TOTTENHAM PROJECT - FREE CLASSES FOR REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS
Explore creativity, practice English and take centre stage!
Our FREE theatre classes, running every Monday since 2018, are a pioneering project unique in the UK. They are dedicated to migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and anyone with English as a second language no matter their level of experience (we also welcome local residents who cannot afford traditional acting classes). Their overwhelming success has won us Theatre of Sanctuary status and a Haringey Heroes Award.
The sessions, all led by migrant artists from our professional team – take place at THE ENGINE ROOM TOTTENHAM HALE, and are an incredible opportunity to learn new skills, express creatively, practice English and build friendships.
“I was down when I first arrived. My GP suggested the theatre classes. I knew nothing about theatre I just wanted a reason to go out. Now theatre is my passion! (Arlind, asylum seeker)
The classes mix fun, confidence-building exercises from Augusto Boal’s Games For Actors And Non-Actors with acting, vocal and movement techniques.
They are a safe space for people to meet, learn, and make friends while learning theatrical skills. Every 18 months, the group devises a performance. Tugging at The Sea and Ali in Wonder(ENG)land started here!
ADVANCED CLASSES and CAREER TRAINING: Participants attending CONSISTENTLY for 18 months and interested in professional development, are invited to join our fortnightly advanced classes. These sessions focus on specific acting techniques useful to prepare an audition or develop a character. We also share training methodologies for those willing to start a career as facilitators. Four ex-participants have already joined our team!
FOCUS
The objective of the sessions is true inclusion through theatrical training.
We are inspired by Augusto Boal’s theatre of the Oppressed but also by Grotowsky’s and Lecoq’s physical theatre practice.
We start from the body and encourage particpants to take space. To discover their voices. To overcome fear. Only then we introduce text.
We want to create a space where everyone feels welcome, where barriers to the arts are overcome (we offer travel support, multilingual facilitators, and a community of people focused on every participant’s needs) and where everyone – including the professional facilitators – have experienced migration.
We avoid triggering subjects, we do not ask people to share personal stories, we encourage personal expression and never impose pre-fabricated frames
ACTIVITIES
- We start with “theatre games” to warm up, work on team building, imagination, and listening.
- Vocal exercises (articulation, breathing, pronunciation) build confidence, and are popular with people who are shy and scared to speak in public
- Guided improvisations are also part of the sessions, with participants being encouraged to invent stories, work on storytelling, freewriting, and creativity.
- Different acting techniques (inspired by the masters of international theatre like Lecoq’s, Barba and Bogart) are taught to develop skills and confidence.
- We use extracts from contemporary and classic plays, to practice approaching written language. Translation provided if needed.
With LegalAliens, I have found a family, it’s so much fun and I learn so much (Yuna, asylum seeker)
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