People supported by MacIntyre and our team in Milton Keynes have launched a drama group in a bid to support people to gain back their confidence and express themselves after shielding during the pandemic.
There is no denying the last 18 months have been challenging for us all. With many people we support shielding during lockdown and unable to socialise with friends and family, there's no surprise for some returning back to normality was going to be tough.
Cate, a member of our team in Milton Keynes, introduced the concept of the drama group when restrictions began to lift to help people feel more confident socialising with others again.
Speaking about the experience, Cate said:
"As a specialist drama teacher, I was well placed to instigate a collective, creative group experience that could help counter those feelings of isolation that Covid was triggering. We finally set it up a couple of months ago once we felt that there was increased safety and reduced risk."
Fast forward a few months and the group now has 15 people we support involved.
Cate continued:
"It has been a lot of fun to date - lots of imaginative and creative gameplay, gradually building up people's skill sets. Since building on the basics we have used stories such as Rapunzel (ironically close parallels to individuals’ covid isolation) and Hansel and Gretel."
Once the group was established, Cate and the team supported people to attend a storytelling festival in Shropshire. People attend the event from across the country, sharing stories around campfires, listening to music and dancing.
Now, the group are preparing to produce and perform their own play, something each person is incredibly excited about.
Cate said:
"We all are having a wonderful time and really growing in confidence as we go!"
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