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Rural:
The Peninsula Children's Theatre Project has evolved out from the KIC artistic residency at Strangford Integrated College, Carrowdore, County Down.
KIC IN SCHOOLS.
The creative arts partnership between Strangford Integrated College and The KIC Project commenced in Spring 2002 with Year 11 students being introduced to KIC physical theatre skills and progressing to a 3-day summer training programme at the college that involved KIC tutors from Amsterdam and Belgrade.
With a Good Practice Award, the South Eastern Education and Library Board funded a developmental programme that enabled KIC to provide taster workshops for over 100 Year 8 students at the end of the academic year 2003. From these taster workshops 50 students took part in try-out workshops for a Year 9 programme that ran from September to December 2003. 18 students completed the programme and the resulting production 'Playhouse of the Children' was a highly accomplished display of their learning. The programme demonstrated an innovative approach to 'out-of-school-hours-learning' in schools, with creativity being fostered in an environment that was both carefree and disciplined at the end of the school day.
In 2004, the same programme was implemented and the resulting theatrical production 'Fortress' was an outstanding example of original storytelling performed in a dynamic physical theatre style by Year 9 students.
The Peninsula Children's Theatre Project is the independent community association managed by parents and staff from Strangford Integrated College that has emerged after 4 years of ground-breaking work at the college. The new organisation exists to provide opportunities for young people from across the Ards and North Down boroughs take part in an after-school project hosted by Strangford Integrated College that is supervised by professional drama and dance tutors. The organisation has received Arts Lottery funding for an inaugural programme and production in 2006. The programme commences at Strangford Integrated College in September and with an original theatrical production being staged in December.
The complex adaptations necessary to make this project possible within the college has been facilitated by the enthusiasm and commitment of Jacqueline Argument, Head of English, Strangford Integrated College. Jacqueline has this to say about the project:
"The KIC Project at Strangford Integrated College has been an amazing learning curve for me as a Drama and English teacher. It has allowed me to develop the confidence and skills to introduce physical theatre modules into my GCSE Drama course. But far more important is the profound effect it has had on my expectations of what children can do when their imagination is ignited and their creativity is nourished. I watched in awe as children of ALL abilities made complex meanings and ideas their own and transformed them into wonderful theatre that impressed other children and adults alike. It has profoundly changed my whole concept of how children learn."
Jacqueline Argument: Head of English, Strangford Integrated College.
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