The Black Dog Theatre Creation

With a core aim to "use performance techniques to develop people's confidence and to support the reduction of isolation," the project has become a wonderful success. Now in its sixth year, it has become securely embedded within the community in Essex and Camden, London working in partnership with the West Euston Partnership and Colchester Borough Council. The project runs weekly workshops developing performance skills, confidence, self-esteem and working towards regular performances. The project has taught Alfie a great deal about leading a community group, engaging with people whom are harder to reach and working alongside partnerships. Creatively, it's made Alfie more aware of finding ways to adapt to people's individual needs e.g. choosing the right venue, timing and accessibility needs, developing performances which do not rely upon mass line learning, audience sizes, costumes. The feedback from both participants and their families has been extremely positive. The project has really changed lives and given people a purpose and the encouragement to reconnect with society. 

The Story Box Community Theatre Project

Working with older members of the community has always been a favourite of Alfie's. Older people are great to work with as they have so much to give and have so much to learn from. There's always been a common misconception that once you reach a certain age you become fragile and too frail to do anything and are often forgotten about. Alfie believes that they have so much more to give. We never stop learning and the Story Box Theatre Project does just that. The project runs weekly workshops exploring oral storytelling, work with puppets and masks and work towards producing regular performances. It's taught Alfie a lot about how to make the arts more accessible in terms of both the venues, space and activities. He's been amazed by the quality of the performances produced and the energy applied by the participants. The project also uses performances to explore and raise awareness of issues affecting older people such as loneliness, fears of ill health, accessibility, money issues and the constant changes to technology. 

The Acoustic Lounge 

The Acoustic Lounge Project was a three-year project which originated from the Colchester Arts Centre after they asked Alfie to put on a regular music gig to raise money to support the centre. The project aimed to support the development of local song writing. Alfie ran monthly gigs in a range of local venues giving artists the opportunity to try out and promote their new or developing material. It also became a popular way for artists to network and Alfie encouraged possibilities for artists to collaborate. It was a wonderful atmosphere created by Alfie. The project also ran a yearly song writing competition where Alfie had enlisted local recording studios and radio stations to offer recording packages as prizes. Each year would end with a showcase one day festival bringing together some 30 artist at one time. 

The Legacy Theatre and Heritage Project

Alfie's Legacy project was inspired by his work with The History off the page and Colne Valley Victorian Railway experience. Its aim is to use theatre and performance to inspire people to learn about the past and to bring history alive. Alfie worked for three years alongside the Gateways to the First World War team to produce three successful projects in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War. He was the only person in the UK to have received funding and to have produced three successful projects. All three performances were produced at London venues and one was even transferred to the West-End twice. The three performances were based upon sharing what we had learnt and brought to life real stories from the past. Education packages were shared with schools. Alfie was guest speaker at the Gateways First World War Festival.in Cardiff where he shared his experiences in leading the projects. He was also invited to attend as a special guest at the 100th Remembrance Day Service attended by the Queen. The projects gave Alfie the opportunity to develop new partnerships with museums and historians and develop new ways of applying theatre skills to bring historical enquiry skills to life. 

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"Congratulations on completing your first world war project. It was clear the project was a big success and it was particularly good to read about the strong community engagement, as well as the partnerships you have built" 

(Rebecca Jenkins Heritage Lottery Fund)

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Women Unscene 

Still in its first year, The Women Unscene project has already made a big impact - particularly during the lockdown. The project was set up to support local women and stay at home mums with the hope of reducing isolation and creating opportunities for them to share and develop new skills. Our first project focused upon working with the Puppet Soup Theatre Company learning how to use puppets on stage. We then used this to create a performance of Red Riding Hood using puppets for young audiences at the Loughton Library. Since the lockdown the participants have met regularly via zoom to record audio plays retelling children's stories and sharing these via facebook and you tube. Their stories have already captured the attention of the British Blind Association whom have been sharing our stories with their members. 

Beyond the Edge Project 

One of Alfie's first projects was the Beyond the Edge project. The 18 month project was designed to use performance techniques to support vulnerable adults with complex needs to develop confidence and independence. He worked with local his local homeless shelter, the Open Road, Fresh beginnings and Mind. He worked with over 150 people using workshops, day trips, activities and found that all the participants went on to reconnect with society through volunteering, further education or employment opportunities. The project was very difficult due to the complexity of many of the participants, but proved to be a fantastic learning opportunity. Alfie learnt how to adapt activities spontaneously to support individual needs and situations and gave him a greater empathy and understanding of the problems which some people face and the support mechanisms available. 

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Theatre for all

Alfie has a strong belief that theatre should be for all. He has developed the Theatre for All project which is committed to exploring ways to make performances (and his work) accessible to all. All of his projects are fully accessible regardless of disabilities, gender, sexuality, ethnic or cultural background or social class and financial situation. He continues to make his performances accessible, ensuring he works with venues which are accessible and tickets are avoidable. He has been commended upon for his commitment to promoting accessibility and diversity. 

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