Participation and Engagement

Our projects have clear developmental aims: fostering community self-awareness; deploying research and development to advance our knowledge of a community and the community’s knowledge of itself; and creating forms of theatre which express and explore these insights.

Young Actors Programme

A training programme for young people interested in developing theatre/acting skills. The course is conducted over a 16-week period through tutorials and mentoring by performing arts professionals. The workshops are geared towards staged performances by the participants at a local theatre.

• 2009 - The Magic Pillow of Oxumare and Legends of The Amazon
  In partnership with Lewisham Youth Theatre, in January 2009, StoneCrabs started working with Lewisham based young people on weekly workshops exploring the theme about Brazilian Mythology and Legends of the Amazon. The workshops culminated 2 final performances at the Catford Broadway in May. The project was supported by BBC Children in Need and Garfield Weston.

  

  photos by Warren King

International Women’s Festival

StoneCrabs’ participation to International Women’s Festival started in 2002 with our production StoneCrabs: Story of Violence, Vitriol and Victory.

• 2008: Women of All Ages In 2008, in collaboration with the Albany and many Lewisham community groups, StoneCrabs launched the project Women of All Ages, an evening of theatre, poetry and music, combined with the unveiling of a community art installation. This marked the opening of Lewisham International Women’s Week Festival. Women of All Ages aimed to encourage and motivate the workshop participants to look into how their own lives and experiences can inform and influence each other towards a more positive, tolerant and cohesive environment and community.

  

• 2007: Women at Work The theme of the festival in 2007 was ‘What is the real meaning of having a voice, power and equal rights in our society?’ Tereza Araujo led the workshop involving 12 women from all over the country and an international artist who helped the group to create the art installation. The workshop focused on women’s expression and freedom of creativity in visual art and theatre in developing value for themselves and others. The resulting art installation celebrated the women’s unique voices provoked both audience and participants to reassess their own values and their responsibility towards themselves and their community.

  

• 2006: 50/50 Feminine Image This project interviewed 50 men and 50 women. The aim was to stimulate a new way of seeing women, and encouraging people to have positive attitudes towards the treatment of women.

  

• 2005:Miss Julie (see ‘Past Productions’ menu)

• 2004:A Real Princess (see ‘Past Productions’ menu)

• 2002: StoneCrabs, A Domestic Story of Violence, Vitriol and Victory (see ‘Past Productions’ menu)

Time to Act

This community development project spanned over 6 months involving different communities in Lewisham. StoneCrabs worked in collaboration with Lewisham Time Bank Project Coordinator and ran a series of workshops led by Tereza Araujo and Julia Evangelista together with Deptford-based visual artist, Luciana Dualibe, these workshops provided a ground for discussions on multiculturalism, and encouraged the development of positive attitudes in the process of building a more tolerant, peaceful and respectful community.

The end of the project was celebrated with a community fun day held at the Woodpecker Centre on the Milton Court Estate in Deptford.

U Decide - Building a Happier Community and U Decide - Acting For Health

The projects have two phases: 1) Research, involving face-to-face visits, and 2) drama workshops exploring story-telling and creating an art installation. Both ‘U Decide’ projects have involve people from the local community groups through the use of drama workshop. 'U Decide' projects seek to inspire and empower people to believe in the positive nature of diverse communities.

Brazilian Roots

Brazilian Roots is a project that uses cross-over activities including drama, craft and games to introduce children to the rich culture of Brazil. This includes the native history and traditions of the Amazonian Indians, their rich folklore, and the modern-day colourful and vibrant life of Carnival in other parts of Brazil. These workshops underline the importance of celebrating life through festivals.

• Brazilian Roots - Amazon Forest - This workshop explores how Europeans influenced the way the Indians lived and how Indians live today.

  

• Brazilian Roots - Carnival - This workshop presents the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of carnival, exploring the significance of its colourful costumes, dance, music and folklore tales.

  

• Brazilian Roots - Dancing Cow Festival/ Bumba Meu Boi – The ‘Dancing Cow’ is a traditional figure in Brazilian Festivals, and can be seen in the Carnival, Christmas, religious celebrations and many other festivals. The cow is a mythical creature crosses borders and helps bring individuals together through its historical and mythological roots. This project, involving children from schools in Lewisham and Lambeth, consists of a series of workshops combining craft and drama to build a dancing cow. It concludes with performances by all the children participating in the project

  
  
  2008 –
  The Dancing Cow 2008 was implemented at Deptford Park Primary School during the months of February and March of 2008. A group of 28 children from year 3 and 4 gathered in a series of 6 workshops and created a final celebration.
  
  
  
  
  
  2009 –
  Sponsored by Capital One radio; Help A London Child, Dancing Cow 2009 was implemented at Pepys 2000 Community Centre in Deptford.
  
  Young people from North Lewisham were introduced to the concept of folklore and stories about mythological cows from all around the world. Through the workshops, the participants learnt about cultural diversity, how to tell stories, and in the end of the programme, they created a beautiful and rich festival on the theme of the Brazilian Dancing Cow “Bumba-Meu-Boi”.