', working with their peer group in a workshop environment, developing material for the Youth Band's contribution to the Cabaret or coaxing a nervous five year old into the room they are encouraged to approach their work in the same way. They know they are part of something unique and that they are each responsible for sharing this message with society. We are often asked to explain how we work within the children's and youth theatre and sum up the effect it has on those who experience it. This is sometimes difficult for us as we are used to giving this voice to our members and it can feel presumptuous to take this away from them. So we asked for THEIR comments about THEIR company and this is what they said....

At Chicken Shed every individual counts and so everyone has the chance to express themselves and share ideas without feeling any pressure. At Chicken Shed everyone is equal. You don’t act for yourselves you help each other. That is what makes Chicken Shed so special. Everyone's welcome and no one's left out. You are recognised as someone and not as "no one". The atmosphere is fantastic - working with so many different people and performing with them is always a great experience. The way everyone regardless of background, age and race comes together on stage is inspirational.

We are each other's responsibility and help each other to perform to the best of our ability...