Patch Theatre Company Implements a Creative Education Partnership with Sturt Street Primary School

Leading South Australian children's theatre company, Patch Theatre, have again demonstrated why they are the kings of creativity when it comes to specialising in theatre for 3 - 8 year olds. With funding assistance through Arts SA, Patch have partnered with Sturt Street Community School to establish a creative education partnership and 12-month Artist in Residence program at the school where students get to meaningfully participate in the company's art-making adventures as co-creators in and around their performance experiences.

Patch Theatre Artistic Director Dave Brown says, "Patch's mission to keep artistic instincts alive in children is being put to the test through the Creative Education Partnership, together with the school we are building engagement and activities around our new works in development and some of our existing works Sturt Street Community School will be a laboratory for the conceptualization, trialing and development of Patch Theatre's co-creation activity with early learners. Patch Theatre artists will work with 3 - 8 year old children as well as primary aged children and their teachers in five project based investigations engaging them in imaginative play, provocations, task, improvisations, co-creation, art and performance making."

Term 1 project 'Junk Sculptures' is associated with Patch's Theo and the Lion http://www.patchtheatre.org.au/lion.html Artists in Residence will be installation artist Gus Clutterbuck and film/documentation artist SaraJane Cook working on "JIRBs". A JIRB is a Junk Integrated Recycled Bird. Students will create wondrous JIRBS from recycled junk which ties back to Theo and the Lion's central themes of cages and flying the coup.

Term 2 project 'Kind Hearts and Listen Ears' is associated with Patch's new work for 2014, Cranky Bear http://www.patchtheatre.org.au/cranky.html Artists in Residence will be performer Astrid Pill and MoragCook. They will co-create a carnival and parade designed to release the crankiness from the crankiest bear in an investigation of empathy.

Term 3 project 'Me and My Shadow' is associated with the Patch performance of the same name http://www.patchtheatre.org.au/shadow.html Artists in Residence will be performer Astrid Pill and Roz Hervey. Light, shadow, colour, sound, paper and water will become the palette as they explore friendship, play, image and illusion.

Term 4 project 'mOOn balloon' is associated with Patch's 2013 new work, The Moon's A Balloon http://www.patchtheatre.org.au/moon.html Artists in Residence Katrina Lazaroff and Morag Cook will explore "is the moon a balloon?" They will investigate the possibilities of balloons and what they can be.

Of the Artist in Residence program at Sturt Street Community School, Anne-Marie Shin, Early Childhood Director at Sturt Street says, "It is such an exciting opportunity to be working with Patch. The school's ethos and vibrancy is a perfect pairing with the dynamic company. Engaging children in project-based art making raises their confidence, improves their literacy and numeracy as well as assists in their emotional and social development. I can't wait to see how the program develops throughout the year and supports the delivery of the curriculum".

The project is being co-ordinated by Roz Hervey, an experienced performer, art-maker, educator, programmer and administrator. She will oversee the planning and co-ordination of the projects and is also responsible for making the connections between teachers, classes, artists and Patch Theatre Company seeking opportunities to optimize the impact of the program across the school community.

To post a comment, you must register and login.