GOLIVE Go Live Theatre Projects Ltd {previously registered as The Mousetrap Foundation for the Arts and known as Mousetrap Theatre Pmjectsl THEATRE PROJECTS Annual Report and Financial Statements (unaudited) Unlockingtho powor of theatr• foryounz people 31 August 2022 Company Limited by Cuaranle8 Registration Number 3162429 IEngland and Waksl Charity Regi8tration Number 1053434 CONTENTS Reports Reference and adminislralive information Chief Executive's statement Trustees, report Independent examiner's report 23 Financial statements Statement of financial activities 24 Balance sheet 25 Statement of cash flows 26 Principal accounting policies 27 Notes to the financial statements 31 Go Live Theatre Projects REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Trustees Sir Stephen Waley-cohen Bt Ichairmanl (resigned 27 February 20231 Charles Prideaux (Chairl lappoinled 27 February 20231 Jonathan Burke Robert Davis MBE DL Mary Hammond (resigned 31 December 20211 Ashley Herman Adam Kenwright Phyllida Lloyd CBE Karen Napier Sarah Richardson (resigned 3 August 20221 Clifford Siegel Andrea Sullivan Christopher Tabor Roy Williams OBE Chief Executive Susan Vvhiddington CBE Deputy Director Gayle Bryans Company Secretary Susan Vvhiddington Charity registration number 1053434 Company registration number 3162429 Registered address 33 Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 7EH Independent Examlner Buzzacott LLP 130 Wood Street London EC2V 6DL Bankers Royal Bank of Scotland PLC 49 Charing Cross Road London SVV1A2DX Go Live Theatre Pmjects 1 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S STATEMENT The Financial Year, 1 st September 2021 31 st August 2022, was a busy and productive year for Mousetrap Theatre Projects, now registered as"Go Live Theatre Pmjects Ltd" Highlights included a relaxed performance of New Adventure's Nulcrackerl at Sadler's Wells in January, a very special 25th Anniversary Gala in May and ending the Financial Year in excellent financial shape. In this year's report, I hope you will find il heartening lo read that although we may have served fewer students and families than pre-pandemic, the charity was definitely back on form, offering all of the programmes and projects that had been severely curtailed or not offered in 2020-2021. A good example of this is the Family First Nights programme, where this past summer we were able to send 295 families lo the theatre with all tickets al £8 offering them 30 productions whereas in 2021, we were only able to accommodate 110 families. This past year we significantly expanded our work in the community setting, providing opportunities for carers, care leavers, young refugees, asylum seekers and young people with SEND (Special Education Needs & Disabilities) lo participate in a range of drama-based projects, all of which included a theatre visit. We also offered our Change Your Tune Creative Learning project in Sl George's Academy, Westminsler, where a composer and book writer work with students to create a mini-musical based on a social issue the students are experiencing. The musical is performed by a core group of students lo the whole of Key Stage 3 and parents, plus we provide training and educational resources lo teachers on creative ways to explore the chosen issue in the classroom with their students after seeing the production. Other areas of endeavour included the launch of a corporate fundraising initiative, the development of consultancy services through creating educational resource packs for four West End shows as well as offering consultancy on relaxed performances lo a Wesl End production. We also conducted research on developing a new project for children of prisoners., which we hope lo pilot in 2023. On the governance front, the Board's Governance Committee revised the terms and conditions of office for Trustees and began the search for a new Chair. We also initiated a search for new Trustees with specific skillslexperience in the areas of community arts, stsle education and SEND. We hope lo have our new Chair in place in early 2023 and new Trustees by spring 2023. The Board and the Youth Forum also held ils annual get together so Youth Forum members could meet Trustees and Trustees could hear directly from young people about their issues, concerns and importantly their suggestions and hopes for our charity going fo￿ard. As noted above, we marked our 25th anniversary with a celebratory Gala on 25th May at the Underglobe at Shakespeare's Globe. This successful Sold￿Ut fundraiser featured a cabaret performed by West End stars, a live and silent auction, strolling artists and a moving tribute lo our outgoing Chair and Founder Sir Stephen Waley-cohen, delivered by our Patron Sir David Suchet. We are proud to have served some 250,000 young people over the past 25 years and our work continues lo grow and develop in new directions. By listening to the concems and needs of young people, lea¢hers, families and youth leaders, we endeavour lo create projects that directly address those needs. We then strive to keep these projects flexible and supple so we can make the required changes easily from valued feedback and extensive evaluations. We believe this mode of operation keeps our work fresh, innovative and responsive and is a proud hallmark of our charity. Susan Vvhiddington CBE, Chief Executive Go Live Theatre Pmjects 2 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 The Trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2022. Unb'l 12 January 2023, Go Live Theatre Projects Ltd" was registered under the name of The Mousetrap Foundation for the Arts" The financial ststemenls