April 2017
Joanna continues to develop and grow applied theatre as a practice. More on this can found at www.revealproductions.co.uk. Joanna and Stephen have worked more together in 2015 and 2016 and see more opportunities to develop creative and organisational capabilities combining through creative approaches to rehabilitation and linking community based performance to social action, organisational and personal development.
September 2016
Joanna: “I have just set up Reve(a)l Productions CIC. My aim is to support the growth and development of people who are marginalized/disadvantaged using Applied Theatre and putting on devised ‘Shows with Meaning’ in local community settings. We will work flexibly on a range of projects and funding. Audiences may be small and connected to the performers or in a wider setting – the performances bring a message to the audience that is critical to the development of the performers in changing their lives or the lives of others
I am focusing on developing two projects currently. I am looking at using an applied theatre approach to build resilience amongst orphans of the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, building on my previous projects with war-affected youth and children in 2012. (see www.joanna procter.co.uk home page for videos). The second project involves developing a show with a community activist from Tottenham – an African Caribbean man in his 50s, based on his life and experiences – a mediator between police, community and gangs, and with a powerful story to tell. The aim is to develop the show in a way that shows that there is an alternative to cycles of racism, exclusion and violence. This is a good example of how our skill sets will merge together over time.
By securing funding more effectively, I will be able to employ local creative people to work with me to devise work that is relevant, sustainable and has an impact in the local communities we are working in.”
Joanna was recently funded to develop an innovative approach to local storytelling in Somerset, working with Wassail Productions. Working with 4 actors and a writer, a show was devised and performed in September 2016 taking a ‘mythology’ of the Somerset Levels as the basis for the show. The show was performed on a large Millers Cart, drawn by two Suffolk horses, which wound its way around Langport and Muchelney, as the audience were invited to witness an ‘illicit’ wedding and the resolution of of a dramatic and fateful event 100 years ago connected to the flooding of the Levels!
In May, Joanna spent a few days in Greece and ran a workshop for young refugees from Syria at one of the refugee camps in Athens.
Joanna just completed her work with Help for Heroes after nearly 3 years (see below)
2015
Joanna delivered monthly drama rehab workshops through the year at Tedworth House (Help for Heroes rehabilitation centre) working with small groups of service men and women coping with physical and psychological trauma. Applying drama methods, this work aims to break down barriers to re-engaging in social situations following serious injuries. This is being delivered at Tedworth House Centre run by Help For Heroes.
She started work directing a play, working with non actors for whom the process of working together and performing will be significant to their own personal journeys of overcoming exclusion.
Stephen and Joanna worked together to provide workshops to support a staff and management engagement process Stephen was developing for Kids Company. Unfortunately, the closing of this charity at such short notice meant that the work was not completed. All in all, this was a distressing situation for the kids and young people and their parents as well as for staff. A complex set of forces were at work and our work was all about building a stronger ‘container’ for the organisation, which was spread across some 15 sites as well as outreach in 36 schools.
Stephen supported Joanna to deliver a drama workshop for 25 Young Carers in Somerset.
2012-2014
Joanna completed a 2.5 day workshop with 20 14-year olds at a multicultural school in North-west London. They explored the theme of ‘gangs and choice’ through drama and movement, and after 2 days devising and rehearsing a 20 minute performance, the young people performed the show twice the next day to some 300-400 children with their teachers. This was considered a great success, with participants overcoming their own ‘tribal’ groupings and conflicts to come together to perform as one. Increased self confidence was important feedback from the experience from participants and the power of theatre to overcome differences to celebrate diversity and talent was demonstrated. This workshop was also foundation research for a bigger project on the issue that Joanna is formulating.
She supported a number of young people preparing for a performance at a major fund-raising event for Key 4 Life.
Joanna ran a whole day workshop at a primary school – working with 30+ 8-9-year old children, she created with them a performance about power of learning, which was very well-received by parents, other children and teachers, when they performed at the end of the day.
Joanna worked intensively for a week with a year group (10-11) at a school for children with special needs including autism. The school is a London multi-cultural inner city school. This work centred around National Book Day and culminated in a performance by the year group to children at the school and parents. The evaluation showed that the process had a positive impact on the children as well as the teaching staff and the performance was very well received by parents as their children performed well together and above expectations.
In the summer and autumn 2012, Joanna worked with 4 Special Needs Schools in North-west London on a project to promote crime prevention awareness amongst children (7-16 years). Using drama, she ran 21 sessions to explore different aspects of crime involving strangers, cyber crime and self-awareness in diverse situations.
Joanna completed a project working with teenage young women to put on a show as part of youth work supported by a London Borough’s Crime Prevention Committee; this culminated in a brilliant performance by the young women involved at the town hall – with family and friends in attendance – see this here. The young women aged between 14 and 16 years old, found this experience of developing, rehearsing and performing ‘ a great experience’, ‘an amazing experience’, ‘ it is going to help me make big decisions’.
She directed ‘The Notebook’ at the Imperial War Museum performed on Armed Forces day 2011. visit Vimeo The Notebook.
Joanna continues to offer ongoing one-to-one energy work with private clients.