faqs

What does Small World Theatre do?
Small World Theatre is an Arts and Culture for Development (ACD) organisation

So what does that mean?
We use arts activities, theatre and other cultural forms to help people transform as individuals and as a community, and to take charge of their own development.
Why?
Peoples lives are subject to changes that can appear to be out of their control. Culture and art are the best, yes the very best tools to help people to understand and manage change. Whether that change is personal or caused by environmental events, government policies, global economics, war, famine, health problems, age, or just that thing called progress, SWT projects can help.
Does it work? Yes.

Prove it OK., Look at some of our projects.
Where?
Try this web site. Lots of our projects are outlined here. This HAS BEEN proved
There are also millions of words in reports reviews, evaluations, seminar notes, conferences and academe . Goggle it.

Or check out our workshops page
What else do you do?
Of course we do Performances, Workshops, Consultancy, Facilitation, Participatory Theatre, Arts and Refugees, Training, Puppet and Mask Making, Intergenerational Projects, Processions, Carnivals, Cabaret, Giants and Giant Shadow Puppets, Multi Media Events, Installations and more.
Where do you get the money to fund it?
Different sources including: charities and foundations, government bodies, non government organisations (NGO’s) in UK and overseas.
Most of our funders give money for specific projects but we also need money to just keep going, maybe you can help?

A. Small World Theatre was formed as a charity in 1997 but it had existed years before then. Ann Shrosbree and Bill Hamblett, the founders, have been working together since 1979 when a small puppet company initially called Dandelion Puppets was formed. The Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynclyth commissioned the first show on a theme of Ecology as it was referred to then. The name change to Small World Theatre reflects what the company is all about. Small highlights Shumacher’s axiom Small Is Beautiful. World is appropriate as we travel internationally and bring stories home as well as creating global work through theatre and puppets. A small world which also hints at the networks and connections we have made. Theatre as described in a headline for a Times article “Theatre of Life and Death” about our work in Africa. Small World Theatre (SWT) is a name we are very happy with. A passion to deal with real issues drives our work.

A. SWT projects are so wide ranging we sometimes say that there are so many strings to our bow it is more like a Celtic harp. The world and the work is constantly evolving, change can be challenging. Some of our projects help people manage the changes that adversely affect them. We try to ensue that projects are truly participatory. The Arts and Culture for Development methodology we use overseas informs our work here in Wales with social inclusion, community regeneration and arts and theatre in the social context. We also bring stories home and work in schools here on education for sustainability and global citizenship. Issues are often environmental, sometimes cultural. Human rights, democracy, refugee issues and intergenerational projects are themes that often occur. Some of our performances are devised and performed by the community and a percentage of our work we research, produce and perform ourselves in schools and theatre venues.

A.The varied nature of the work keeps us on our toes and we find most aspects of the work rewarding and enjoyable. However some of the research we do can be very harrowing for instance collecting and recording refugees stories in detention centres and refugee camps in Hong Kong and on the streets in Vietnam for the show Moving! More recently we interviewed asylum seekers and refugees recently arrived in Wales for the Diogel? / Safe ? project. Whether it is a forest in a desert in Sudan that is the long term result of a project or HIV AIDS awareness and human rights in Uganda, Participation in the democratic process for women in Tanzania or regeneration and development in deprived areas of Wales it is very gratifying when a project delivers the goods.

A. Building Canolfan Byd Bychan / Small World Centre provides an opportunity to pull all the multi-coloured threads of what we do together and weave a coherent pattern to pass on to a successor generation.
The building is next to the newly expanded Theatr Mwldan in Cardigan. We hope to work closely with them and Creative Mwldan as well as a huge selection of community groups in the area. Canolfan Byd Bychan / Small World Centre will be a creative space for creative people in an inspiring building designed with many sustainable features. At last, not just a warm dry space big enough to build giants in but a place to bring other groups to work with us on projects and training. Hopefully the design will enhance and reflect the way we work. No corridors, open inclusive spaces networking together, multi layered, sustainable, friendly and redolent with local and global cultural influences. We hope to pass on our skills and methods to a successor generation.

A. The Cardigan area has been our base for over 26 years for many compelling reasons. The people, the scenery, the lifestyle and the slow ebb and flow of a tidal culture. Abertiefi/ Cardigan holds historic significance and has attracted many artists and creative people who arrive to find an artistic and creative culture was here well before the first Eisteddfod was proclaimed from the ancient castle. It is a place to learn from the past to be able to live in the present for the benefit of the future.