have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies sel out on pages 27 to 30 therein and comply with the Charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, applicable laws and Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Practice applicable lo ¢harilies preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021. OBJECTIVES The charitable company's objects are lo promote, maintain, improve and advance education by the encouragement of the participation in the Arts. Specific objectives are". + to open the doors of London's world-class theatre to children and young people, especially those with limited resourTrs, support or a disability., to use theatre as an educational tool lo develop skills, educate, engage and inspire., + to encourage a legacy of theatregoing by reducing barriers and enhancing an appreciation of theatre., + to develop and nurture collabo￿tionS with young people, teachers, artists, arts organisations and the theatre industry. ACTIVITIES, ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE THEATRE ACCESS As the pandemic eased, we were able to re-start our thealregoing schemes, although at a lower level than in pre-pandemic years. This was due both lo funding and, al the lime of planning for the year, being cautious about the appelile from schools to start bringing groups lo the theatre again. THEATRE OPENERS- theatre trips, insight sessions and workshops for mainstream and special schools Over the year we took 2,739 students to see lop London shows ranging from hard hitting drama and Shakespeare to musical comedy.. The Play That Goes Wrong, Fantastically Great Women, Legally Blonde, The Crucible, Life ofPi, Wicked, The Curious Incidgnt of the Dog in the Night-time, The Lion King, Gr&nf&ll.' Value Enginegring, The Comedy of Errors, The Prince of Egypt, Cirqug du Soleil, The Book of Dust, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Back to the Future, Gulliver's Travels The average percentage of students eligible for Free School Meals IFSMI al participating mainstream schools was 29°/o IUK average for 2021122 was 20.9 /ol, and over half the participating schools were above the UK average. We are also aware that Many of the schools have a much higher number of students living in poverty, but are ineligible for FSM because their parents don't qLJalify for Universal Credit, Income Support etc. Al special schools the FSM figures are much higher, with most of the schools we worked with having 40_500/0 of students eligible for FSM. Go Live Theatre Pmjects 3 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 For mainstream schools, we offered a 90-minule Insight session each term where students work directly with the production team to learn more about the show they are attending. Insight sessions were held for Grenfell.. Value Engineering, WiGked and Life of Pi. For special schools, each term we offered three in-school workshops led by theatre practitioners, focussing on the production the students saw. We conducted post-visil surveys with teachers and these were the results. In over half of the schools, teachers reported that 40 -1000/0 of the students had never been to the theatre before and more than 600/0 had never been lo a West End show. Theatre Openers is therefore key to giving young people a first-lime theatre experience. Nearly half the teachers said they wouldn't be likely lo lake their students to the theatre without the support of Mousetrap Theatre Projects with another 21019 saying they only 'maybe' would. We asked the teachers to ask their students if their trip had made them want lo go to the theatre again", 850/0 of the responding teachers said 80_1 OOO/D of their students said 'yes'. Teachers commented.. "Opportunities like this are a lrfeline to getting pupils interested in the theatre" 'We wish we could put into words how Ihanlrful our students were for this opportunity. As teaching staff, we saw even some of our most challenging students, in a new light." TALKING THEATRE During the summer term, we brought back our education project, Talking Theatre, which we launched the previous summer term during the pandemic. Our Head of Access, Elaine Grant, interviewed five top theatre industry professionals.. Sonia Friedman - producer, Inau Ellams- playwright, Clint Dyer- director, Paule Constable- lighting designer, Christina Blanco- actor. Imth last year's Talking Theatre videos, (Lolita Chakrabarti playwright,. Kenny Wax - producer., Jamie Lloyd director,. Jamal Westman actor and Natalie Pryce - designer Isel & coslumel, we now have 10 videoed sessions of leading theatre industry practitioners. FAMILY FIRST NIGHTS IFFNF making London's theatre accessible lo families on low incomes and in other challenging circumstances This year we were able lo increase the number of families we look through our FFN summer Iheatregoing scheme, lo 295, which was still less than the 500 we had accommodated pre-pandemic, but 3 times the number we had been able to lake in 2021. This represented 1,139 individuals of whom 629 were children and young people aged 3 - 17. Families came from 32 London boroughs as well as a range of counties outside London. They were referred lo FFN by 46 community organisalions, charities, housing associations and social service organisalions. We gave families a choice of 30 West End and London productions, including 4 access performances. Shows ranged from big musicals lo children's shows. We also offered the families 3 free family creative workshops based on 3 of the productions on offer, Th8 Tiger Who Came to T8a, The Jungle Book and Wicked. We asked families to complete a feedback sutvey and 250/0 did so. 860/0 of the respondents said the theatre trip improved their childlchildren's wellbeing. 