Teachers commented that some of the participants who were persistent truants had improved their attendance record. Participants demonstrated commitment, team work and individual development. They showed more confidence as the project progressed, some overcame fears of performing and shyness, understanding of language and spoken language skills improved. At least one member with a high level of special needs was working at her limit of understanding and ability. This child took on the challenge of participating on an equal level. Others helped her and were inclusive and patient. Communication across the school year groups which was at first difficult, improved as the process brought them together. An encouragement and respect for each other’s particular strengths began to develop especially during the week of performances where everyone was dependent on everyone else doing their bit well to create a good show.

The cast members often found they were in the position of being responsible for a crucial aspect of the process and they rose to that challenge and in most cases were exemplary. Some of the group took major decisions about the total shape of the performance and made excellent choices on where to cut script and how to form believable characters. Their ability to have an overview was welcome in the sometimes chaotic, creative atmosphere.

Inter-generational contact was generally good from the first introduction. The older cast members found the lack of concentration and noise levels frustrating at first but their steadying influence had a remarkable effect on improving those problems. Real friendships and an acceptance of each other developed between the generations. From the perspective of Ann and Bill, as soon as the two generations started to work together the atmosphere changed. The realisation dawned that this was not a school play, it was more than that, it had an advocacy role within their community. General chat, problem solving and shared humour transcended age differences. There were moments of conflict, usually around the issue of respect for Ann and Bill, punctuality or the noise levels, but nothing was ever unresolved.

There was an interesting session after several weeks of working closely together in which Small World Theatre used a technique called image work to reflect attitudes within the group. The young people made a frozen tableau with their bodies portraying their generation. The older people then re-arranged the bodies to express how they saw the younger generation.

The same process then happened in reverse. Smaller groups then produced tableaux of snapshots of their experiences with the other generation. Interestingly enough although one or two children made angry aggressive poses with the older people’s bodies on the whole they made very sweet poses where they were being read to, protected or instructed in some way. This was very different to the attitude expressed in the earlier poems. The stereotyping had vanished when the generations were actually face to face.

Audience response During the performance week feedback from the audiences was very positive. Immediate feedback in the form of rapt attention, laughter, applause and cheering was easy to assess on the spot. Comments from head teachers and staff at the schools visited was also very positive. The production had produced results that exceeded expectations, born out by many complimentary comments.

Media response. The South Wales Echo had published an article about the project with photographs of the session of the first meeting of the generations. This had given a boost to the participants and helped, not only to raise profile in the public arena, but within the school too. The television coverage on the HTV news four times and the two appearances on S4C was a great validation to the participants, showing that the play was important, not least for its news worthiness. Even the HTV camera man commented that he had attended many similar events and he personally thought that the play was genuinely interesting and well done.

The community was well represented by the involvement of the Healthy, Wealthy and Wise group and Community Education. Wider community involvement took the form of donations from hospitals of beds and equipment, costume and props etc., donations of costumes and props from HWW members. Parents of the young participants assisted with costume and by giving permission to attend after school sessions. Parents and other members of the public came to the performances.

Time constraints after the slippage of several weeks caused by delays in the promised workshop space materialising which led to the re-location to Glyn Derw high school the following areas had less time spent on them than Small World Theatre would have liked:

Poems were a good method of research. This stage coincided with a national poetry week which was seen as a good opportunity to introduce the request for poems, but it was not crucial to the response from teachers or pupils. Poetry was also an interest that many of the older generation shared.