Working With Young People
“We want to encourage a world of creators, of inventors, of contributors, because this world that we live in, this interactive world, is ours."
- Ayah Bdeir, Engineer & Creative Thinker
Hydrocracker uses its theatre workshop skills to work with young people as part of their National Citizenship Service.
Designed for 16 & 17 year olds to engage, unite and empower, whatever their background, Hydrocracker designed a series of creative workshops to develop confidence and communication skills on a wide range of social action projects. Using a flexible approach tailored to the needs of the individual young people, the workshops provided a perfect bridge between the challenge of phase 1 and 3 where the teams pro-actively manage projects to benefit their local community.
“Hydrocracker was able to appeal to diverse teams of young people, adding real value to the participants, both in supporting them to think about who they are as individuals and how they operate as a team.”
National Citizenship Service
Masterclasses
Since 2015 we have been delivering Masterclasses in partnership with Brighton Dome where we are one of their Associate Artists.
Keen to foster individual creativity and to provide skills which allow young people to flourish, Hydrocracker users its extensive sector networks to offer a range of Masterclasses including:
Drama From Improvisation
Developing a Character
Mastering an Accent & Using Your Voice
Comedia del Arte & Stand Up Comedy
Audition Technique & Self Taping
Acting for TV & Telling the Truth in TV Acting
Stage Fighting
“I didn’t think I could actually stand in front of people and have a go. Feels great that I did.”
Firecracker was set up to give an opportunity for local Young People to make their own work and to embed skills learnt at Masterclass workshops.
Over a 5 year period Firecracker produced work that the Young People wanted to make, supported, encouraged and funded by a range of partners.
2015 Home Straight: a co-production with The Nightingale Theatre, co-written by a cast from East Brighton and playwright Frank McCabe rehearsed and performed at Brighton Racecourse
2014 Fear and Misery of The Third Reich: Directed by Sian Weber & Jem Wall and performed at The Dome Studio, Brighton, Brecht’s play was used by the young cast to add to the debate about immigration and national identity and to serve as a warning from history about how these ideas can quickly turn to intolerance and violence
2013 Harmful: Part of The Nightingale’s Dip Your Toe at Brighton Fringe Festival, the wholly devised work staged in a bathing hut and led by four teenagers wanting to show what their life was actually like. Hydrocracker’s Matt Wait supported & directed
2013 Summer Invasion: A summer school project in collaboration with Brighton Museum and Art Gallery led by Hydrocracker associate Sian Webber. The group chose an exhibit from the museum - anything that took their interest -and devised a piece of performance inspired by the exhibit. Visitors were ‘ambushed’ by Firecracker performers ‘coming out of the woodwork’ to confide in them and confront them about pictures and objects around the museum
2012 School’s Out: a devised piece made with a group of young people from Brighton Youth Offending Services and Hove Park School delivering a vibrant, thought-provoking and ultimately uplifting exploration of what school life is like for many students
“ Firecracker consistently challenges my abilities as an actor and has helped me to grow and develop skills...the highlight of my week. ”
Firecracker 2010-15 Hydrocracker’s Youth Theatre
