Youth Theatre | Case Studies
Helping young people build confidence and skills
Chain Reaction Youth Theatre (CRYT) is weekly user-led youth project which gives young people the chance to devise their own performances and learn about theatre whilst building their confidence and communication skills.
Here are some case studies that demonstrate our impact.
Case Study |
Max, 12
Max has been attending Chain Reaction Youth Theatre (CRYT) for 18 months and is a valued and enthusiastic member. When we first met Max, he was extremely shy and found it difficult to speak in group situations. He would usually maintain closed body language, holding his head down and wouldn’t openly volunteer his opinion or perform in front of others. After working with Max for a sustained amount of time, we noticed a drastic change in his behaviour, attitude and outlook. He started talking to others, being more open and demonstrated a desire to engage in activities. Watching Max open up showed how the support of our facilitators at CRYT had encouraged him to realise his potential.
As a consistent attendee, Max often shares his opinion and enjoys learning about performance. At times, Max’s behaviour can shift and his enthusiasm results in him being disruptive to the task at hand. To ensure that all members of CRYT are enjoying themselves, we continue to find ways to maintain concentration. Our facilitators ensure that we deliver sessions that include activities to improve focus and recognise that giving Max responsibility helps to channel his ability. The regularity of these activities has helped Max focus and throw himself into acting and making theatre. He has made many friends at CRYT, even inviting school friends along to join which is a brilliant sign that Max enjoys his time with us.
For our end of year show, our facilitators worked with the young people to research, develop and devise an engaging showcase exploring ‘County lines’, drugs and gang related crime. Max approached this topic with maturity and often suggested creative and insightful ways to look at this topic in performance. Leading up to the final showcase, he consistently attended every week and performed with integrity. Although he faced challenges, he was open to learning about himself and how he could improve on his performance. Over the course of knowing Max, we have witnessed him experience difficulty with his parents. It has become apparent that he does not seem to have space at home to express himself and share his interests. Our facilitators have been communicating with Max regarding this, offering him support where they can and acknowledging this during sessions. On the evening of the showcase Max’s dad was unable to attend and his absence really upset Max, he found it hard to accept and as a result didn’t want to perform. On this day, our Workshop Manager reassured Max that although his family couldn’t be there, he had a whole company of young people and the Chain Reaction team supporting him. After talking with one of the team and taking time to compose himself, Max decided he would like to perform. He delivered a fantastic and professional performance and worked with others exceptionally well.
Gaining a better understanding of Max’s needs has allowed Chain Reaction to provide a space for him to express himself, make friends and reach his potential. Max has become a confident, open-minded and committed individual and this reflects in his performance. With continued support from CRYT, we believe that Max will continue to develop, and have somewhere he can creatively engage and flourish.
Case Study | Aliyah, 13
When Aliyah joined CRYT she was an outspoken character who would often arrive late, as she had been in trouble at school and put in detention. It became apparent that Aliyah was disliked at school by a number of people, for her bad behaviour and disruptive attitude. Our team quickly noticed that Aliyah lacked in confidence, which seemed to be the root cause of her problems.
During group activities, Aliyah would be disruptive and not want to engage positively with her peers. She would laugh at other people’s performances but didn’t want to perform in front of the group herself. When she did, she found it difficult to stay focused and often came out of character. We pride ourselves on making CRYT a safe space for all and so we needed to ensure Aliyah wasn’t upsetting other members of the group, who also have many complex needs. Our team decided to take positive action and confront Aliyah about her behaviour.
Through positive praise and encouragement, our team helped Aliyah understand that she had huge potential and many positive qualities that she brought to the group. They also spoke to her about the negative behaviour traits she was displaying, the team explained that her behaviour was preventing us from being able to offer her further opportunities, and meant that she was stopping herself from being the best that she could be.
Following this discussion her attitude immediately changed, it was remarkable how she took the feedback on so instantly. The following week, Aliyah was like a different person. She was positive and supportive to other members of the group. She actively stepped away from situations that would lead her to interact in a negative way and she worked hard in group activities by offering her ideas, trying to stay in character and by getting the group to focus.
She started to demonstrate real maturity that didn’t go unnoticed by other members of the group. Each week a member of the Chain Reaction team praised Aliyah for her hard work, commitment and maturity in the session, especially when we were discussing difficult issues. Her confidence has grown and she has become a real pleasure for the whole team to work with.
