A key part of my role is supporting and advising groups / individuals who are interested in setting up new youth theatres. These people come from a huge variety of backgrounds, and have different levels of experience in theatre and work with young people. In the last year or so, I�ve met a large number of people whose own theatre experiences centre on rehearsals and productions, or the more formal experience of the speech and drama class. As soon as we start to chat about youth theatre, the same question arises � �What is a drama workshop?�

And what do I say? Well it can be difficult to explain to somebody who has only been involved in the traditional style of rehearsal and production process. The best way to come to grips with a drama workshop is to participate in one: to learn by doing. But why are drama workshops important anyway?

Workshops lie at the heart of the youth theatre programme. The majority of youth theatres offer weekly drama workshops (which may turn into devising or rehearsal sessions as they approach a production) and young people talk about workshops as the most common youth theatre experience. Leaders feel strongly that the provision of drama workshops is part of the ethos of youth theatre and that they should always sit alongside the opportunity to get involved in rehearsals and productions.

A workshop is a series of planned activities which engage young people in an active exploration of drama. Workshops create a safe environment for young people to play and experiment. A supportive environment is key to enable young people to take risks, push beyond their comfort zones and learn from new experiences. Workshops are also designed to meet the developmental needs of the group, in other words, you start from �wherever your own particular group of young people are at�. They can cover a wide variety of material:

� Skills development

Youth theatre workshops explore and develop basic drama and theatre skills: improvisation, character work, script work and basic movement and voice work. Many youth theatres focus on devising skills and through the sharing of short devised scenes, members also explore basic skills in performance, analysis and constructive criticism.

� Group development

Youth theatre workshops aim to develop the group dynamic by exploring teamwork and trust and by taking a group / ensemble approach in tasks and activities.

� Issue-based and process drama

The main objective of a workshop can be the exploration of a specific issue or theme rather than the development of a skill. Process drama techniques are used to explore issues that are relevant to the group and issues that emerge as part of a devising or a rehearsal process.

� Specialist skills and theatre techniques

Youth theatres may engage members with advanced movement and voice skills or actor training methods developed by Stanislavski, Grotowski, Lecoq or Suzuki. Youth theatre groups may also engage with other theatre forms and techniques such as �viewpoints� and Playback Theatre.

� Technical theatre workshops

Youth theatres may run workshops to explore lighting and sound design as well as set design and costume design. These workshops may be built into a production process or could be arranged as part of a separate skills development programme.

� Dance and other art forms

Many youth theatres involve movement, dance and music within their regular drama workshops but some arrange specific workshops that focus on these individual art forms. Youth theatres may also run workshops on art forms such as film or radio that lead to specific projects.

When talking to people about the kinds of training that will help them develop their youth theatre work, you will often hear specific theatre skills or child protection training mentioned. Very few people suggest drama facilitation skills. At NAYD, we�ve always found that it�s actually these drama facilitation skills that are key.

How do you create a workshop plan or create a programme of workshops?

How do you adapt your work to suit each new group of young people?

How do you build self-confidence and the group dynamic through drama activities?

How do you introduce new youth theatre members to core drama and theatre skills?

How do you manage difficult behaviour during drama workshops?

The answer to these questions and many more, lie in good drama facilitation practice. I�m on a bit of a soapbox today! But drama facilitation skills are key to creating a positive youth theatre experience and they come in at Number 1 on my youth theatre training list.

In response to this need, NAYD has developed a full time training course in youth drama facilitation called ArtsTrain. The course is FETAC accredited and is funded through the FAS Local Training Initiative. For more information see: http://www.nayd.ie/training/show/artstrain

Drama facilitation skills are also at the heart of NAYD�s ongoing training programme for youth theatre leaders, Leading On...

For more information see: http://www.nayd.ie/training/show/leading_on