Providing our young people with opportunities for Manageable Risk-Taking

Adam Boden • 30 January 2022

In addition to the arts capabilities to nurture social and personal growth, performing arts schools are in a position to provide young people with an opportunity to take risks. Risk-taking is a crucial part of the transition into adulthood, fulfilling developmental needs and helping young people to form their identities and begin to shape their futures.

Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods was performed in the woods of Monken Hadley. In addition to the fairytale musical performed as the sun went down, students participated in a pre show, interacting with the picnicking audiences, drawing them in to the world of the play.

The developing adolescent brain is geared towards seeking out the new in search of thrills and rewards. This is not something we should aim to avoid, but to embrace, as young people develop the initiative, autonomy and awareness they will need for successful adult life.

Revolting Rhymes – students aged 7-12 years old led an audience through the woods of Oakhill Park in search of the three pigs houses, followed by the big bad wolf. It was muddy, they were amazing, and now approaching 18 years old, none of them have forgotten the experience.

Drama classes are full of opportunities to provide safe and manageable risk:

  • Auditioning for roles
  • Participating in games
  • Disclosures in group discussions
  • Performing in front of each other, or an audience – in character or as themselves

These ‘risky’ opportunities help the school earn the students’ trust and confidence, allowing them to take those risks and gain those rewards.

A brand new musical and a large scale immersive production, Hamelin. Divided into tour groups, the audience were led around the town of Hamelin, witnesses to the political turmoil that led to the arrival of a stranger, and the kidnapping of the town’s children.

We enable our students to participate in all manner of performances, maximising the benefit of those safe risks by providing them in different forms. Of course, performing in front of an audience comes with risks attached, but when you place the audience on either side, or all around you, allow students permission to take creative risks mid performances or invite the audience to inhabit the world with the performers, these risks are suddenly magnified, and with that, even more, beneficial to the young participants.

Metropolis explored the 1927 film. Our students were split into the rich inhabitants living above the city, and the poor living below; we workshopped the themes of social marginalisation within the backdrop of a futuristic city. The production allowed audiences to investigate both parts of the world.

We often involve our students in large scale Immersive Theatre projects that are innovative and exciting, providing performers and audiences with exposure to uncertainty. These factors entice our young people to take risks, and while the world of the play may be fictional and the environment safe, the risks, and the benefits attached to taking those risks, are genuine. Through the provision of all our productions at Bodens, particularly the immersive theatrical experiences, comes an opportunity to place our young people within another world, providing them with the chance to take manageable risks in a safe space.

Wonderland was a devised piece exploring immigration through the metaphor of Alice’s trip down the rabbit hole. Students performed within a space created to resemble a shipping container; the story unfolded as they crossed the sea and arrived in a land of hope and opportunity.

"I believe there’s a hero in all of us" - Aunt May

by Adam Boden • 16 April 2023
Making A Movie on a Bodens Summer Film Course

Through the Labyrinth

by Adam Boden • 8 January 2023
The early stages of our new immersive, interactive, promenade performance of Minotaur, based on Plutarch's Theseus.

Individual Progression

by Adam Boden • 11 January 2022
In a class of students of mixed age and ability, how does a teacher ensure children and young people are individually challenged? What does it take to ensure every student progresses at their own pace and achieves their potential? Knowledge, experience and support.

How to Build your Child’s Confidence

by Adam Boden • 7 January 2022
While performing arts is a very effective way to boost a child’s confidence, family and friends can do plenty of things to help.

Does Drama Really Matter? Are you having a laugh?

by Adam Boden • 9 February 2019
Shouldn't we stop answering this question and waste any more time giving weight to the possibility that drama is anything but important.

Hamelin! Why Immersive, Promenade Theatre for young people at Bodens?

by Adam Boden • 24 April 2018
Director Adam Boden talks about why Bodens Performing Arts is providing their young participants with immersive theatrical experiences; students gain in confidence and ability, and through the provision of manageable risk, are helped in their transition to adulthood.

INTO THE WOODS... IN THE WOODS

by Adam Boden • 22 June 2017
A little bit about our approach to productions at Bodens performing arts.

