Many theatre and dance companies performing at Darlington Arts Centre and Civic Theatre offer related workshops, resource packs and post show discussions to stimulate interest in the theatre. These are offered to local schools and community groups and sometimes become part of the children’s holiday workshop programme.
Education and outreach offers support and advice to the five main clusters of the Extended Schools initiative. Over the past three years, the schools have worked together to produce some exciting arts activities which have included ceramics, puppetry, digital art, dance and drama.
Arts weeks take place in many schools and education and outreach can offer support in managing and co-ordinating these weeks to encourage creativity and in many cases, address social issues of cultural diversity or bullying.
Performance and Gallery Workshops
Many performance companies offer related workshops and education packs to enhance their work and stimulate interest in the theatre. These are offered to local schools and colleges on a regular basis.
Exhibiting artists often provide opportunities to meet them to discuss their work, sometimes at the launch of their exhibition, or with workshops or lecture/demonstrations. These are valuable methods of enthusing the student or interested member of the public, or simply giving explanation of the work and its relevance.
Workshops and courses complement performance and visual art, acting both as an audience development and an arts education opportunity.