Aim
To coach students the techniques of stand up and improv comedy that would be applicable to their apprenticeship in the Leisure Industry.
Objectives
* By engaging the participants in stand up comedy techniques to boost their confidence and self-esteem, communication and presentation skills.
* By using stand up comedy as a vehicle to improve the young people’s speaking and listening skills.
* Encourage involvement and teamwork amongst the group through the generation of comic material and delivery.
Workshop
The workshop ran for 5 hours at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. Refreshments and lunch were provided for the participants by the Liverpool Food Company.
A rich variety of activities were used in order to keep the day exciting, with tutoring coming from stand up comedian Andy Kind and creative practitioner Carly Henderson. Team building and group work were encouraged with subtle public speaking techniques employed to boost confidence.
The young people were given coaching on stagecraft, delivery methods and microphone technique to assist them with their public speaking. Improvisation games were played to keep the workshops moving in a fun and constructive direction.
Outcomes
The young people all performed a short piece of individual stand up comedy, along with some improvised group work. All of the participants commented on an increase in their confidence.
Feedback
“The day was set at a good level with a great pace and content, there was something happening all of the time to keep the young people engaged. There was strong yet non-threatening encouragement to get involved which helped to boost their confidence and assist in problem-solving and working together. The workshop was professional, relevant and fun and I will definitely be using The Comedy Trust again.” Joanne Rymer, Operations Manager, Greater Merseyside Learning Providers’ Federation.
“I really enjoyed the day because each game was a fun way of learning new skills.” Participant, Badged Apprenticeship Scheme.
“I enjoyed the small group work as well as working altogether and I now feel like I’ve got more confidence to speak to an audience.” Participant, Badged Apprenticeship Scheme.
Links
Badged Apprenticeship Official Site: www.badgedapprenticeships.co.uk
BBC link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/03/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/343_4621.stm
Funders: http://www.sefton.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=6634/default.aspx
