Theatre Workout creative and cultural workshops

Today we had a chat with Adam at Theatre Workout and asked for their take on arts education and about how they give young people the confidence to play, create, and perform beyond expectations...

Could you give us an overview of Theatre Workout and what you do?

There are two sides to Theatre Workout: We are the centre for education in London's West End and a school trips organiser specialising in creative and cultural packages. Since 2006 we've developed the official education programmes for 37 West End shows and now cater for over 8000 students a year. We passionately believe in the benefits of travel, creative learning and cultural appreciation which is why we're integrated and collaborate so much with leading stakeholders in the travel, education, and creative industries.

There are a lot of benefits to performance arts, some of which may not always be obvious. Could you explain a little more about the educational value of theatrical education?

Where do I start? Active participation in any creative subject is a great way to develop life skills, but drama in particular Studies have repeatedly proven that those who participate in drama are more confident, more able to manage their emotions, empathise with others, lead and collaborate, along with a host of other life skills. Whether you go into the performing arts professionally or not, the skills learned can benefit any career path from law to medicine, management to retail, hospitality to teaching.

A lot of these skills are transferable and have a huge benefit to students even if they are not thinking of a creative career. What are the wider benefits of an education in arts?

Increased confidence and self-esteem, the ability to speak in public, to express thoughts, feelings and emotions with clarity, to empathize with others and perform a role with conviction. These are skills used by doctors, lawyers, teachers, sales, marketing, politicians, and most professional careers.

A career in the arts can seem like a daunting prospect, and there seems to be a lack of careers advice. Do you have any advice for how to get into the creative industry?

It is a challenge and like any freelance career it's about who you know combined with knowing what your strengths are. It's also massively oversubscribed, which is why 50% of actors quit within 5 years, 75% within 10 years. Training is important, as is being proactive. Read and take classes, talk to others in your field, build a network, get representation and make your own work: stage a play, write a script, shoot a film, be creative and share it.

You are partnered with Arts Mark, what exactly does that entail?

Yes. It means we've been through an induction process and have committed to certain standards to support and guide schools, teachers and students.

There has also recently been a new manifesto for arts education, could you explain a little about this?

The manifesto has been developed by a collective of drama and creative organisations including Birmingham Rep, SOLT, Action for Children's Arts, the National Theatre, London Theatre Consortium, and Theatre Workout. It identifies our concerns and what we believe needs to change to address the shortfall in school funding, future skills shortage, and how to invest in the future of the creative industries, which is the fastest growing sector in the UK economy. The full manifesto can be found at www.dramatheatremanifesto.co.uk