Education and Outreach
The Playhouses runs a large selection of in-house and outreach education programmes and workshops in the North West and across the island of Ireland for ever age group from toddlers to adults, including accredited courses.
Community Relation Projects Urban Arts Foundation Project |
The programme began on the July 3 2006 and each module ran over a two-week period comprising over 30 hours contact time for each subject. Phase two began on the July 31 2007. Each phase culminated in a show case and the participants attended a graduation on the 22 September 2007 where the received their Open College Network qualification. The participants have successfully completed this project and have created a series of issue-based paintings and a group mural, which tackles the theme of symbolism, identity and culture. Choreographed a dance piece that addresses division and celebrates youth culture and the importance of identity and interdependence. Written poems and short stories, that expresses individual views on violence and sectarianism in our society. Created five short films dissecting youth culture, perceptions, and identity and explored culture through music, using modern techniques the group have mixed traditional beats with modern hip-hop through a djing skills course, encouraging the participants of challenge perceptions.
The participants enjoyed several visits to the local library to use the internet and reference section to obtain evidence for their accreditation.
This project was developed with the objective of providing this mixed group of teenagers and young adults with the skills to interact and the confidence to discuss hard-hitting community relations issues. |
Stitch in Time |
This project is designed to not only to address community relations issues but to also bridge the ever expanding gap between children and senior citizens. This project will encourage positive interaction between children from marginalized Protestant and Catholic communities to share their stories and to talk to older members of their communities. The participants will take an in-depth look at their identity, culture and heritage and capture elements in the form of stitched fabric segments that will be added together creating a diversity quit, representing the thoughts and feelings of members of our society. The medium of needlework was chosen to represent the shirt factories and how they where an integral part of Derry/ Londonderry’s history, and a place were women and men regardless of their religious affiliation worked side by side, hopefully inspiring participating children and adults and encouraging the celebration of diversity. |
Free Fashion First |
This project will take an in-depth look at the pressures on young people to conform and how teenagers are pigeon holed into stereotypes depending on what they choose to wear. The project will address community relations issues through popular culture and shared interests. The participants will also address consumerism and the project will create awareness on identity and culture. The participants will explore community relations issues through the arts, using drama, dance and visual arts as a catalyst to address CR issues. The programme will tackle consumerism and its effects on young people, the impact of labels, popular culture and advertising on their choices. The participants will address popular culture and express shared interests and views on stereotypes and branding. They will learn about advertising and how opinions can be manipulated and objects can be made desirable. They will discuss branding and how it applies in the Northern Ireland context and within their communities. The group will engage in meaningful community relations debate and challenge ingrained thoughts and perceptions using the arts as a catalyst to do so. This project culminated in a show case and the participants attended the NI Open College Network annual graduation in The Playhouse on September 22 2007 to receive their qualifications. |
Why Walls ? |
This project will address the ongoing tension at interface areas and the adverse effect that it has on children who live there or go to school in these areas. This project will attempt to build positive relationships between children attending schools based in these interface areas by focusing on creating positive relationships and a positive shared experience. The programme will provide children with an opportunity to tell their stories through creative writing, and these stories will be exchanged and discussed. The children will be encouraged to explore community relations issues within their creative writing, and children will exchange stories via video conferencing, which will be set up especially for the programme and exchange trips. The project will culminate in a publication of the children work and a formal presentation to family and friends on June 2008. |
Early Years @ The Playhouse |
"The curriculum is not child centred or teacher directed. The curriculum is child originated and teacher framed...We have given great care in selecting the term 'negotiated curriculum' instead of emergent or child centred curriculum. We propose that 'negotiated curriculum' better captures the constructive, continual and reciprocal relation among teachers, children and parents and better captures the negotiations among subject matter: representational media and the children's current knowledge." Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange, vol. 3, no. This project is a cross community initiative, using the arts as a catalyst to explore community relations themes. This current phase has adapted the Reggio Emilia Approach to pre school education, and has developed emergent curriculum based learning, which enhances creative, cogitative and motor skills. The project is based in St Columbs Park House Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, which provides both a safe indoor and outdoor environment to explore community relations themes such as respect for diversity and interdependence. |
Walk this Way- Cross Community Carnival Committee |
