English theatre workshop
Learning English by doing: theatre games, improvisation and short scenes. From grade 1 at bilingual schools.
Under the motto “Let’s Play!” we have developed workshops for primary school pupils in grades 4 to 6, and from grade 1 at bilingual schools. They can be booked as a project day, over several days or as a project week.
Learning English through doing
We work at the crossover between the fundamental principles of acting and theatre-making and those of learning and speaking a foreign language: sound, movement, pace, rhythm, space, gesture, expression, intention and physical presence.
As the title suggests, the workshop takes a playful approach to learning English and aims to develop a sense of fun about learning another language. Using various theatre games, we get the children warmed up to speaking and hearing English and to theatre work in general. The next step is improvisation, which primary school children are particularly good at. After that we move on to small scenes in which the children can try out what they have learned.
We do a lot of group work, in small groups as well as all together. At the beginning of the workshop we strengthen the pupils’ confidence in themselves, so that later on everyone feels safe and sure “on stage”. Learning and speaking a new language has a lot to do with self-esteem and confidence.
Who gives the workshops?
Our workshops are led by a team of theatre educators with a wealth of theatre and teaching experience with children and young people. The trained English-speaking facilitators have been developing and running workshops for Platypus Theater and other organisations for many years.
Where?
We come to you at school, no matter where you are. The workshops can take place in a classroom, music room or assembly hall, or even outside. Gyms are less suitable because of the acoustics. If more than one workshop is happening at the same time, each group needs its own room.
How long?
We tailor the workshops to the needs of your class or school. They can be 3 to 4 hours long, 3 days or even a whole project week. Multi-day workshops can be combined with a visit to a show. We offer workshops in the morning or in the afternoon and are happy to advise you on the options.
Group sizes
Large groups of 16 to 31 children: 2 workshop leaders
Groups of fewer than 16 children: 1 workshop leader
Request a quote
Please contact Rachel Pattison at workshops@platypus-theater.de or on 030 61401920 for a quote for your class.
We also offer workshops for teachers.
