Award-winning children’s theatre company Tessa Bide Productions has created a series of online workshops for children and families while at home during lockdown when theatres and clubs have been closed. These step-by-step workshops range from ‘Make Your Own Puppet’ to ‘How to Build a Story for Theatre’ and are suitable for children aged 7+ or younger with supervision from an adult.
Artistic Director Tessa Bide is hoping to use the unprecedented circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to create innovative online content that will be fun and entertaining for children and families. “Covid 19 has been pretty crushing for the theatre industry. My company has had to cancel two national UK tours and a rehearsal period for a brand new show this year, but we’re determined to keep on with our mission to use theatre as a tool to unite families and inspire children, even during lockdown.” she said. In creating these online workshops, alongside other digital work, Tessa seeks to keep her audiences engaged with a new way of experiencing theatre from home which involves young people participating in something in an active way.
Tessa runs regular workshops for children and adults with a focus on skill development and creativity. She is now bringing her expert skills online for everyone to access from home. Tessa says “We want to use this opportunity to explore ways to bring theatre into people’s homes which doesn’t just involve using our archive footage of past shows. These new workshops are an opportunity for young people to get stuck into theatre and learn new, fun skills which could give them a creative platform to tell their own stories. We wanted to make sure that anyone can access the content using just their computer, phone or tablet, so these workshops are free and use items you’d have in the house such as newspaper and tape.”
As well as providing these workshops, Tessa Bide Productions have a range of other digital offerings as part of their summer programme including interviews with artists, live storytelling sessions and streaming of popular shows The Selfish Giant and Perfect. As well as this free content, the company can be commissioned to create bespoke workshops for youth groups or schools.
The full online programme can be found at www.tessabide.com
Previously Tessa Bide Productions has only made work for live audiences, over the last eight years the award-winning company have produced eight Arts Council England funded shows. The most recent project, Bob was shown during Bristol Old Vic’s Ferment Fortnight, a show for young audiences exploring loss and grief. The company’s shows have toured both nationally and internationally, selling out to audiences in India, Europe, and around the UK. Often partnering with charities, Tessa’s unique work discusses topical issues and uses captivating puppetry, music, and bold scenery to engage children and family alike. Her shows perform in traditional theatre spaces, town halls, and even a retro pop-up caravan for The Anarchist’s Mobile Library, a show on wheels where you can step inside and create your own adventure from stories that have exploded from books.
You can donate to help Tessa Bide Productions to keep going so that the company can continue making great theatre for children and their families. Your donation will go towards supporting the creation of online theatre and entertainment. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tessabide