They began the project by contacting two groups that they believed would benefit from the diverse range of activity that was on offer designed to tackle the contentious theme of ‘marching and parades’. Two groups were selected in a cross- border cross community capacity. The participants completed single identity workshops designed to give each group a better understanding of their own culture and identity and eventually creating a feeling of confidence and understanding when twined with each other. The groups visited each other for practical workshops in which the arts were used to address community relations issues on negative perceptions surrounding marching and parades. The group participated in a St Patrick’s Day Carnival in Donegal and helped with 12th celebration in the North. The children and young people designed there own Summer Street carnival, which celebrated diversity and involved children and adults from usually very divided communities. This programme is funded my the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation administered by the Community Relations Council
For further information on Community Relations projects please contact |
Telling Tales |
The first eight young people to complete the course worked together on a large Graffiti mural. The second group worked in pairs, a mentor with a young person, to find a way of using art to describe their feelings and opinions about the issues that directly affect their lives. “The project has broadened the young people’s horizons and given them increased confidence and a stronger sense of self belief”, said Denise Mac Dermott from NIACRO. “Our goal was for them to have a lot of fun, but also to help them explore their experience of social exclusion, and to give them the opportunity to gain a recognised OCN qualification. And the fact they are learning together with the volunteer mentors adds another dimension to the work.” Siuán McLaughlin from the Playhouse was equally enthusiastic. "The progress that the young people have shown is remarkable”, she said. “They have explored several social themes and researched into the work of relevant artists using the Internet as a research tool, and they’ve developed individual social skills, creative and decision making abilities. The programme has to date been a total success and has provided the young people with the confidence and skills to further their training in the arts." This programme culminated in an art exhibition in the Context Gallery in the Playhouse. Which took place on 25 July 2007, this exhibition showcased the work from the art project entitled “Telling Tales”, pioneered by The Playhouse and NIACRO. The two organisations came together to design a project which could help young people involved in the youth justice system express their individual perspectives on life, their sense of themselves, through the medium of visual art while at the same time obtain an Northern Ireland Open College Network qualification. The project was funded by the BBC’s Children in Need, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Department for Employment and Learning.
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Accredited Arts Training for 16+ Years |
Welcome to The Playhouse's Accredited Arts Courses Department for adults. I hope you will find some useful information that will inspire you to get involved in the creative arts. The Playhouse has been an accredited arts centre for the community, delivering Open College Network N.I. courses since 1997. During the past 10 years our portfolio of courses to choose from has been growing from strength to strength. We offer accredited courses from Entry Level (beginners) right through to Level 3 (advanced) within the Visual Arts Programme, The Performing Arts Programme and The Playhouse’s Creative Arts Programme. (Please click here for a full breakdown of short courses available). Of course it would be impossible for us to offer all of our courses, all of the time. To this end, we try to alternate the provision of programmes each academic year. We deliver our programmes either as night classes, which are open to the public, or day programmes, which are with pre-determined community organisations and groups. We are always looking to build and foster relationships with various organisations, so if you are part of a group, who might be interested in our accredited arts provision, then please get in touch. Please click here for further information on groups we have worked with. As a community arts organisation we are here to deliver what you want. If you do not see anything on our list of courses, then please get in touch, as we are always expanding our portfolio of course provision and welcome any feedback. Sharon Moran Head of Education
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This programme was set up with the aim to use the arts as a catalyst to explore community relations issues that are directly effecting young people living in very divided communities and interface areas.
The group also attended a mural tour around Belfast where they got to see first hand a wide range of political, educational and contemporary murals. The tour guide gave them information on all of the murals and their content, the tour included a walk down the peace line were the group discussed freely their opinions on different political and community relations issues, triggered by their surroundings.
This is an intergenerational project and will involve children and senior citizens from the wider Derry/ Londonderry area and engage them in meaningful discussion on identity, history, culture and heritage.
This project addressed the tradition of marching and parades and dealt with issues directly associated with them, it ran for a year from October 2006 to October 2007.
Young people from Derry/Londonderry who take part in the NIACRO Mentoring Project have been involved in this visual arts programme, developing their artistic skills alongside their volunteer mentors who are helping them build positive attitudes and find alternatives to anti social behaviour. 
