My Time Volunteering with Face Front

I’m currently in my third year at Goldsmiths university, attending Face Front two days a week on work placement. Since I’ve started getting to know the team, I’ve come to understand how important play and theatre truly is.

I currently attend DDM which is a group designed for young people who are interested in performance and drama. Currently they’re working on devising a play based around the question ‘Where would you rather be?’. I find the generosity and energy of this group to be very refreshing, the young people are willing to try whatever task you throw at them and working together in this environment is incredibly rewarding.

We spend much of our time together playing games and using this exploration as a focal point for devising. This process works very well because it allows ideas to come naturally, without pressure or force. The work that’s produced is often humorous and representative of what each participant enjoys, which ensures everyone can contribute ideas to the final performance.

Additionally, I work with Interaction which is a group for a range of ages and at one point the age ranged between 11-94. We’re currently working on a play called ‘Ms and Mystery’ which is due to be performed in June and the play features some absurd and heart-warming themes. I thoroughly enjoy working with everyone at InterAction and I’m very grateful for the relationships I’ve began to develop with each participant. I’ve found that the varying ages allows for a special kind of collaboration, encouraging participants to take risks and develop their own creativity.

Similarly, the individuals that attend Broken Silence all have varying interests and talents. This group is devising a piece of theatre based on a cruise ship with themes of crime, mystery, and breakfast foods… yes that’s correct! In fact my favourite thing about working with broken silence is the breakfast-themed song that Greg, our musician, helped us create.  To start this process, everyone devised their own line describing their favourite food and Greg cleverly put this all into one song which the group have been rehearsing. One key element of why Broken Silence works so well is because every member is completely unique; this collaboration of talent and creativity allows for an efficient and joyful rehearsal space.

So far, my time with Face front has been incomparable to anything I’ve experienced. The work I’ve seen so far has been encouraging, playful and enriching. I’d thoroughly encourage anyone to attend their performances or looking at their online performances via social media.

Emily