The Journey Man Theatre

"The children in these groups have developed new levels of confidence and particularly noticeable is the achievement of pupils with Special Educational Needs both academically and in self-esteem and confidence."

Alyson Thacker (Headteacher),
Bunbury Aldersey CE Primary School,Cheshire

An Introduction to the Journey Man Theatre

The Journey Man Theatre refers to all Youth Theatre and Speech & Drama Tuition provided by Johnny Gillett and comes in the following forms.

Speech & Drama Tuition during the day on Mondays & Fridays

Private Speech & Drama Tuition on Monday evenings

Youth Theatre on Tuesday evenings

All sessions take place in Bunbury Aldersey CE Primary School, Cheshire.

How often does it take place?
5 weeks per half term
Following the school terms, the sessions run in two series (one per half-term) of five weeks rather than six or seven. This arrangement gives some breathing space to families who may have been away on holiday or have other commitments.

THE AIMS
Throughout all its programmes The Journey Man Theatre has four foundations:

1. Communication - Drama games, vocal exercises and mini-performances will be used to help pupils develop their self-confidence, presentation skills and tune their vocal technique.

2. Creativity - An environment is provided that fosters creativity and improvisation, whilst encouraging each pupil in his/her ideas and their development.

3. Cultures - Sessions will involve performance techniques and stories from various world theatre styles as well as celebrating our own British cultures. This area is explored to a greater extent in the Youth Theatre where we have had visits from Indonesian Shadow-puppeteers, Chinese Lion Dancers, and Indian dancers.

4. Pupil Participation – The work explored in every session is chosen through consultation with the pupils themselves, taking into account their own preferences and interests as well as their individual needs as identified by Johnny Gillett.

What about dancing and singing?
Acting is the main medium in all sessions with
some music or movement included at times.
However, The Journey Man Theatre does not
pursue dance or song as do many other young
people’s theatre organisations. This has been
seen as a welcome alternative to those who
focus more on Musical Theatre.

The Journey Man Theatre focuses more on giving children positive and empowering experiences of drama rather than public performances.

Can my child take Speech & Drama exams?
There is always the opportunity to take exams for children taking Speech and Drama through the grading systems of Trinity Guildhall or LAMDA. Parents will be notified of Johnny Gillett’s recommendations for their child before any exams are booked.

How much does it cost?
The costs are as follows and discounts are available to those taking both tuition and youth theatre sessions.

Speech & Drama Tuition:
£6 per child per session
Private Speech & Drama Tuition:
£10 per child per session
(if working in a pair £7.50 per child per session)
Youth Theatre:
£5 per child per session

Parents are invoiced before the beginning of each term and given the choice over whether to pay fees termly or half-termly. There is no penalty for either of these choices.

What are the age ranges?
Any child in Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 3 (ages 7 to 14) can be part of The Journey Man Theatre programme. The Youth Theatre sessions are age specific, but re-arranged each year to make best use of the spread of ages.

How does my child register?
Contact us by telephone or email as shown below. Or you can simply complete an Online Registration Form: click here

Johnny Gillett trained in Speech and Drama through the New Era Academy of Drama and Music, London although he started his acting life as a mime artist. He has been teaching for almost twenty years and throughout this time has been a working actor and youth worker. He is now increasingly known for his storytelling work as The Journey Man and is a member of the Society for Storytelling.

The Journey Man Theatre started in 2008 with five children meeting in Bunbury Scout Hall for five weeks of drama workshops. The children found it was like no other drama group they had been
to and so more began to join and the workshops continued.

A year later, Johnny Gillett was invited to lead Speech and Drama tuition in Bunbury Aldersey CE Primary School.

Now with around 50 children on his books, Johnny continues to build children’s confidence in fun and imaginative ways, drawing on over two decades of experience with children and young people

Johnny Gillett also leads the youth theatre programme of the Royal International Pavilion in Llangollen.

Call us on 01244 940141