Taking Flight Theatre Company Workshop Review

Taking Flight Theatre Company is a theatre group currently touring schools with their production of Real Human Being. The play was written especially for the group, by Matthew Bulgo, aiming to raise awareness of disability hate crime. Taking Flight has collaborated with Disability Wales to develop the project, with funding from the Home Office.

I spent the day with them at Cynfigg Comprehensive School, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself both observing and participating in the workshop. The workshop alternated between activities for the group and the performance, broken into three pieces, showing the progression of the situation between three school pupils.

Using the technique of forum theatre, the play allows the audience to control certain scenes, suggesting different ways the characters could deal with the situation and discover the outcomes and consequences of that character’s actions. It shows how saying or doing one thing could make the situation escalate into something a lot worse, while something else could improve it. This is particularly useful with the nature of the play and getting its message across, as well as helping to engage the audience. It is performed in in-the-round staging, and the actors interact with the audience as if they were their class mates, also staying in character for most of the day, even when not performing, again helping to engage them and make them feel part of the performance. I thought using this technique to present the play was brilliant; it made watching it a really exciting and unique experience. And I love theatre, but it also appealed to audience members who perhaps do not find theatre as entertaining, showing them another aspect of it.

As well as audience interaction, the style of the performance is very naturalistic, which gives it a very realistic feel. The actors could be normal kids hanging around on the school yard, or in a lesson. They speak and interact with each other as the audience would with their friends. It’s relatable, making the message within the play really hit home. And it shows through the reactions of the audience: the gasps, the shouting out, the silence that hangs in the air. It makes people think, about what they do, what they say, the words they use, what it means, how it affects others.

The play is a very successful piece of theatre on its own, exciting and engaging to watch, but as part of the workshop it really works to make people stop and think and consider their actions, teaching them about respect for others. At fifteen, I am a year older than the pupils who participated, but it didn’t matter. I think it gets the message across to people of all ages. Whilst they’ve had fun throughout the day, the feedback from the young people who participated shows that they actually have learned something, and it has made a difference.  

Taking Flight Theatre Company’s website:

http://takingflighttheatre.co.uk/Home/home.html

http://takingflighttheatre.co.uk/productions/photogallery7/realhuma...