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.

Young participants stand in a circle within a bandstand, staring up at a ball that hovers in the air above their heads

The camera looks up at a group of students, who stand tiny in the middle of the photograph, surrounded by bare trees and forest vegetation

The students befriend a dog, who has dropped their ball for them

The students stand in a circle within a bandstand as a ball is tossed towards them by a facilitator in the centre

Students stretch their arms into the air or out to their sides, imitating trees

A student stands on the edge of a lake, leaning over and looking down into its depths, with a tree behind them mirroring their movement

Four students sit with their legs crossed on chairs, writing with great concentration.

Three students stand close together and the student in the foreground leans forward, bracing themselves

We see the backs of three students' heads as they look at a tree and feel the bark

Students pose while devising, many with chairs held above their heads, some raising their arms in the air.

Two students walk side by side along a path towards two large bare trees, flanked by grass on either side

A student stands at a sound deck, with another student behind them and a staff member poking their head partially around the door

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