EXTENDED SCHOOLS PROVISION The Playhouse Alternative Curriculum |
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Playhouse’s Visual Arts Programme |
| Staff, Students & the Community can explore: • Digital Photography • Pottery / Mosaic • Printmaking • Jewellery Making • Mask Making • Painting Techniques • Graffiti Art AND MUCH MORE... |
| Playhouse’s Performing Arts Programme |
| Staff, Students & the Community can explore: • Acting Skills • Improvisation • Oral Storytelling • Film/Video Production • Radio Production • Technical Theatre (Light/Sound) AND MUCH MORE... |
| Playhouse’s Creative Arts Programme |
| Staff, Students & the Community can explore: • Creative Writing • Music & Song • Movement & Dance AND MUCH MORE... |
For further information and to set up a meeting please contact: |
ADULT NIGHT CLASSES FEBRUARY-APRIL 2008 |
| COST: UNEMPLOYED £40 EMPLOYED £48 |
| Painting Techniques (OCNNI Level 3) |
| VENUE: North West Regional College, Strand Road, Derry TIME: 6pm – 9pm EVENING: Monday DATES: 4 February, 11 February, 18 February, 25 February, 3 March, 10 March, 17 March, 7 April, 14 April and 21 April |
| Performance (OCNNI Level 3) |
| VENUE: The Playhouse, St. Columb’s Hall, Derry TIME: 6pm – 9pm EVENING: Monday DATES: 4 February, 11 February, 18 February, 25 February, 3 March, 10 March, 17 March, 7 April, 14 April and 21 April |
| Radio Production (OCNNI Level 3) |
| VENUE: North West Regional College, Strand Road, Derry TIME: 6pm – 9pm EVENING: Tuesday DATES: 5 February, 12 February, 19 February, 26 February, 4 March, 11 March, 18 March, 8 April, 15 April and 22 April |
| Pottery (OCNNI Level 3) |
| VENUE: North West Regional College, Strand Road, Derry TIME: 6pm – 9pm EVENING: Tuesday DATES: 5 February, 12 February, 19 February, 26 February, 4 March, 11 March, 18 March, 8 April, 15 April and 22 April |
| Directing for Performance (OCNNI Level 3) |
| VENUE: The Playhouse, St. Columb’s Hall, Derry TIME: 6pm – 9pm EVENING: Wednesday DATES: 6 February, 13 February, 20 February, 27 February, 5 March, 12 March, 19 March, 9 April, 16 April and 23 April |
| Film / Video Production (OCNNI Level 3) |
| VENUE: North West Regional College, Northland Road, Derry TIME: 6pm – 9pm EVENING: Thursday DATES: 7 February, 14 February, 21 February, 28 February, 6 March, 13 March, 20 March, 10 April, 17 April and 24 April |
For further information on up and coming courses please contact Sharon Moran, Head of Education, The Playhouse, tel: 02871268027 or email: sharon@derryplayhouse.co.uk |
ARTSYARD |
Who’s it for? Where is it? What do you do? How to get involved Contact Zoë Morrow, ArtsYard Officer |
WORKSHOPS & ONGOING EVENTS EDUCATION & OUTREACH PROGRAMMES |
The Playhouse has an extensive education and outreach programme working with community groups throughout the North West. For more details, please contact our Education Department on 028 7126 8027. |
| DERRY PLAYHOUSE WRITERS DPW meet every Wednesday from 1 - 4 pm and offer a series of workshop's drop-in classes and masterclasses. |
| ARTWORKSHOPS FOR CHILDREN & ADULTS The Source, based in The Playhouse, facilitates a series of art workshops for both children and adults. For more details, please contact The Source on 02871268027. |
| MARY HILL SCHOOL OF BALLET The Mary Hill School of Ballet holds regular classes for children in The Playhouse Function Room every Friday between 3pm - 8pm, and every Saturday between 9am - 1pm. For more information please contact 028 7126 9276. |
| THE MAGIC LANTERN FILMSOCIETY Showing the very best in classic, contemporary, independent and world cinema, the Magic Lantern is a newly established film society based at The Playhouse Little Theatre. For more details of its forthcoming programme and membership, please contact The Playhouse on 02871268027. |
| FIRST CALL YOUTH THEATRE First Call is Derry’s longest running youth theatre. It provides training and performance opportunities for young people aged 14 - 21 years. For more details of the First Call schedule, please contact The Playhouse on 02871268027. |
| SCOIL RINCE CATHAIR NAMBALLAI: THE WALLED CITY SCHOOL OF DANCE The school meets every Tuesday from 5.30 - 7.30pm under the instruction of Michaela Temple TCRDM. Irish dancing for fun, exercise, as well as competition. Classes for solo and ceili dancing at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Dancing grades, workshops and show performances all catered for. Contact 028 71351895/07749967841 or email Michaela17@hotmail.com. |
| THE MYSTERY PLAYERS Have you ever wanted to step into Hercule Poirot’s shoes? Or do you see yourself more as a Miss Marple? The Mystery Players can make your wish come true at our special Murder Mystery events: step back in time to find out whodunit and why with a hilarious evening of sleuthing. Private functions and corporate events catered for. Please contact James Lecky on 028 7126 8027 for more details. |
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