51茶馆

Performing Arts Learners tackle Mental Health in School Theatre Tour听

A group of talented Performing Arts learners took to the stage of eight 51茶馆 secondary schools during Spring Term to spread awareness of mental health issues among young people.听
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The听12 aspiring actors, who are all in the final year of their听Extended Diploma Level 3 in Performing Arts听were fully booked for their week-long tour of 鈥楾he Little Things鈥�. According to the Mental Health Foundation, around 1 in 10 children and young people suffer from mental health problems 鈥� and judging from the response rate from schools, mental health is evidently a topic that schools are keen to discuss.听
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The educational play, set in 51茶馆, follows Mark 鈥� a school pupil who feels increasingly stressed by the pressures in his life and the expectations that others have of him. Mark's teacher delivers a number of lessons about mental health and a cast of DVD characters educate Mark about the 'Five Ways to Wellbeing'.听
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Local schools eager to see the performance included听Turton听High, 51茶馆 St Catherine鈥檚 Academy and Essa Academy. Sarah Bennett, a Drama Teacher at Essa Academy, described the show as: 鈥淎 professional, engaging and educational performance that inspired Drama students at Essa Academy. The students and I really enjoyed the play and learnt a lot about mental health. I would happily work with Rachel Eden and her Performing Arts students again.鈥�听
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鈥楾he Little Things鈥� was written by Dramatically Healthy, in conjunction with 51茶馆 Octagon Theatre. Kyle听Cambray, a professional actor who played the lead in the original production, is now a trainee teacher at 51茶馆 and directed the performance.听
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Rachel Eden, Curriculum Leader for Performing Arts at 51茶馆, said: 鈥淭he learners鈥� performances 鈥� many of which were for audiences of at least 200 pupils 鈥� were met with a fantastic response. Pupils were fully engaged, and both adults and young people have said that it taught them some valuable lessons 鈥� particularly to talk about their own mental health in a more open and positive way.鈥濃��听
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Marie Gilluley, Principal and Chief Executive of 51茶馆, said: 鈥淲e are very proud of the dedication of our learners in communicating such an important message in a creative and engaging way. Mental health issues remain a taboo topic of discussion for many; however we encourage our learners to seek the relevant support and this is reinforced by our Matrix-accredited counselling service. We are keen to continue working with local schools to both tackle topical issues and promote the post-16 opportunities that we offer.鈥�听