Drama Club

Youth Theatre  
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Saltley Academy and Washwood Heath Academy

After a number of years working with our Partner Schools Washwood Heath Academy and Saltley Academy we were fortunate enough to gain a Change Makers grant from Arts Council England which allowed us to launch a Drama Club as an after school activity at both schools.

Our ambition was to give students we may have worked with in school time the opportunity to have some fun doing drama in their own time free from any curriculum restraints. Drama club also presented us with an opportunity to offer the local community some engagement with our work which we hope will lead to them making their own work and coming to see ours.

We started gently in Saltley Academy in January meeting once a week, they showed off the results of their work at the end of their first half term and after the half term holidays we started the Washwood Heath Drama Club. By the end of the year both groups put on a joint production of Us and Them by David Campton.

For our first production we chose to perform Us and Them as it is a short play about two groups who meet for the first time and the suspicions and anxiety that arrise from this meeting. The play was rehearsed by the two groups separately until the day of the first performance when both groups came together at Washwood Heath Academy to get to know each other, rehearse through the afternoon and perform in the usual Drama Club slot directly after school. The following day the show was performed again at the Dolphin Women’s Centre, a community facility a mile from the two schools and finally at Saltley Academy again in the Drama Club slot.

Emboldened by this first production, in the Spring of 2018 Drama Club created a new version of our touring show Time Critical. This version combined world events with moments from the lives of the children in a fast moving show with guest appearances from Craig and Amy from the touring show.

Drama Club led by Rebecca Rochelle
Produced by Lucy Nicholls


Us and Them

Us and Them written by David Campton
Performed by: Drama Club
Directed by: Rebecca Rochelle
Produced by: Lucy Nicholls
Set and costume design: Nicola Richardson
Costumes kindly made by: The women of the Dolphin Centre
Lighting and sound: Liam D’Authreau
Photography: Kate Green
Video Documentation: Rachel Bunce
Production assistants Sarah Lopez and Natalie Hart
Thanks to: Maxine Mills and all the staff and participants at the Dolphin Women’s Centre.
Ms McLachlan, Mr Weir, Ms Bickley, Ms Pritchard, Ms Pugh and Mr Spooner and everyone at Saltley Academy and Washwood Heath Academy.

Tour Dates

  • 18 July, 2017
    Washwood Heath Academy, Birmingham

  • 19 July 2017
    Dolphin Centre, Birmingham

  • 19 July, 2017
    Saltley Academy


Time Critical

Time Critical devised by The Drama Club
Performed by: Drama Club with Amy Ann Haigh and Craig Stephens
Directed by: Rebecca Rochelle
Produced by: Adam Carver
Lighting and sound: Liam D’Authreau
Photography: Kate Green
Thanks to: Maxine Mills and all the staff and participants at the Dolphin Women’s Centre.
Ms McLachlan, Mr Weir, Ms Bickley, Ms Pritchard, Ms Pugh and Mr Spooner and everyone at Saltley Academy and Washwood Heath Academy.

Tour Dates

  • 20 March, 2018
    Washwood Heath Academy, Birmingham

  • 21 March, 2018
    Dolphin Centre, Birmingham

  • 21 March, 2018
    Saltley Academy, Birmingham