Little Brum Youth Theatre
“Late. Always late … not their fault … sneaking out … have to nowadays. Waiting.
Suppose … my whole life … always waiting … we all are …
like a drowning man desperately grasping to reach the surface … can’t … breathe!”
Big Brum has started its Youth Theatre, Little Brum, and its Young Film-makers programme, in North Solihull.
These programmes have been created to offer opportunities for young people in North Solihull to engage with meaningful theatre- and film-making. This might be a once in a lifetime experience or the beginning of a lifetime in the arts.
The programmes form part of a drive to create a ‘Community of Recovery’ in North Solihull. For many of the young people involved, the experience has already been transformative.
“It’s really brought her out of her shell. If you had asked me a year ago if she would have been able to do it [the play], I would have said no.” – parent’s feedback
In Autumn 2024, we began a Youth Theatre pilot, engaging thirteen children aged 10-11.
The formation of the group had been catalysed by the excitement of Year 6 children at St John the Baptist Primary School, North Solihull, in watching and responding to Big Brum’s tour of ‘Hansel and Gretel.’ These children were bursting with ideas for scripts, presentations and artwork of their own. As a result, we led nine weekly sessions at the school each Monday evening from November 2024 to February 2025.
Encouraged by the success of the pilot, we decided to create a dedicated space for a Youth Theatre that Autumn, one which would bring together young people from different North Solihull schools. We therefore advertised for children aged 10-11 to come along to a taster event at Elmwood Family Hub.
At the session, we began to explore the Greek tragedy of ‘Antigone’ with a group of five children, using story, objects and role play – with the children assuming the role of Thebans/Guards.
The children responded enthusiastically and thoughtfully, especially to the plight of the jailed Antigone and her quest for justice.
“I think the story is unfair, she was sticking up for what she believed in!”
They also commented on the power of Drama itself:
“It felt weird being in it, like you were actually being that person and feeling the way they would have felt.”
Building on the successful taster event, we launched weekly sessions. The Youth Theatre group continued to grow, consolidating as a group of seven children (including three children with autism, one of whom is a school refuser). Over 16 weeks, the children worked with three Big Brum staff at the Family Hub to continue exploring Antigone’s story. Together, we devised ‘Gone’ - set in an abandoned library in 2040, where seven children meet to tell the ancient Greek story of ‘Antigone’. The children love stories and came up with the beloved but disused ‘children’s section’ of the library to be the site of their play. The sessions coincided with a period of local library cuts, so – like Antigone – the children were saying ‘no’ to an injustice.
Following final rehearsals on the preceding day, seven of the children shared ‘Gone’ at Marston Green Parish Hall with a group of family and friends: 42 people of all ages, as well as five members of staff from Big Brum.
The front of the flier for the performance of ‘Gone’
Two adult guests said the following about the performance:
“It was very apparent to us that a tremendous amount of work had been done by the students and staff before the event. It is very important that students have a chance to talk freely about their lives and what is significant to them. The chance for students to share, collaborate and be creative outside the school curriculum is so essential. It seems especially so in the current climate where technology is commanding much of our attention.”
At a wrap-up session the following week, children and parents had an opportunity to reflect and comment on the Youth Theatre experience. Here is what some of the parents had to say.
“I’m so glad you’re continuing, it’s so needed.”
“She’s creative, and this was able to mean she could be creative and was given space to be emotionally invested in it … With this, I’ve never seen her so excited about anything. Wednesday is her favorite day.”
“It’s a real opportunity for her to mix with different sorts of people, all from different schools.”
“After the performance, in the car on the way home she was talking about how proud she was – of herself but also of everyone else in the group.”
“It’s good for confidence building, because it’s a different environment, separate from school or being at home with Mum and Dad. I never thought she’d have the confidence to do something like this.”
“When they got given their scripts they were chatting away in the back of the car, they were so excited.”
“She will be counting down the days until September!”
And here is one of the children’s comments.
“It was really fun and usually, I find it hard to make friends but when I came here, it was easy to make friends.”
The set of ‘Gone’ at Marston Green Parish Hall.
Seeking to build on the young people’s enthusiasm for ‘Gone’, we came up with the idea of making a film based on the play. We wanted the Gone Film Project to provide a unique opportunity for the young people to experience what it’s like making a real film. We wanted them to be able to work with professional film makers, using specialised film and sound equipment on a dedicated ‘film set’.
At the Summer wrap-up session for Little Brum, as we anticipated, the children responded energetically to the proposal. The Gone Film Project will be going ahead in Autumn 2026.
We have now launched a Community Appeal towards the Project, providing the opportunity for the local community to get behind it.
Watch this space for news and further details!
If you would like to get involved with Little Brum Youth Theatre and/or the Gone Film Project, please drop us a line.
We would like to thank our funders, including Arts Council England, The Garfield Weston Foundation and The John Thaw Foundation for their support for Little Brum Youth Theatre.