97 /0 said the experience made them more likely to attend theatre as a family together in future. 920A rated the trip the top score in terms of value of having a positive family experience after the difficult pandemic period. Go Live Theatre Pmjects 4 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 "I cannot stress enough the value of an experience like this for a vulnerable child. It opens a world for them that they did not comprehend before. I have had children want lo leam to sing /dance lact atter a show. All the friendships and skills and confidence this brings them. The bonding of sharing the actual experience and the sharing of it with others after is priceless. Foster Parent Throughout the year we also sent all the families on our FFN database of past participants ticket offers to see a wide range of theatre, dance, opera and other cultural events, helping and encouraging them lo continue attending as a family. RELAXED PERFORMANCE - we buy out a performance and fill il with families with children with autism, sensory or behavioural issues and other disabilities. Small adjustments are made lo the show's lighting and sound and usual theatre etiquette is not required. In January we look over a performance of Matthew Bourne's Nutcrackerl al Sadler's Wells, subsidising the tickets lo £5 £10 for children and £10 £20 for adults. 163 families attended of which 364 were children and young people. The families came from 30 London boroughs and 30 of them were from other English counties, with the furthest Iravelling from Northamplonshire. Working closely with New Adventures, we provided the families with supporting resour￿$ lo help them prepare fortheir visit. Dance-thealre practitioners from New Adventures also led 3 pre-show workshops, giving families the chance lo lake part in fun, informative group activities based around the themes of the show. 49 /0 of the attending families filled in our post-event feedback survey. 90 /0 of them said their reason for allending was the relaxed and non-judgemenlal atmosphere. Well over half also cited the discounted ticket pri￿, the opportunity lo attend as a family unil and wanting to see the show itself as reasons they came. Just under 90 /0 said that having attended this relaxed performan￿, they would now feel confident to attend the theatre or other cultural events with their family again. "Days out like this for families with sp&Gial needs children ar8 very rare. To be able lo watch a perfom)ance in a relaxed non-judgemental setting is such a treat.. Thank you forreally special day that we won t forget." Parent GO LIVE- a free-to-join theatregoing club f()r 15-24 year olds, and Go Live Grad$- ft)r 25-29 year olds who pay £10 a year. Monthly organised trips plus members receive regular extra ticket offers lo book for other productions themselves. This year there were 2.169 theatre attendances by Go Live members. These included the regular trips organised by us throughout the year, charyed at £7 for 15-18 year olds and £12 for 19-24 year olds, plus the ft)Ilowing special aclivilies.. > 'A$sisted visits, lo target those who had taken part in other Go Live Theatre programmes and needed some support before having the confidence to allend independently rather than as part of an organised group outing. We sent the young people and their parents information about the theatre visit, invited them to attend a drop-in Q&A zoom meeting and offered the option to be met at the nearest tube stations by Youth Forum volunteers who would walk them lo the Ihealre. > 'Go Live Fortnight,, a major campaign to encourage young people to return to the theatre in the autumn for £10 per lickel. We were able lo gel around 50 tickets from 10 top shows and 501 young people attended the theatre from 27th September 8th October. We initially tsrgeted Go Live members who had not been to the theatre with us in a long time before we opened the offer to the rest Go Live Theatre Pmjects S TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 of the membership. We also offered a number of exto events." 3 post-show talks, a backstage tour of Shakespeare's Globe and a walking tour of the West End. The productions attended over the year were.. Hamlet (Young Vicl., Six (Vaudeville) & Juliet Ishaftesburyl., The P12y that Goes Wrong (Duchessl,. Creature (Sadler's Wells)., Romeo and Juliet Ishakespeare's Globel.. Princ8 of Egypt (Dominionl., Wicked (Apollo Victorial,. Mamma Mial (Novellol., BaGk to the Future {Adelphil, Hairspray Icoliseuml, The Lion King {Lyceuml, Cinderella {Gillian Lynnel, Ocean at the End of the Lane (Duchessl, Come from Away IPhoenixl, Ballet Boyz (Sadler's Wells), Life of Pi Iwyndham'sl, The Mousetrap ISI Martin's), Frozen (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Cowardl, Grease (Dominion), Jemsalem (Apollol, Moulin Rouge (Piccadillyl, The Glass Menagerie (Duke of York). "Being a massive musical theatre fan.. Mousetrap has made theatre going accessible. Being in the middle of exam season but having the opportunity to relax by going to the theatre was really great and I will always be grateful lo Mousetrap for Ihisl All I can say is thank youl" Go Live member ENVISION- theatre days for blind and partially sighted young people In March we ran two Envision days al Sack to the Future, attended by 86 visually Impaired young people fomi 8 schools and sensory support servI￿s. They took part in a pre-show workshop and louch-tour before attending an audio-described matinee performance. The majority of attendees had never been to the theatre before. In the feedback survey, all respondents scored the day 5 out of 5 for meeting the communication needs of their young people, having a positive impact on their communication, encouraging participation, raising confidence and encouraging creativity. 