ABOUT US
The philosophy at OWTS is to encourage and enable children to produce and perform.
We decided to form OWTS as a not for profit group as we felt we could take a completely different (and much healthier) approach.
The major difference between OWTS and the other local groups, is that our aim is to build confidence through building skills: "Talent" or experience are definitely not a prerequisite. Children are involved in all aspects of putting on a show (stagecraft skills: scenery, technical, costumes, make up, script and performing) - teaching them the importance of team building, drawing on your imagination, using your initiative and daring to have a go. We know of no other group like this! Many of the team work within local schools either as teachers or support staff.
When Clare and Heather started OWTS, about 18 years ago, they were very clear that the students should be involved in all aspects of putting on a show and over the years the team has endeavoured to maximise the student’s input. One example of this is how we involve the children in the script writing process. Rather than buying a ready to go script off the internet we start from scratch, ensuring every script is original.
How do we ensure that everyone has a chance to influence and input into the script though?
Well, during the year Clare and the team create a script framework which outlines the structure of the story and how the plot unfolds. Once the project begins this framework is discussed with all the students during the first few days and we start to gather rough thoughts, ideas and suggestions from them.
We form groups that reflect age, scenes, interests and of course friendship groups and use these as a basis for rehearsals. The concept for each scene is shared with the students through improvisation workshops and these form the content of the final script - some sessions are videoed to ensure that an accurate interpretation is captured.
Many will have wondered how the students learn their lines - this is made easier because we use their words and ideas created during the improvisation sessions.
Additional workshops throughout the project include dance, song, along with fun and creative activities
