Pen Paper action

PEN, PAPER, ACTION !

MUMBO JUMBO WORKSHOPS

Mumbo Jumbo are proposing a new type of workshop that incorporates original writing with theatre making, giving a group of young people the opportunity to explore their own creativity and bring their words to life.

How does it work? 

Over the course of 90 minutes the students will work on exercises in writing and creation. The first half of the workshop will be focused on their ideas and words where the second is about presenting these words creatively.

First half of the Workshop: Writing

Inspired by the writing process used by Company Three (a young people’s theatre company in the UK) the participants will be encouraged to respond quickly to a series of different questions centred around the idea of growing up and what it means to be a teenager. 

The participant will work alone, in pairs and in groups. Despite writing in English this is not an English test. The company wants the participants to express themselves as best they can - there are no wrong answers! The writing aspect is there to push them to think quickly and follow their instincts.

The writing element of the workshop will ask the participants to write about their own experiences and their own opinions.

Some questions explored are :

• Being a teenager is…
• My brain feels like…
• Who am I?
• Who do my parents think I am?
• Who do my friends think I am?
• ...

A chance to explore clichés, perceptions and the various pressures faced by teenagers.

Second half of the Workshop: Creating

Once the participants have explored their texts it’s now time to find ways to present their work. Working in small groups, Mumbo Jumbo will give the participants exercises to explore the best way in which to present their words. Will they be using movement? An advert? A song? How will they present their work whilst making it clear to the audience.

Again, the aim of this workshop is to work quickly and to create something in a limited amount of time. The creations become personal because they are created from the participants' own words and experiences. Mumbo Jumbo will also offer various different source materials to help the participants create their own pieces. These sources could be poems, images, music etc.

The participants will present their creations to the rest of the group at the end of the workshop. 

Extra information:

From pen to stage, the participants will be pushed to work quickly to create their own pieces in just one day. There is no English level required - the participants will work with what they have to make their pieces unique and original to them. All they need is motivation and creativity.

Option: This is one 90 minute workshop with a group of young people but, we can also extend it over two workshops with the same group. The first workshop will be the writing element and the second workshop all about creating.