'My son's confidence really soa￿d. He navigated the theatre with a lot of Confiden￿. More than I had &ver seen before" Parent " was amazingl And really encouraged children lo come out of their shells." Supportworker In August we brought 7 families with a Vl child to the matinee of Midsummer Mechanicals al Shakespeare's Globe. A pre-show workshop look place, exploring how lo express emotions through sound, before the families attended the interactive show. 4 of the families had never been to an audio-described performance before. Their feedback was universally positive, with all agreeing that the day had been a positive bonding experience for their family, an educational opportunity for their children, helped their children's understanding and appreciation of the show and built their confidence. "Thank you so much forgiving her these opportunities, truly lrfe enhancing." pa￿nt STAGESEEN- theatre days for Dldeaf and hard of hearing young people In March we ran I￿0 Slageseen days at Shakespeare's Globe's production of Macbeth. 135 deaf students and 55 staff from 13 schools and Sensory Support Setvices attended, seeing a BSL integrated and captioned performance. The groups took part in a pre-show workshop either al the theatre or In school prior to attending, delivered by one hearing and one deaf drama facilitator. All the groups had a pre-show tour of the Globe on the day. The vast majority of students had never seen a Shakespeare play before. The teacher feedback was excellent, with neady all giving the lop scores for meeting communication needs. providing an educational opportunity, enhancing their understanding of Macbeth, and increasing their confidence around Shakespeare (the language is difficult for hearing students, and even more so for deaf students). Go Live Theatre Pmjects TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 "The show and workshop has definitely contributed to oursludents, understanding of Macbeth, it has been well worth every bit ofhard work you all do." Teacher In May, we look 11 deaf children and their families to see Life of Pi, with a pre-show workshop exploring through puppetry the play's themes of family, luck, imagination and story-telling, followed by a meet and greet with the whole cast and the goat puppet. The feedback from parents was superb, with nearly all giving the top scores against all our aims- lo meet the children's communication needs, pitch the day at the right level, provide an educational opportunity, enhance understsnding of the play, and increase confidence around theatre. "This w8S $0 8m8zing.... 81most makes me cry to have her so included" Parent " got more out of this than months in a classroom." Parent CREATIVE LEARNING & PARTICIPATION PLAYMAKERS- playwriting project for primary mainstream schools, units for children with speech, language and communication needs ISLCNI and units or schools for deaf children. Participants." 201 mainstream school students from Britannia Village Primary, Queen's Park Primary and Gateway Academy., 27 children from I￿0 SLCN schools.. Tidemill Academy and Churchill Gardens,. 42 dlDeaf children look part from 3 schools.. Meridian Primary, Roding Primary and Kingsbury Green School. 270 children look part in total. Aims: lo improve creative writing skills, enjoyment and engagement with theatre & writing, understanding of playwriting, teamwork, confidence in expressing ideas, use of imagination and for SLCNldeaf students, increased emotional literacy and feelings of pride in their achievements. Activities.. we ran the mainstream schools, project in the autumn term and the SCLN and deaf school projects in the spring and summer term respectively. The mainstream project began with a teacher training session lo explore our wrillen resource pack. Subsequently we created video resources to help the teachers at the SLCN and Deaf units support the delivery of the project. All the children saw a theatre production lo inspire their writing and aid understanding ofwhat a play is, with mainstream groups attending The Mousetrap at Sl Martin's Theatre, the deaf groups saw Marvin's Binoculars and the SLCN groups saw Gulliver's Travels, both at the Unicorn Theatre. The mainstream project was themed around the mystery genre, so we sent a 'myslery pack, lo the schools with various props and a suggested tille for a mystery play. Our dmma practitioners delivered a series of in- school workshops 14 in mainstream ￿hOOlS, 7 in deaf and SLCN units) focussing on the key ingredients of playwriting. Through these workshops and the resources supplied to the teachers for classroom work in- between our sessions, each class wrote their collective class play. Usually, the schools come t(4elher al a theatre to see all the plays performed by professional actors. However, due to the rise in Covid rates at the end of 2021, this could not happen for the mainstream school project, so we sent actors into the schools to perform the plays. We were delighted that for the spring and summer term projects, the children could all come to the St Martin's Theatre lo see their plays performed. Outcomes: in the mainstream schools al the start of the project, the teachers rated their students as 1, 2 or 3 out of 5 for creative writing skills, engagement and enjoyment of theatre and writing and understanding of the mystery genre, rising to 4 or 5 out of S at the end of the project. They gave us top scores for