This is a game developed with teachers at Thomas A Beckett school in Worthing. The focus is sounding out letter sounds. The game is similar to the original with a "Grandmother's footsteps twist" One child - The Wolf stands at one end of the playground...
A question that is often asked of playwrights is "Do you plan your play or do you just write?" I am sure there as many responses to this question as there are writers - but since this was asked of me recently I thought I'd...
If life does indeed move in themes then my theme for this month is without a doubt sustainability! This month I have:helped out on an allotment; finished a play about plants; bought a greenhouse for the balcony; bought an apple tree for the balcony and...
After a weekend performing at the Big Chill and listening in a packed "Words in Motion" tent to the marvellous John Hegley create a choir with his 'Luton Bungalow' poem/song songoem? It felt apt that I should be spending the best part of this week...
Being a freelance writer has it's ups and downs. The Ups - I get to choose my holidays, I get to work in a range of environments and meet a range of brilliant creative individuals, I get 200 % job satisfaction. The Downs - Job...
I was recently introduced to the wonders of freecycle an online community where people request items they need or offer items they no longer want to other members of the group. While sweltering in my studio I thought I'd see if anyone had an old fan...
I've been running some playwriting sessions for Soho Theatre over the last couple of weeks and thought I'd share with you some playwriting exercises that I often use. The story arc has many guises and forms but is a great way of getting young people, or...
I recently ran a storytelling workshop at Richmix in Shoreditch. It was a one and a half hour session with ages 4+. Richmix have for a while now been running performance sessions with an arts and crafts element attached which have proved very popular....
This one is courtesy of Jonathon Lloyd Artistic Director of Polka Theatre. Start your sessions by asking the class what The Word of the Day should be - if all suggestions are already known by the majority of the class you could get a child...
The students of a school I've just finished a project at have written a tonne of fantastic food poems based on my piece "A little bit of food" A little bit of rice A little bit of pea On my plate for my tea Rice, pea Rice, pea Rice, pea Rice, pea A...