Case Study | Daisy, 17
Daisy started her journey with us at the end of our first year. She has Special Educational Needs (SEN) and spent a large part of her childhood in care, making her nervous around new people and incredibly shy. Despite being the oldest members of the group, her ability and mental age is in fact much lower than her age. Daisy was lacking in confidence, she struggled to look up from the floor in discussions and found it difficult to give any eye contact. Our facilitators realised quite quickly that Daisy was lacking vital communication skills, and as she’s reaching the age whereby she needs to progress into further education or employment this was likely to be a hindrance.
During group work sessions we began to encourage Daisy to integrate with other members of the group and encouraged her to develop scenes with people that she hadn’t previously worked with. We challenged her to perform to the rest of the group, initially she was incredibly nervous and asked if she could sit out of the performance, but with support and encouragement from the group she managed to perform her scene in front of everyone.
When a member of the team praised her for her efforts she admitted to feeling liberated by the experience and incredibly proud of herself. Following her new-found performance confidence, we saw a vast improvement in Daisy, she began to engage in group warm-ups, hold eye-contact during games and conversations, as well as actively choosing to partner up with new people.
Daisy performed a monologue on stage for the first time ever in CRYT’s showcase, she was incredibly nervous, but the team gave her exercises to overcome her nerves. Daisy’s performance was fantastic, and she came off stage prouder than ever, much to the delight of the Chain Reaction team. Daisy now walks in to Youth Theatre with confidence and ease.
“Every week Daisy would tell her friends and teachers about the youth theatre and the games learnt. Her social interaction with others has improved. She has showed self-confidence by even joining a club outside of school.”
Teacher of Daisy, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
“I have learnt how to make eye contact and how to face and speak to the audience. I have learnt how to project my voice and speak with confidence.”
Daisy, Chain Reaction Youth Theatre, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Case Study | Daniel, 13
Daniel is one of our longest standing Youth Theatre members, starting CRYT back in 2016. When we first met Daniel, he was an energetic child with dyslexia and autism; however, he often used his energy in disorderly ways, which would distract other young people. Daniel was always willing to contribute to discussions and perform in drama activities but he struggled to focus on any one task, which was disruptive to the group dynamic. He struggled within school and the methods they were using to try and make him focus were suppressing his energy entirely, as a result he would arrive at CRYT agitated with little control over his behaviour. We saw real potential in Daniel, but we realised he needed support in channeling his energy to become less disruptive and more disciplined.
Our facilitators played focus games during the sessions that allowed Daniel to enter a controlled and calm space, which helped alleviate the excess energy he’d been struggling to control post-school. The team allowed Daniel to participate in group discussions but encouraged him to wait his turn or put his hand up rather than speaking over people. In time he became an excellent team player. As and when the team noticed his attention slip and his behaviour deteriorate our team used the ‘Neutral Pose’ (a calm and neutral standing position) to help Daniel develop self-awareness of his physical state which in turn helped his mental state. We found ways to help Daniel change his energy and use it in positive ways.
Daniel is now a vital and focused member of the group and he barely misses a session. He’s learnt how to concentrate during workshops and his input in discussions is valued and respected by his peers. He has formed incredibly strong friendships through CRYT and always brings his infectious energy into each session, making sure no workshop is ever lacking in liveliness. His performance in CRYT’s last show We are Unique saw him tackling issues much greater than his years on stage and his focus throughout was commendable. Both family and teachers have commented on the outstanding changes in his behaviour and his ability to focus and implement self-discipline through techniques learnt at CRYT.
*Photos are from the project, not of actual case study participants. Names have been changed.
“I’ve just witnessed the little boy I know grow up! Magical!”
– Event Attendee, Family Friend of Daniel, CRYT, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
“He has learnt independence, confidence, stamina, staying focused, and the willingness to succeed!”
– Event Attendee, Family Friend of Daniel, CRYT, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
To find out more or register your interest in joining the Youth Theatre, pop your email address in here.
What People Are Saying
"I love youth theatre because it gives me a place to be myself without judgment. I also have a great time meeting people who enjoy the same interests as myself; creating amazing memories with friends I would otherwise have never met."
— Participant, aged 14
“She has found a new confidence within herself and is able to express her emotions effectively”
— C. Appleton, Learning mentor of participant
“Oscar has loved this group; when I pick him up each week I recognise that he is happy, calm and pleased with what he had done. Oscar has a statement of S.E.N and some difficulties with socialising. This has been transformative. THANK YOU!”
— Parent of Attendee, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
“They have learnt to collaborate as a team, to put on a performance, to perform professionally, to show confidence, to be committed… what an enjoyable evening.”
— Teacher of participant