improving teamwork and confidence in expressing ideas. All teachers fell the collaborative nature of the writing process Go Live Theatre Pmjects 7 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 and the fact that il wasn't 'sit down writing, had engaged their students, especially those who had been reluclanl writers in the past. The teachers in the SCLN & Deaf units rated their students in 5 skill area5 before and after the project on a scale of 1-10. All teachers gave ratings of 3 10 7 points higher in their end of project assessment relative lo the ratings they had given al the start. We recognise that these baseline and endline surveys assessing each grouplclass as a whole are a useful measure of overall project impact, bul that progress will vary for individual students. Much more comprehensive data could be gained by asking teachers to assess each child individually, but teachers have stated they would not have lime to complete this. For the deaf schools, project, we ensured 1 of the 2 practitioners delivering the workshops and a couple of the actors performing the plays were deaf, to provide positive deaf role models for the children. 'Most of the children at Gateway have not had any inleraclion with the wortd of theatr8. They have now had the most incredible taste of 8 magic81 world.... This project helped many develop their confidence in standing up in front of others bul also Confiden￿ in their ideas and written work. It was just brilliant, thank you lo all al Mousetrap for making it possible. (Teacher, Gateway Academy Primary) CHANGE YOUR TUNE - uses the creation of a new musical to address a pertinent theme or issue chosen by the school's senior leadership team. Participants.. We partnered with Sl George's Catholic School in Westminsler, where 34.3 % of students speak English as a second language, a large proportion137.1 /0} of students are eligible for free school meals and a large population of the school has SEN support124.101ol. A core group of 21 students from years 7, 8 & 9 took part in the musical and the entire Key Stsge 3 engaged with the project, tolalling 570 students. Aims". The school ehose the theme 'How human conneetion can improve a young person's mental health & wellbeing,, in response lo two disrupted years of online education due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. The aims were.. To introduce and expose pupils to theatre as an art form To foster a sense of pride in producing and performing an original musical For the pupils to be able lo express themselves creatively To foster an ethos of positive attitudes lo the project theme within the student cohort To improve performan￿ skills Activities.. We began with two days of focus group activity with a variety of Key Stage 3 students so that their thoughts and ideas were woven into the musical, subsequently written by a professional composer and a writer commissioned for the project. The students in the cast commented that they would have liked the opportunity to have more input in the finished script, rather than just provide ideas at the start. We will lake this feedback on board for next year. The core group rehearsed and performed the show to the entire Key Stage 3 cohort, who then look part in post-show workshops exploring the theme further in class. Teachers were supported in doing this by educational resources we had specially written for the project and a training session on how lo use them. Go Live Theatre Pmjects TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 Outcomes". The feedback from the school was exceptional, with the Head Teacher and Head of Music giving 5 out of 5 scores for meeting each of the aims listed above, stating that this was achieved to'lhe highest level.. The detailed feedback they gave was superlative and the students gave hugely positive feedback loo. The core group particularly grew in confidence al trying new things, performing and expressing themselves creabvely. '1 ￿alised that I'm capable of more than I thought I was and that I could show my full polenlial., Student in cast "The students have had a fantastic experience. The numbers taking GCSE music in Year 9-10 has increased for next year. They're still talking about it 3 weeks later with the same level of enthusiasm and passion. A large number ofstudenls have been asking about projects andperfom7anGes next year." Teacher SKILL UP In-school theatre workshops designed to encourage Key Stage 3 students to choose DramalPerforming Arts for GCSE. Participants.. We ran Skill Up in 10 schools with 500 students in total from Alec Reed Academy, St Augustine's CE School, Lady Margaret School, Ark Burlington Danes Academy, The Chelsea Academy, Ellen Wilkinson School for Gids, Capital City Academy, Featherslone High School, The Compton School and Hammersmilh Academy. Aims: The aim of Skill Up Is lo encourage students to select Drama al GCSE by engaging them in the subject through varied, fun, theatre skills workshops, and lo help improve the reputation of Drama within schools as valuable subject. Activities: We offered each school the option of 4 weekly workshops or one full day of 3 workshops run in rotation. They had the choice of Stage Combat, Contemporary Acting, Comedy Improvisation, SFX Make Up, Acting for Camera, Clowning. We created short videos on each of these skills, which were originally intended to help the teachers select their workshops and for sludenl recruilmenl. However liming meant the videos were created once most schools had been offered their place on the project, so some teachers used them as lesson starters and as insights to alternative Careers within the theatre industry. We also now have them for future use. Outcomes: At the end of Skill Up, we asked the students Has the project encouraged you lo think of choosing Drama as a GCSE option? At 4 of the 10 schools, 90 /0 or more students said yes, al 5 schools 70-80 /0 said yes, al one school, 50Q/o said yes. We followed up with teachers at the end of the summer term to ask if students did follow through on this expressed intention. 