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The backs of a group of students walking through a wood, while the trees are bare. One student points in the foreground.

A Complicité Journey

A Complicité Journey is an in-depth project taking place over several years with secondary schools in Brent. Each year, students receive a series of devising workshops from Complicité Associate Artists before coming together with artists and theatremakers during half term to devise a brand new piece of work in dialogue with a current Complicité production.

In 2023, we worked with students at Newman Catholic College, Crest Academy, Ark Elvin Academy, Queens Park Community School and Capital City Academy using Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead as our starting point. Students explored representations of the natural world in theatre, and went on stimulus gathering expeditions into London’s natural spaces to inform the development of their work. During the week of devising, students collaborated with actors from Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.

You can watch a short video of the students’ work below.

Students also attended the production of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead at the Barbican. If you are interested in finding out more about this project, please email creativeengagement@complicite.org.

© Sarah Ainslie, Sue Grace, Rima Dodd

A Complicité Journey is generously supported by John Lyon’s Charity.

“The vast majority of the students had very limited performance experience and the way their confidence has developed and willingness to contribute to a creative project has been extraordinary. ” Teacher Feedback
“The creation of a genuinely supportive and creative environment in which students who are inexperienced performers and relatively new to speaking English, felt comfortable in taking risks and sharing their ideas is what all Drama teachers aim for and I was so impressed by how Complicité did this in such a short time and very proud of my students for being receptive to this.” Teacher Feedback
“This was a very different project where students and staff were able to witness and experience more of Complicité's process - beginning, middle and end. In the past we have only been able to explore Complicite exercises and develop work lightly so it might not have been as evident to students what Complicite is really about. This project was designed to enrich students' understanding of and experience with Complicite and it was highly successful. I can immediately name a number students who have completely come out of their shell as a result of this project and at 18 years old, this will be instrumental in their future education and careers.” Teacher Feedback