Please click the 'shows' link above to find out about our educational theatre shows.
Chain Reaction’s educational theatre work is core to the company’s activities. We have five main aims in mind in relation to this work:
With these as the driving force behind each of our educational productions we actively prepare young people for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences they face while growing up. By providing entertaining yet thought provoking theatre and hands on interactive workshops, Chain Reaction Theatre Company gives young people the chance to make informed decisions about their lives.
The company prides itself on its consistent ability to work with any age-group on any issue. Whatever the brief, we always insure that a powerful and engaging theatrical experience is the final result. As a youthful arts organisation we are extremely aware of the ease with which young people can switch off if they are not engaged fully by what they are watching. They often refuse to accept or connect with important messages when put over in a stuffy or patronizing manner. We take great care to produce accessible performances using song and comedy. Our parodies of popular story lines and numerous pop-culture references ensure that our audiences form an immediate connection.
All of our shows and workshops complement the PSHE (Personal Social and Health Education) and SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) curriculum perfectly. Each performance is based on the National Curriculum guidelines for that particular age group and subject matter. When working with particular schools we can establish ways in which our programme can fit into the school’s individual PSHE curriculum. Chain Reaction’s work can also help schools fulfil the requirements for Healthy Schools Status.
Over the years, Chain Reaction Theatre Company have forged strong partnerships, successfully working alongside a wide range of organizations nationwide. These include Local Authorities, Primary Care Trusts, Health Authorities, Healthy Schools Teams, catering services, Youth Offending Teams, Community Safety Teams, Drug Action Teams, youth services, Communities Against Drugs, the police, NSPCC, bereavement services, 5-A-DAY initiatives, Sustain, Connexions and counselling services.
Chain Reaction Theatre Company bring dynamism and expertise to the health education field, ensuring that young people are equipped to make positive decisions about their futures. We are committed to creating fun, interesting and dynamic work to ensure enjoyment whilst learning. We offer partnership organisations and schools twelve years knowledge and experience in delivering successful projects, which are able to educate young people in an upbeat and innovative way.
We constantly ensure that young people are involved in the planning and evaluation process of our projects. Listening to young people’s views and feedback on our work ensures that it remains relevant. No medium to long-term benefit can be realised unless shows and workshops are accessible. It is vital, therefore, that our shows are easy to relate to and are found interesting by young people.
Our unique style of theatre uses a mixture of story, sketches, music and parody to ensure that our important messages land with maximum impact on our audience. These techniques keep our audiences engaged so that the clear information and accurate facts we provide are easily digested and retained.
Typically our theatre pieces have a central story that is a running thread through the whole piece, providing characters that the young people can identify with. Through this story we show the central characters learning or discovering something they didn’t know before. This story is then interjected with sketches relating to the audience’s immediate field of reference, for example we have based scenes on Eastenders, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, Ali G, Teletubbies and The Simpsons. We have made it our signature to take contemporary songs that young people know and to change the lyrics to fit the topic in hand. All the shows open and close with music and the songs we have used in the past are from artists like Beyonce Knowles, Liberty X, Robbie Williams and Girls Aloud, artists that all young people are aware of. Performances are regularly updated to ensure that they reflect current youth culture. Our role is to ensure that all young people we come into contact with leave our performances more knowledgeable and confident in their knowledge.
Chain Reaction work alongside professionals and specialists throughout the writing and devising process of each of our projects. This involves training sessions and consultation to ensure that factual and statistical information is correct. Chain Reaction has a strong history of partnership work. We ensure that we continue to develop good working relationships with other agencies that work in areas of health and young people. This enables a supportive and collaborative approach to the work programme that we deliver and in turn strengthens our work and knowledge.
Chain Reaction Theatre Company is synonymous with excellent standards, engaging theatre and encouragement of informed choice in every aspect of the work we do.
Chain Reaction, welcome new commissions for theatre and workshops relating to issues that affect young people today. For more information contact Sarah Choppen, Artistic Director.Our performances have a proven track record not just in schools but at a wide range of educational events. Health conferences; Seminars on Curriculum Change and Development; Teacher Training Days and Youth Worker Training Events. All these have benefited enormously from the exciting and entertaining addition of a Chain Reaction performance.