7 of the teachers responded, of which half showed marked increased in take up of GCSE Drama (the other 3 teachers had healthy tske up, but did not give us comparative or conlexlual figures lo assess the impact of Skill Up on this}. Al Lady Margaret School, the teacher noted that not only had all bul 2 of the Skill Up students selected Drama, this was 250/0 up on the previous year and more students from disadvantsged backgrounds had chosen the subject. Student feedback included.. 'We were able lo leam so much MO￿ about theatre than what we gel a usual classes, 'The workshops have made me realise how many things you can do in Drama and all the different skills involved, '1 now understand so much more about what theatre has to offer, rather than just focusing on the acting skills, Go Live Theatre Pmjects TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 NEXTSTAGE - A 6-week course for students with learning disabilities attending Further Education College, using drama techniques to improve their employability skills and self-confidence. Participants.. 42 students aged 16 - 22 years old, all with moderate leaming disabilities, from Bexley College, Bromley College and Westminster Kingsway College look part. All the students were on employment preparation courses or supported internship schemes. Aims: to build the self-eonfidence of the participants, in particular in social interaction and verbal communication as the foundation for interview performan￿,. lo develop with empathy skills., lo help them pinpoint their strengths and potential career paths. Actlvltles.. each group had 12 hours of session time, delivered in weekly or ￿￿ce weekly sessions, or intensively over one week. The sessions used drama techniques such as improvisation, role-play, presenting, trust games, thinking on your feel, with all activities steeped in creativity and group learning. Outcomes: Shared Intelligence, a company which specialises in evaluation and impact measurement, conducted an evaluation of this project. It concluded that that Nextstage benefits young people with SEND by helping them develop soft skills which are essential for getting a job, in particular interpersonal and communication skills needed for a successful job interview and then lo perform well once in work. Specifically, the researchers felt we achieved our aims around building confidence and empathy. They felt the group learning model is an essential element and that the creative aspect makes il feels different to 'normal' college and so paradoxically relates better to real life. The college teachers and parents fed back that Nextstage increased their students, motivation lo pursue their career goals and made a lasting impression. Unfortunately, due lo the pandemic, elements of their college employment prep courses were disrupted or postponed, which meant we could not evidence the Impact on real life interviews and internships. 'Whereas in eduGation we don't always have the freedon7 to deliver that level of creativity.. but with mousetrap it enables education lo unlock that creative cupboard and use those tools in theatre and adapt them to people with learning difficulties to be more creative" FE Course Leader AFTER SCHOOL DRAMA CLUB - helps children, who are new lo drama, to develop their confidence, communication and creativity, through a lermly series of drama games and aclivilies. Participants.. We ran two drama clubs this year, one at Gateway Academy in Westminster for the full academic year, serving 15 - 17 students each term, and a second starting in the spring term al Brillania Village School in Newham with 20 students each term. At Gateway, 98010 of the pupils have English as an additional language and many also have refugee status, 570A are eligible for free school meals IFSMI. At Brittania, around 113 are eligible for Pupil Premium fvjnding, it is a very culturally diverse community, and 213 speak English as an additional language. Aims.. To introduce and expose pupils lo thealreldrama as an art form., To build confidence through drama activity,. For the pupils lo be able to express themselves creatively., To foster an ethos of equality and respect within the student cohort," To improve speaking clarity and listening skills. Activities.. through weekly sessions delivered in 12-week blocks, we used the mantle of the expert IMofEI teaching technique. This involves a fictional world where students assume the roles of experts in a designated field, based on the premise that treating children as responsible experts increases their engagement and confidence. The children worked with an artist lo develop a response to various themeslstimulus.. the Imagination Emporium, The Lion King's Circle of Life, and Mythical Creatures, Lost & Found and Journeys. The participants also allended one theatre trip each term.. Th& Lion King, The Prince of Egypt and Wick&d. Go Live Theatre Projects 10 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 Outcomes". 