On 15 April, almost 200 students joined us for an exciting practical workshop led by a team of creatives, delivered as part of the Cambridge City Council’s Cultural Education Partnership: Creative Futures.
This event, hosted in collaboration with Pilot Theatre’s national tour of Noughts & Crosses, formed part of a wider programme designed to connect young people with careers in the creative industries. Alongside the workshop, participating schools also had access to subsidised tickets for a matinee performance.
The session kicked off with Associate and Movement Director Xolani Crabtree, alongside cast members Brianna Douglas (Sephy) and Lewis Tidy (Callum). The auditorium buzzed with excitement and chatter as students were given the rare opportunity to step into the role of director, reimagining a scene from the play with its two main cast members. There were lots of hands up with exciting ideas from blocking and prop swaps to imaginative takes on how the actors could bring their characters’ inner worlds to life.
The workshop then shifted to what goes on behind the scenes. We were delighted to welcome Production Manager, Luke James, to deliver a live demonstration of various technical dimensions, like lighting, sound, and stage engineering. Lots of students were thrilled to see the craft behind the performance (normally kept behind closed doors) and the precision that is required to make it work!
After a short break came a highlight for many: an open Q&A with the full acting company. A teacher shared that the students found the close proximity to the actors and real insight into the performing world "very inspiring!” Questions ranged from tackling complex characters and preparing for fight scenes, to navigating auditions, rehearsals, and the touring process. Best of all, there were lots of smiles and laughter both on and off stage.
Following the Q&A, Designer, Simon Kenny, took students through the development of Noughts & Crosses, diving into its conceptual and visual world. He revealed how choices around set and costume design can shape and impact the storytelling of a production. We are so grateful to the Pilot Theatre team for so generously sharing their expertise and energy with our students.
We believe that theatre should be accessible, engaging, and open to all. We are grateful to all the students, teachers, cast, and creatives who took part, and we look forward to welcoming more young people to creative career events at The Arts Theatre Cambridge.
"It was really fun and interesting to learn about all the work put into the show behind the scenes, and I especially loved the Q&A with the actors!"
"The workshop allowed me to reflect on my own studies, especially the devising unit that we are currently working on."
"It made it feel like I could have this career. I look at actors usually and think I am nothing like them but knowing they are human just like everyone else made it feel possible in the future."
"It was a great experience seeing professional actors and talking to the director. And set producer. In the future I'd love to go to another trip."
"It was FANTASTIC"
