School Traditions
All three Directors of Wild Geese Theatre Company began their careers working under Sarah Gordon & Christopher Geelan - the exceptional Artistic Directors of The Young Shakespeare Company. For over 30 years, Sarah & Chris have been taking Shakespeare shows into primary & secondary schools across the world, bringing these dramatic tales to life for young minds. For nearly 10 years, the Wild Geese have been working alongside these pioneers in TYA.
The key to their success is twofold. Firstly, they only employ classically trained performers who have the skills necessary to bring these iconic characters to life. Secondly, Sarah has devised a pedagogy called "Active Storytelling" that puts the children at the heart of the action. Experienced facilitators ask the children to imagine how the characters are feeling, what they might be thinking, and predict what they might do next - as well as inviting them to play characters and join in with the show throughout.
It is this active engagement that has made The Young Shakespeare Company so valuable to hundreds of schools for so many years. This is the process that The Wild Geese are now bringing to a whole new range of stories - starting with ‘BOUDICA’.
‘Boudica’ - The Schools Edition
‘BOUDICA’ is the perfect springboard into (or indeed a consolidation of) an inspiring and unforgettable study of the Romans and Ancient Britain.
The story is told evenly from both sides and the children are involved in the action from start to finish; ultimately prompting them to decide who they're going to fight for. Specifically for school bookings, our award-winning show has been further developed to accommodate even more opportunities for the children to get involved; there are more parts to play, more questions to answer, and more chances to have your opinions about the story heard.
To facilitate the continuation of this journey long after the show has finished, every performance comes with a 'Follow On Material Pack'. The pack contains a broad range of suggested activities which span across the primary curriculum:
Literacy,
History,
Drama,
Art,
Geography,
Poetry.
All of the activities have been developed as teaching aids. Our very own Emily Bairstow is the Educational Lead on this project. Emily is currently training as a primary school teacher and all that fresh, up-to-date know-how is being channeled directly into our follow-on material.
We also have a brilliant workbook titled "Beyond Boudica", which is designed specifically for the children. These workbooks have a range of engaging, creative activities that prompt children to continue our story in their own way - as well as including a brand-new story about one of the show's key characters. These workbooks will be available as an optional extra at the time of booking.
Write Us Down
Wild Geese are currently developing an ambitious new project for schools. ‘Write Us Down’ allows young people the opportunity to learn literacy skills in a more vocational, active way. One of our experienced practitioners will work with a group of up to 15 young people, creating with them a brand new play. Each session focuses on one of the key literacy skills needed for the best start in English at KS3. Over the course of a term, we aim to provide a different experience for young people who might struggle with conventional learning - we hope this project will be an opportunity to celebrate their creativity, hone their skills, and leave them with something they can be proud of…