1 OOO/D of the teachers at both schools scored the project as 'Outstsnding' and slated the children's enjoyment as 515. We asked the Assistant Head at each school and another teacher or teaching assistant to score out of 5 the degree lo which we met the 5 core aims. All 4 teachers gave scores of 4 or 5 against each aim, with most scored at 5. "I leaml new skills I didn t know I had" Pupil at Brittania Village "It is an 8m8zing opportunity they wouldn t othenvise receive. It is a positive w8y to show them drfferent experiences in life." Teacher at Gateway YOUTH GROUPS - bespoke drama projects for pla￿-baSed youth groups and those serving a particular community ofcommon circumstance. Participants.. North London YMCA (care leavers and others experiencing homelessness),. 3 organisations serving young refugees - Refugee Council Children's Services., Young Roots Croydon and Paiwand., Caxton Youth lyoung people with autism, learning disabilities, Down's Syndrome and various other additional needs)., and 4 young carer groups in Harrow, Barnel, Bromley and Tower Hamlets. Participant numbers varied across the sessions bul in all approximately 180 young people engaged with the projects. Aims: projects are tailored lo meet the specific aims of each participating group, bul overall we aim lo develop the personal, social and creative skills of the participants, improve their well-being and introduce them to London's world-class cultural seene. Some aims are specific to the particular type of young people, for example the social, fun aspect of our sessions are very important when working with refugees, many of whom are traumatised and socially isolated, likewise with young carers who need respite from their caring responsibilities. Activities.. we ran 12 projects, each one involving weekly, early evening sessions for a period of 6-12 weeks, or in the case of 3 of the young carer groups delivered over 3 full days during a half term. Some included a taster inlroduclory workshop before the full project began. We engaged drama practitioners to deliver the sessions, who ran drama games and exercises that built trust, explored body language, improvisation, puppetry, storytelling, devising, and other creative skills. All groups also went to the theatre lo see a top London show. Outcomes: North London YMCA Vlthen asked lo reflect on the programme and list what they fell they gol out of it, the participants said. leamt new things., ngw knowledge. and "confidgnce" and meeting new people. The YMCA co-ordinator and our practitioner both noted that improved teamwork and confidence were the big success of the project. "I definitely noticed more confidencg in the people who were a lol more shy and loved seeing them come out of their bubble." Young YMCA resident Refu ee Council Children's Services & Youn Roots oint ro ects We ran two projects for their girls, group aged 16-21. One of the biggest outcomes was the friendships the girls made, as described by the youth leader who said that by the end of the project, the girls greeted each other with hugs and physical contact, which she fell shows comfort, confidence, and joy to be with one another. For these troubled girls, it also had a positive impact on their mental health. .1 can make 8asier new friends. l always speak without any problem, like fr&e. Thgy mak8 me to have more confidence. I was so shy, I have learnt so many things here." Young refugee Go Live Theatre Projects 11 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 Youn Roots Cro don 11 proved difficult lo measure outcomes for this project with their Youth Hub because the group was so transient, with the majority of participants being different every week. However, confidence and communication skills were the key theme in the feedback. "I build up my confidence and I can talk in front ofsomeone and I think maybe l am gelling good with my communication skills with other country and other nation. Young refugee Paiwand We ran projects as part of their Saturday school for 8-12 year-olds. The biggest improvements seen were in their confidence to share their ideas and speak in front of a group, to try something new and to work with others. Nearly 50'/o of the children also said that taking part made them feel their vol￿S were more listened to and teachers noted that this gave them the confidence to participate in group discussions. "This experience has been absolutely wonderful.. The girls have not only become better al communicating their ideas, but also beller at listening and collaborating.. I think the sessions have become a solace for some of our more troubled children. Teacher Caxton Youth We ran two projects with different cohorts of young people with SEND. The most notable outcomes were around social skills and confidence in communication, creative expression and in trying new things. At the start of the project only 30Q￿ of the young people said they were very happy to work with people they don't know well, but al the end this had increased to 700/0. The youth workers gave high scores and superb anecdotal evidence and case studies on the progress the young people made. "The mousetrap drama sessions have had a massivg impact on Caxton mgmbers confidence and support8d them to build relationships and feel socially confident at Caxton with peers and s12ff. The sessions have been transformative." Youth Worker Harrow Youn Carers Al the end of the project the youth worker noted that she had seen progress across all of the following areas., working together, engagement in activities, understanding of performing arts, confidence il to express themselves, ill In communication, iiil general self-confiden¢e. "They are now more e8ger to engage when asked to and have a new found confidence that h8$ been brought about by drama. We have seen ouryoung people able to articulate themselves and think on the spot... public speaking.... Vast improvements havg been mad8~ Youth worker Barnet Youn Carers Bromle Youn Carers Tower Hamlets Youn Carers The 4 youth workers from Barnel and Bromley groups unanimously reported that the experience had 'exceeded expectations,. All 4 agreed that they had seen progress in the following 6 a￿aS.. group working, engagement in activities, understanding of the performing arts, confidence il lo express themselves, ill in communication, iiil general self-confidence. v￿lIe we did not have formal feedback from the Tower Hamlets group youth workers, we had some informal anecdotal feedback. 