We are passionate about young people’s learning and believe in the power of theatre to help develop this. We know that teachers believe this too, but are under pressure to deliver results through the National Curriculum, meaning that creativity can sometimes lose out. Using stories to help children connect, we create exciting new learning opportunities that enhance the curriculum across the Key Stages, and may even contribute to improving results. We work to capture imaginations, providing enriching drama experiences that young people can engage with, participate in and learn from.

From pre-school, primary and secondary audiences, through to further and higher education college and university students, Arc uses storytelling, drama-based workshops and participative Forum Theatre to explore choices and learn about consequences, whilst developing key communication and life-skills. The range of issues we cover is practically limitless, with our speciality being in challenging topics, including racism, Hate Crime, Child Criminal and Sexual Exploitation, Violence Against Women and Girls, and gangs, drugs and weapon crime. We can explore kindness and friendship with children, transition to secondary or higher education and career choices for young people, and everything from respect to road safety with youth audiences and their teachers using our tried and tested, live, interactive theatre and multi-media workshops.

Individual schools, local authorities, public sector departments and Corporate Social Responsibility teams can choose from our current range of programmes, or work with us to create new programmes to explore the themes you need to tackle.  

We are experts in creating high-impact training for public sector, corporate and third sector organisations. Using powerful stories, live theatre and first-class facilitation, we devise tailor-made programmes that communicate your issues and achieve your outcomes through an imaginative and engaging shared experience.  

Whether coaching staff in the workplace or presenting to industry professionals at conferences, we translate your culture, vision and values, stories, ideas, aspirations, or issues using Arc’s high-quality training and awareness-raising programmes. We can explore understanding diversity including racism and Black Lives Matter; managing change; improving customer service and front-line experience; bettering communication, motivating teams and individuals; community cohesion; Safeguarding and Child Protection including Female Genital Mutilation; Climate Change and environmental issues; and developing creative thinking and emotional intelligence. We are also specialists in delivering Trauma Informed Training for staff dealing with both children and vulnerable adults in a range of settings.

By using a ready-made Forum Theatre scenario or commissioning bespoke workshops employing a range of creative and practical training techniques, we can work with you to communicate your issues, improve relations and achieve your outcomes.

Our work in local communities is individually commissioned to fulfil the needs of specific objectives in a variety of areas for communities in and around the northeast-London Boroughs and beyond. Recent projects include our long-term series of weekly female empowerment workshops running after-school for young people aged 11+; drama-based intensive holiday workshop courses for children aged 9 and over; creative drama workshops developing cohesion for adults in the community; exploring Hate Crime at public forums; delivering health-awareness performance workshops at community groups (for example prostate cancer awareness); and community safety sessions featuring live theatre for vulnerable and older adults (including scamming, mate crime, cuckooing and burglary prevention).

We can work with you to help reach your local community, whether it’s for one session, a day, a week, or a longer term project. 

Arc’s specialised brand of Forum Theatre is a powerful and effective vehicle for getting messages across to audiences of both young and old. 

A short, scripted scenario based on the issues to be explored is created in-house, which is played out by a team of Arc’s professionally trained actors, led by one of our highly-skilled facilitators. When the scene reaches a heightened point of conflict, the action is stopped, and the audience is divided into two or three groups and invited to take on the point of view of one of the characters, instructing them on how to play out the rest of the scene. The characters are rotated as the action continues, allowing the groups to effectively step into the shoes of each character. Ultimately, each session aims to reach a place of resolution where all can come together to achieve positive outcomes and understand the benefits of positive choices. This highly engaging theatre technique allows the audience to explore difficult and sensitive issues in a safe and inclusive environment.