Bodens New Fully Funded Summer Course

by Adam Boden • 9 June 2017
I would have given my right hand for this kind of opportunity when I was sixteen years old. Instead of the Arts Depot stage and a microphone to sing out the soaring rock score of Spring Awakening, I spent most of my summer in the local park with a 40p can of Scandia Green and Bryan Adams on loop in the background. Bryan Adams. (Sigh). Following three incredible years at Bodens College of Performing Arts, we had already expanded what was on offer by introducing a brand new gap year course for 18-19 year old students with a year to spare before their next Drama School auditions, so what else could we offer? We wanted to share our brilliant teaching team and fantastic studios with those young people not studying performing arts full time that still share the same passion and enthusiasm as our full-time students; so we planned an amazing three week summer course, worked out the nitty gritty, got the funding in place, and now now ready to offer our New Fully Funded Summer Course. From Tuesday 1st - Saturday 19th August, we will be offering a three week long Performing Arts Course for young people aged 16-18 years. Depending on age and experience, students will undertake a Level 2 or Level 3 Certificate in Performing Arts. This fully funded course will enable the participants to perform in both a full length play and a complete musical. This will be a very rewarding experience and does require commitment, energy and passion from any young people wanting to take part. It is an intensive training opportunity, studying all aspects of Musical Theatre throughout each day. We will produce the full musical Spring Awakening, analysing text and lyrics, exploring movement and gesture through the discovery of subtext. Students also produce a contemporary imagining of the play Woyzeck, where together we will explore text, character and relationships through workshops, concentrating on a contemporary play. An intense opportunity to unlock, rehearse and develop these productions ready for performance to an audience. These are two incredibly demanding pieces of theatre, chosen to ensure we have the material that allows us to work at an advanced standard. Two very strong, character driven productions to challenge our young company to produce incredible performances in just three weeks. This is an opportunity for the complete drama school experience without the cost. And as it's packed in to just three weeks, it still leaves you over half your summer to hang about in the park. With the course currently just over half full, we are auditioning over the coming month on a Sunday afternoon to fill the remaining places with capable, talented and passionate young people, to help us produce some incredible theatre this August. So if that sounds like you, or someone you know, then get in touch at info@performingartscollege.co.uk or on 020 8447 0909. Remember, it's fully funded and students taking part receive an accredited qualification in Creative and Performing Arts. You can view a brochure here https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/3e9c4e73/files/uploaded/BODENS%20COLLEGE%20SUMMER%20COURSE%20201...

Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty...

by Adam Boden • 18 May 2017
I remember when we took on High School Musical all those years ago. The only reason we did it then, is because we did it first. Producing the London Premier of the Smash Hit Disney Musical while it still held pride of place on the whole world's sky box office planner, was it's redeeming feature. We were all in it together before everybody else got their heads in the game. Thousands of production followed nationwide, and the start of something new definitely wasn't. But we got in first. Matilda was a different story. We couldn't get in first because you weren't allowed to produce the show, and by the time an abridged thirty minute version of the show became available for schools to perform, it was too late. Matilda was naughty in almost every school hall and community theatre across England; As far as we were concerned as an innovative and forward thinking organisation, an abridged version of Matilda was as attractive a prospect as High School Musical 3. Forward three years later, and we are in a very different place. While Matilda still maintains a rightful place on the West End Stage, schools have ironically returned to High School Musical, allowing us, to sneak along the hallway and mix up our own production of Matilda. We are blessed as a school with incredible talent across our groups, but it is in particular abundance with our 8-12 year old students. Matilda is perfect for them. An opportunity to be stretched with challenging choreography, demanding lyrics and musicality. We have studied the story, themes and characters and unlocked our performance through creative play: we use the image theatre of Augusto Boal, the naturalistic acting of Stanislavski, using our bodies as the set in a Grotowskian Poor Theatre style, exploring movement techniques of Laban, Jacques Lecoq's levels of tension and bringing it altogether through hardwork, passion and commitment; i'm talking about the students.

Bodens New Magazine

by Adam Boden • 4 May 2017
With an uncurbed amount of pop-up performing arts schools emerging across the local boroughs, it becomes increasingly difficult for the proven and established schools to get their message across to those parents and young people searching for excellent performing arts training. With easy access to drama clubs after school, and franchises within a half a mile radius of one another, there is a lot of information to sift through when searching for a drama school to entrust with your most precious possession, and the development of their talent, confidence and most importantly, their ability to perform as themselves. So how do you make the right decisions. It's hard to say. At Bodens we have our purpose built performing arts studios and regularly assessed outstanding teachers. We have missions, values and aims in place, and at the heart of our school and college is a desire to transform the lives of young people through inspirational teaching, providing exceptional training in performing arts. But just because another school might be newly established, with classes held in a small village hall, run by a relatively inexperienced teacher, doesn't mean that you haven't stumbled across the beginnings of a brilliant new school, and the perfect pathway for the development of your child or young person; a three-year-old rolling around St. Cuthbert's Hall still has an opportunity to roly poly all the way to RADA. So how do you choose? We know that word of mouth is one of the most important factors in gaining new students, and of course search engines and social media play an ever-expanding part. I set myself a target this term, to work on search engine optimisation and improve our website to increase traffic to blah blah blah... but within two weeks I fell out with both google and bing, and my brains helpless merger of SEO, SMO, CTR, and CPC left me frustrated. TOO MUCH NOISE. How can we be heard? I can preach about qualifications and visions until Fagan's boys come home, but it doesn't mean anyone is listening. And is it really worth paying £2.78 a click so someone can visit my website that says it does what everyone else’s website says they do! So, we turned to our new magazine; and instead of filling it with information about us, it's all about them - our students - the children and young people who heard all about us, despite the pandemonium of performing arts promise, and joined our happy little family. We've also got them to write it. So, it's by them, all about them, which is all about us. Seemed to make sense that if we wanted someone to shout out above the noise, it might as well be them. After all, they have a lot of brilliant things to say. They're actually as passionate as I am... and that's saying something. So the magazine is online at www.bodens.co.uk and you can pick up a hard copy, for free, at any of our performing arts classes. It’s all about the shows, the classes and the students. If you're feeling really lazy, exhausted after all your studious studio searching, then just e-mail MAGAZINE to info@bodens.co.uk and we'll send you the link.
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