Dear Mrs Lawson

As an ex-pupil from Woldgate College, I would like to share some work that I had completed in my final year of University at York St John. As I enter the highly exciting and interesting world of theatre, I think it’s important to share what I have learnt with younger students, helping them find a voice and think for themselves about who they are.

 I would like to do this by presenting a show I have created. In the show we see the characters love and celebrate themselves for who they are. Which is something I don’t think is encouraged in today’s current society. We are all led to believe that images we see in the media are the perfect images: i.e- What we should aspire to be.  Clearly that isn’t the case and we are all unique in our own way and I feel like as teachers of an earlier generation, we need to extinguish the idea of the ideal. The document provided with the email should explain more clearly what my show is about and how it engages and comments on these current political stigmas’. I created this show within the role of a director, developing my independent practice and thinking. Some of the skills existing in the show aren’t dissimilar to what I learnt whilst at Woldgate and I believe your current students will benefit highly from this experience.

After the show I plan to lead a spoken-word workshop which allows the students to echo how they feel about themselves through theatre. The workshop would be an hours long featuring a company based warmup teaching students to use their diaphragms when delivering spoken-word. The students will be split into two groups and will have a tongue-twister rap battle between each other with each member of the group getting the chance to perform. The students will then by themselves develop a 5 minute piece of writing, that each member of the company will help to develop.

The show is called ‘Goodbye Crocodile Rock.’ It is a short musical that I developed by exploring each member of the cast’s inner-freak. The characters on stage are surreal and strike a subtle reality based on an autobiographical nature of rehearsal. This is a short synopsis of the plot:

Follow the life of Steve, Susie and Scotland on their adventure through the Crocodile Rock. The Crocodile Rock is a bar in the middle of nowhere, and it is nowhere where we often find ourselves. 3 members of society looking for happiness, seeking opportunities to celebrate themselves. Soon realising they don’t belong within the confounds of societies norms, Heather (The owner of the Crocodile Rock) helps them figure out how to love themselves for who they are. Join our crazy characters for a sing, a dance and a boogie.

And you can tell everybody, this is your song.

Thank you.

James Carlton

Through The Wire: Theatre Company