2 of the young people arrived early on the 2nd and 3rd day and didn't want to go home after the day had finished. The youth worker reported that 'this was unheard of. 'This was the first theatre experience for all ouryoung carers who attended and they had an amazing time and were really blown away by the experience." Youth Worker Go Live Theatre Projects 12 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 YOUTH FORUM-a group ofyoung people 16- 23 years old, who keep MTP connected towhatyoung people need and want, influence our programmes and theatre choices, volunteer at our events and develop leadership skills through running their own events. Membership of the Youth Forum IYFI and active engagement had waned somewhat over the last year, due to the pandemic and members being at university, plus staff changes al our charity meant management of the YF wasn't consistent. In order to allract new members, the YF updated the webpage lo better reflect what they do and encourage interested young people lo gel in touch. At events the YF advocated for others to apply to join the YF and supported the Programme Manager lo offer informal chats online with anyone who expressed an interest. Activities- The YF met monthty, a mixture of online and in person meetings, then shifting to hybrid meetings for the long-lerm. Two YF reps attended all Go Live Theatre trips lo assist our staff and host any post-show talks. Volunteered at our Nutcracker! relaxed performance, our 21st Anniversary Gala and Theatrecraft (see page 151, plus one member spoke al our inaugural Dress Circle Club event for corporate supporters. Instigated a getting to know you" event with MTP'S Board, which will be an annual event Began working on producing a new Welcome Pack for new YF members Attended First Aid Training alongside MTP staff Decided to postpone the annual Youth leadership in the Arts conferen￿ until the following year, and also the annual Mousetrap Awards (their theatre awards iniliativel. This was due to stsff changes at the charity meaning there was less support for the YF, the small number of highly engaged members ofthe YF and with no specific funding for these I￿0 projects, there was no obligation to run them within a sel timeframe. We offered paid employment to YF members to act as building supervisors for hires of MTP'S studio space outside ofoffice hours. Outcomes: One member who had been a valued part ofthe YF for a number ofyears aged out and went on to secure a permanent role at Sadler's Wells. SUMMERSTAGE 2-week performing arts summer school for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and with additional needs. Week 1 Participants: This first week is for young people with no experience of drama and who have mild - moderate learning needs and those who would benefit from a supportive environment. There were 12 young people, aged 13 - 17, with additional needs and disabilities including autism, language and learning delay, sensory disorder, depression, anxiety- Three young people acted as volunteer assistants for the week. Week 2 Participants- the second week is a more mainstream group, aimed at those what have had some experience of drama and want to learn more. We accommodated 19 young people aged 13-16 years, a few ofwhom had anxiety, autism and ADHD. Aims.. To increase the young people's confidence, communication skills and ability lo express themselves To build friendships with like-minded peers Go Live Theatre Projects 13 TRUSTEES. REPORT 31 August 2022 To build an inclusive and supportive environment for young people to express themselves, devise, play and have fun To build and develop performance skills in drama, performing arts and movement For everybody lo perform in and feel ownership over their devised piece of theatre Activities.. Each week ran daily from 1 Oam lo 3.45pm, plus for week 1 participants there was a welcome workshop the weekend before. During the week the young people had a series of workshops on drama, music and movement lo create their own devised piece, which they performed in a final 'sharing' on Friday afternoon for friends and family. Participants attended Wesl End musicals - The Lion. the Witch and the Wardrobe. Gillian Lynn Theatre, for Week 1 participants and Com6 From Away, Phoenix Theatre for Week 2 participants. Outcomes: We asked the participants al the start and at the end of the week about how confident they fell in a number of areas, such as performing, meeting new people, sharing ideas, working as a team. We also asked parents what they noticed about their child during the week. Increased confidence, motivation, engagement and improved working with others and communication skills were the benefits that were most cited across this feedback. From the young people in particular, the overwhelming feedback on how they felt they benefitled was in making new friends with similar interests. Being taken out of their comfort zone and learning independence skills also featured strongly in their feedback. "It has been grgat lo push myselfoul and meet new people. I feel more confident now and .