A. For years play writes and Oscar nominees have humbly said that their work has never lead to change but it just reflects culture as it changes. We have found that the immediate nature of our work with issues and communities can affect change. The best tool to manage cultural and political change is culture itself. Arts and culture used in community regeneration, social inclusion and engaging the harder to reach section of society is now so proven, monitored, evaluated and reported on that it is baffling that some funders, policy makers and even the media can still be unaware of the benefits.

Ann Shrosbree and Bill Hamblett formed the company in 1979. it was first called Dandelion Puppets then ten years later we changed it to Small World Theatre. The National Centre for Alternative Technology commissioned our first show about ecology. We were one of the very first theatre UK companies to work with environmental issues. In 1997 we became a charity

The countries we have worked in include: Sudan, Kenya,Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda. Syria, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Nepal. We were one of the first independent international theatre for development companies.

We both studied at art schools in England and were drawn to Wales where we have lived for around 30 years.

We do not usually have vacancies for new Small World Theatre team members but sometimes we have volunteers. There are not any vacancies right now.

"Possibly the finest show that the children will ever see."
M Jeffrey, Deputy Head

"Never have I experienced such a sense of wonder. I can"t recommend this enough."
Kevin Thomas, Director Welsh Academy

" These performances reflect the reality of human existence and offer entry points to a world which they might otherwise never know"
Nic Clough , senior lecturer in education , Bristol , UK.

This section also may be of use to students who need their questions answered especially for projects, questionnaires and assignments.

We are Very, Very busy so please use this facility before e mailing us. This questionnaire I recently got is typical. (I've attempted to correct the spelling)

Some info below on Theatre in Education (T.I.E.) and also Arts and Culture for Development (ACD)

1. What are your aims when providing T.I.E for an educational establishment?
Answer:Aims are dependant on the specific project eg. Refugee integration in host communities or Cultural awareness etc. By the way we are not a TIE group as such but we do do theatre in schools, collages and universities and we also teach teachers as well as work in and with the community. General aims are to inform where formal education may struggle to deliver.
2. How do you finance your productions?
Answer:Mostly grants from a wide variety of funders.It is very hard to find core funds to keep going.
3. What preparation is made to adapt your production for a specific age group?
Answer:The quality of the drama usually makes the piece accessible. However some adjustments are always made for each audience. As we often devise work with the target audience this helps too. Research into subjects or issues, even complex ones must be transformed into accessible theatre. Age is just one criteria that is to be considered.
4. What materials is the teacher required to provide?
Answer :Dependant of the production. Sometimes it is hard enough to find the time or crucially the space to work in a school. Tea is good. More seriously it is crucial that teachers at least attend and don't make an excuse to go off and do marking.
5. Do you provide any suggestions to the teacher on preparing the children for the performance?
Answer:Yes, sometimes we ask them to use one of our baseline evaluation excersises.We can often track the depth of learning like this. Sometimes we have teaching packs sent to them in advance but not all teachers get the time to prepare fully. Often is is positively good to have no prep as the audience delivers an honest response.
6. Do you include the audience? How?
Answer:Sometimes they are included in the devising or research phase, this is very productive usually. Sometimes they are asked to take over parts ( forum theatre) Other times we ask them to produce a performance. There are many levels and forms for participation and we try to use the appropriate method for the specific audience. This works best when we have enough time allocated.
7. Is there any after performance time allowed?
Answer:Yes, almost always we try to get at least 15 mins sometimes we can organise 6 X 2hr sessions in each school.
8. What age group do you find it easiest to work with? Why?
Answer:Key stage 3 because access time is usually easier to organise. All age groups can be fun as well as challenging.
9. What areas have you traveled to?
Answer:All UK regions and cities since 1979. We have concentrated on South, Mid and West Wales in the last 5 years
10. Do you ever take your productions abroad?
Answer:Africa,5 countries Asia 6 countries, and the middle East. Recently more time is spent in African countries. more and more we work overseas developing productions with people rather than taking fully formed productions from here to them.
11. What is your influence for this type of performance?
Answer: The issues, The culture and language of the country. Leaning more. The deeper the participation the more the influence is evident.As we have done overseas Arts and Culture for Development work for over 25 years we are influenced by our experience and a network of fellow practitioners who are now also doing this type of work.
12. What type of information is obtained from the teacher prior to the performance?
Answer: Dependant on the enthusiasm of the teachers. Often just the depth of knowledge of the issues that the year group or class has been working on.
13. What advice would you give a group just starting a T.I.E. company?
Answer: Be passionate about the sector, don’t just see it as a step toward television or getting an equity card.

