- A new report from Traverse Theatre reveals the transformative impact of the first Class Act on Tour – reaching over 400 young people from diverse backgrounds across Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Inverness, Mull and Dumfries & Galloway.
- Class Act supports integration of arts-based approaches in classrooms across Scotland through 257 workshops in 33 schools.
- The Jotter is an ongoing digital pack of tasks set by some of Scotland’s most exciting artists in text and video format.
- Tickets now available for the Class Act Winter Showcase 2024, presenting original work by young people with the help of professional theatre makers, actors and directors. Thurs 12 & Fri 13 December at the Traverse Theatre.
Scotland’s youth step boldly into the spotlight as Class Act’s transformation of arts education and accessibility across the country uncovers brilliant, raw, insightful and funny story telling.
Funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, this programme takes the Traverse’s flagship engagement programme on tour, engaging over 400 young people from diverse backgrounds, particularly those from areas of high deprivation and rural isolation. The project opens up access to creativity through writing plays, songs, and short films and is shown to significantly enhance literacy, communication, and creative thinking skills with an evidenced lasting legacy in many contexts.
By embedding arts-based learning within the school curriculum, Class Act on Tour empowers students through workshops that foster creative writing and performance skills, leading to exceptional results.
Teachers reported that 94% of participants gained confidence in creative writing and 97% felt more knowledgeable about theatre.
Alongside student workshops, Class Act on Tour supports educators to integrate arts-based approaches into their classrooms with digital training sessions, resources and professional development opportunities. This commitment resulted in 257 workshops being delivered across 33 schools, reaching nearly 400 students over two years.
To sustain this huge impact and legacy, Class Act on Tour created a digital resource library accessible to teachers and students alike, ensuring that this creative momentum can continue to flourish across Scotland.
Called The Jotter, this resource is the culmination of three years of work, gathering tasks from some of Scotland’s most exciting artists in both video and text format.
Collaborations with local venues such as Aberdeen Arts Centre, Ayr Gaiety Theatre and various local councils are also set to continue ensuring the lasting impact, seeking to continue attendance and participation in creative activity and theatre.
In addition to the touring work, Class Act’s recent Class Act: Ukraine in Scotland was recently praised in Parliament as an “excellent example” of art and culture’s power to “unlock creativity and potential”.
Showcasing the immense success of Class Act in Edinburgh, young people from Firrhill High School, Trinity Academy, Tynecastle High School, and Intercultural Youth Scotland see their work on the stage of the Traverse theatre on Thursday 12 and Friday 13 December, brought to life by a team of professional theatre-makers, directors, actors and musicians.
https://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event/class-act-winter-showcase-2024-autumn-24
Gareth Nicolls Artistic Director of Traverse Theatre who directs the upcoming showcase said: “Class Act has been such a vital part of the Traverse’s work in Edinburgh, unlocking the immense creativity in our young people and opening up opportunities to them to build their confidence and have their voices heard.
“Being able to take this out across Scotland for the first time has been a hugely rewarding and inspiring exercise, and we very much hope and believe that we have left many people working with young people of all backgrounds, now more confident and skilled to inspire and build and maintain creativity across the country.”
Class Act is supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Hugh Fraser Foundation, the Cruden Foundation, the David Summers Trust and the Enterprise Arts Trust.