Ilminster Youth Theatre
ILMINSTER YOUTH THEATRE
The Ilminster Youth Theatre is open to all children from school year 2.
We aim to provide something for everyone. From opportunities to join the adults in a pantomime, putting on their own musical spectacular, performing something more dramatic or comedic to performing in front of a friendly audience, and building up every child's confidence and skill set.
Friday:
Encore – 6.00pm – 8.30pm (Years 9 – 13)
Saturday:
Prologue – 9.15 – 10.00 (Years 2/3)
Act 1 – 10.00 – 11.00 (Years 4/5)
Act 2 --11.00 – 12.30 (Years 6/7/8)
Arts Award – 12.30 - 2.00pm Bronze, Silver & Discover
Musical Theatre Group – 2.00 – 5.00 (Age 8 – 18)
See below for further details
Fridays
Encore – 6.00pm – 8.30pm (Years 9 – 13)
Young people will start to explore a range of texts and practitioners. They will take part in workshops to improve their acting knowledge and technique.
They will consider the processes involved in developing a strong, believable character. They
will work towards a performance in May.
Saturdays
Prologue – 9.15 – 10.00 (Years 2/3)
Prologue is an introduction to the theatre. We aim to build confidence through drama games and improvisations. The children get used to being on the stage and start to think about simple characterisation. Above all, we have lots of fun and work towards putting on a short performance in front of a friendly audience.
Act 1 – 10.00 – 11.00 (Years 4/5)
We build on the skills gained in Prologue. We are now starting to think about vocal skills as well as physical skills and spatial awareness. We aim to work towards putting on a short performance in front of a friendly audience.
Act 2 --11.00 – 12.30 (Years 6/7/8)
We start to think about taking on larger roles, building on physical skills, vocal skills and learning the working stage areas. They will start to consider thinking about their character on a deeper level such as how their characters are feeling in the world of the play. They will work towards a performance in May.
Arts Award – 12.30 - 2.00pm
We offer Bronze and Silver in Terms 1 and 2 and Explore and Discover in Term 3.
Discover is an introduction to the Arts Award and a chance for children to discover the Arts in the world around them.
Arts Award Explore encourages children and young people to experience different art forms and artists and develop their own creativity. Along the way, they record what they've achieved and enjoyed and share it with others.
As they work through Arts Award Explore, young people build their artistic knowledge, creativity, and confidence – and gain a recognized qualification in the process. They research a range of genres, creators, and arts organisations, and make full use of their imagination and communication skills.
Bronze Arts Award develops young people’s artistic abilities alongside their research and communication skills. This level involves them in the arts as creators and audience members and encourages them to take their first steps toward leadership by sharing their learning with others.
This qualification develops art form knowledge and creativity alongside reflective practice, problem-solving skills, and confidence. Young people complete a portfolio as their Arts Award journey progresses, explaining what they've seen, done, and learned along the way.
Bronze Arts Award is designed for ages 11 to 14 and is open to anyone aged 11 to 25. It's a Level 1 qualification on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF)
Silver Arts Award
Where artistic challenge meets arts leadership. Silver Arts Award gives young people the chance to take on an artistic challenge and a leadership role too.
As well as being about creativity, it's about becoming a reviewer, researcher, and project manager. Participants build a broad range of transferable skills as they complete their
portfolio and gain a Level 2 qualification.
There are two strands to Silver Arts Award – one focusing on artistic practice and the other
on arts leadership. Completing both successfully requires teamwork and independence, creativity and critical thinking, leadership, and collaboration, confidence and communication.
Musical Theatre Group – 2.00 – 5.00 (Age 8 – 18)
Our 2024 production was Beauty and the Beast Jr. (see photo above) which was a great deal of fun.
It was a huge team effort that really paid off. For next year (July 2025 2025) we are planning another similar show. Young people wishing to take part in this group will have an enormous amount of fun and excitement by being part of this production.
Initially we will structure the sessions into singing, dancing and acting to give each discipline equal weight so that performers learn how to tell a story through musical theatre.
However, they need to understand the commitment that it takes to put on this kind of performance. All cast members must attend every week and during the final term of the show and be aware of additional rehearsals for dress and tech during the last couple of weeks of the performance there will be dress and technical rehearsals.
All cast members will be expected to attend all of these. Cast members will also be expected to attend every performance regardless of their role.
Additionally, we will encourage parents to sign up as a chaperone.
If you would like further details or have any questions, please contact Lucy Driver who runs the Youth Theatre at lucydriver2000@gmail.com