Over the last two weeks National Theatre Wales' collaboration with Ocean Park Academy has seen our older students show us their competitive side; a good thing!

Returning from half term we stretched our theatrical legs and warmed up with some games like 1,2,3, questions only, and grandma's footsteps... these team exercises were a good way to get energised before entering the escape room John had planned for us...

Using linking clues in one of the classrooms at the academy, the students were given 20 minutes to find the keys to unlock the door. Using the theme of travel, clues were hidden in a suitcase, a photo album and on Skype live to the room next door! With the stakes raised, the learners found themselves working together to work out meanings of riddles and visual cues; there was an obvious sense of achievement when they figured it all out and found their way out of the room.

To continue with our work on thematic challenges, the learners were split into 2 teams to create their own escape rooms to for the other one to participate in. One team chose horror, the other sports. Using multimedia methods the horror team definitely got the genre spot on (the tutors looked genuinely shaken up) by using sound effects, props, and banging on the walls from the outside now and again just to keep them on their toes! The sports team made their room particularly clever, making a short film to project a boxing sequence which spelled out a code as a clue. With vague instructions and dummy clues, this led nicely onto this weeks session on lateral thinking.

The academy students gave really creative answers on John's riddles, with great discussion on each avenue they tried to solve, working out the pros, cons and viability of their suggestions. We also had an interesting discussion which gave an insight into everyone's experiences of mainstream school. How many embarrassing moments do you remember from a school assembly, school play or presentation given by a teacher? Everyone had a cringe worthy moment to share about school gone wrong, and so we tried to streamline this into an ideas session; could we capitalise on one of these experiences? The common ground in the room has come up frequently as being frustration with the way our school lives went, so it makes sense for the students to express these in a creative way.

What was lovely about the last 2 weeks was the many mediums we've worked in to find content. Words and riddles, film and projection, live video streams and PC passwords, maths problems and real life discussion; and all engaged with as a group. So after all our workshopping its time to start decision making. But first, as its Easter soon....

There are six eggs in the basket. Six people each take one of the eggs. How can it be that one egg is left in the basket?

Go!