Welcome to Masquerade - where education, creativity and fun come together through the mediums of drama, dance and art!
Since its foundation in 1996, Masquerade’s aim has been to integrate people of all abilities within an arts environment using drama, dance, music and art.
Our fun and exciting workshops are run in:
- schools
- festivals
- youth groups
- residential homes
We also run our very own integrated workshops in Llanfyllin, Powys.
Our inclusive approach creates a space where participants of all ages and abilities are valued within a supportive community. We believe that the creative arts can help build confidence and can create ways to express and understand thoughts and feelings.
At Masquerade we work on:
- improvisation
- speech and language,
- characterisation,
- story telling
- script development
- creative writing
- devising
- dance and movement
- singing and using the voice
- music
- art – prop making, mask making, scenery painting
Our workshops are both fun and educational. Our creative sessions are based on devising a performance from a theme chosen by the group itself, which is then developed over a series of sessions. Experienced facilitators who work with the group lead these workshops.
Our most recent project is:
Montgomeryshire Folk and Fable.
Arts for All has recently given us the funding for a project, Montgomeryshire Folk and Fable, to gather stories form the senior member of Montgomeryshire and bring them to life. Just the kind of thing us Masqueraders thrive on. But, it is not quite so simple.
The project will run in 3 phases.
Phase 1: Is already up and running. Two members Monica and Alex, with the help of Clive Hopwood, an exprienced story teller and gather, are working together with Montgomeryshire Age Concern. Margret Davison manager of Montgomeryshire Age Concern and her team run a Healthy Living Project which has been on going for severl years. They bring together the senior members of rural communities, giving them lunch and activities that they might be intrested in. Our project fits the bill nicely and after meeting with Margret we were able to introduce our project to Pontrobert Healthy Living group and are due in Llandrinio later this month. We gathered some intresting matrieal, Such as the 'Gwylliaid Cochion', The Red Men of Mallwid. Noble Bandits used to come out of the mists, climb down chimmneys and steal. But local people got wise to this and started to put syths in thier chimmnies so the 'Gwylliaiad Cochion' got more than they bargined for. There are still a few syths in chimmnies around Pontrobert today. Well I never, I wonder what the Masquerade crew will make of that.
Phase 2: We take our gathed stories into the workshop and bring them to life. Clive will be attending so we can look forward to refreshing and creative ideas. Whilst we are in the mists of our creation, members will actively be encouraged to lead verious activities within the workshop. Up skilling our members is part of the project and an importand aspect of Phase 3.
Phase 3: With our highly skilled team of Masqueraders our Project will go on outreach. We will contact a number of homes within the community and offer them 2 or 3 workshops based on the Montgomery Folk and Fable Project.
The Project is due to be compleated by November 2010.
Monica
Passed Projects
Creative Movement Workshops.
A series of fun and creative movement sessions for the young at heart! This is a project that was run with Llwyn Teg Residential Care Home, Llanfyllin Powys. The aim of the project was to gather stories and life experiences from participants and to use music and movement to recall tales from their lives. We believe this promoted self esteem and build on confidence along with improving levels of communication.
Linking to the above workshops - the research gathered from this project provided the basis for our production of 'It's a life' that was devised and performed by the integrated group held on Wednesdays. It was so good that we were asked by ' Voice for all' to perform it for disability week at Berriew, nr Newtown.
An exciting and original inter-generational project combining aspects of the community.
For any more information please contact us on 01691 648 135
Hope to see you soon!