Small World Theatre (SWT) use theatre and arts to help people creatively interpret their situation. SWT has over 20 years direct experience in implementing Arts and Culture for Development (ACD) projects in UK, Africa Asia and the Middle East. SWT’s senior consultants, are both skilled performance and visual artists who generally work as a gender balanced team. Collaborations with diverse communities and cultures have explored governance, rights, health and environmental issues.
Practice: 1.workshops using participatory theatre methods. 2..participant-led community development, advocacy and awareness raising. 3. SWT performances.
Outcomes : a forest in Sudan, theatre projects on democracy and disability in East Africa, street theatre on Gender and Human Rights in Nepal, peer education on Rights of the Child and HIV in Uganda. Theatre and development methodology training in Syria & Zambia.

More about SWT From an article first published in ARTS PROFESSIONAL magazine

So is Small World Theatre’s work and the new building interconnected? Is it sustainable? Well yes, says Bill Hamblett Artistic Director. Sustainable? Of course, our new building has many sustainable features. The Air source heat pump feeds the under floor heating, 30% of the roof is growing, 70% recycled slate, 60% of the water from the roof is harvested into the toilets, showers and washing up water. The bricks in the lobby were fired about 100 years ago just a few hundred yards away from clay dug from this site. Six great Douglas Firs from a local managed woodland hold up the building and the big oak beams are from Ceredigion. The sand for concrete comes from a couple of miles away and local willow laths form the curving outside lime/clay walls. Recycled paper insulation features in this attempt at a carbon free theatre. Experimenting with some of these newer technologies enables compliance with new rigid regulations. The local architects and contractors are compelled to come up with imaginative solutions and cost savings. Choosing them also keeps the money in the local economy. It is not just the building that is forging a carbon free future. Many projects are linked to food and culture. The space and the work are interconnected. The bicycle-powered smoothie-making machine is a giant strawberry attached to a bike trailer is one way in which we are also looking at healthy lifestyles. The recent community feast was based on produce from our allotment and 200 mackerel that we caught from Cardigan Bay. Environmental art projects continue in schools too. As for performances, Cot Myrddin / Merlin’s Coat tours schools featuring Merlin’s “new” global warming prophecies, accompanied by a workshop looking at the complexities of transition towns. The Transition Teifi group has meetings here. A new show commissioned by the forestry commission looks at how trees act as a carbon sink. Not every subject we deal with will be environmentally focused but the majority of materials in productions will be. 30 years ago Ann Shrosbree was asked by The Centre for Alternative Technology to make a show about Ecology (as it was then termed) since then our focus has been on shows highlighting environmental issues. Our touring puppet theatre was the educational component in a community forestry project in Sudan where over a million trees were planted in more than 56 villages. A forest stands where once there was a desert. An international strand of work with Arts, Culture and Theatre for Development projects now exists in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. We have evolved participatory methods that help communities to have a say in their own development, negotiating behavioral change and raising awareness of rights and responsibilities Bringing stories home and being more Wales focused we needed this building not only as a dry working space but a place reflecting our green credentials and participatory processes. A place with no corridors, flexible, accessible, inspiring and inexpensive to run. A place to pass on skills to a successor generation. A creative space for a creative community. Canolfan Byd Bychan / Small World Centre (CBB/SWC) is a place to share our experience in Arts and Culture into a Carbon Neutral future. CBB/SWC is a hive of activity with many opportunities opening up. Although not yet revenue or core funded maybe after 2012 there will be sense at the end of the tunnel. Small World Theatre’s participatory approach will continue to feature in work with communities seeking artistic, cultural and environmentally low impact solutions and a growing awareness that the future is NOW.

And for more information on how we work with communities follow this next link below

FOR LESS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS YOU COULD TRY THIS LINK BELOW TO THE NOMENCLATURE PAGE

Small World Theatre

Canolfan Byd Bychan

Bath House Road, Cardigan, Ceredigion

Wales SA43 1JY

Tel: 01239 615952

Fax :01239 615835

e mail info@smallworld.org.uk