St Joseph's — Rhian Sutcliffe

Stage in the Making

Date: June 2016 - ongoing

Group: Adults with intellectual disabilities

Description: St Joseph's is safe place for adults with intellectual disabilities to learn and participate fully in the life of their community. Since 2016 I have been teaching 'Stage in the Making' - a once weekly class which focuses on making theatre props for St Joseph’s annual drama show. The story-lines in the show are all generated by the students and so the topics covered are often very real to life and touching, for example the theme for the 2018 show is ‘relationships’.

I introduce the students to a wide range of materials and techniques including papier-mache, foam, collage junk modelling (using recycled materials), fabrics, paints etc to make all sorts of props such as puppets, backdrops, costumes and small items to be used for stop motion. I create a supportive and uplifting work environment through lots of discussion, music, and assigning individual tasks to suit the needs and abilities of each student. The students are a joy to work with as are the other tutors, assistants and volunteers.