The Fourth Wall Theatre Network

I'm 21. I'm a massive nerd about my course, work part time in a rather nice student job, do a lot of extracurricular and voluntary activities and have met a wide range of prestigious leaders from a variety of fields. I thought this was pretty impressive. Then I heard about what a friend of mine, Dan Bridgewater, has been up to.

I know Dan through the UpRising Leadership programme, he's in his first year at uni and I've known for a while that he's working on a social enterprise aimed at making theatre companies in schools called the Fourth Wall Theatre Network. He's a pretty motivated, entrepreneurial guy so I figured it'd be pretty good but I've got to admit, after attending the launch of The Fourth Wall Theatre Network at the Custard Factory on Thursday, I was really impressed.

The Fourth Wall Theatre Network is a group of young people, lead by Dan, who aim to create a network of sustainable theatre companies within schools. The team offer a variety of competitive packages which involve them coming into schools, offering 24 weeks of a couple of hours of drama and business workshops per week and offering a small group of interested 'leaders' within the school 4 weeks of mentoring and leadership training to enable them to set up their own theatre company. At the end of the programme the kids put on a showcase of whatever drama they decided to create and, depending on which package the school selects and pays for, even get to keep a portion of the ticket sales. And on the subject of fees The Fourth Wall Theatre Network's top package costs just a minuscule £500, not bad for 28 weeks of stuff!

To me, it's a really great idea. It teaches kids invaluable skills at every level, whether they are interested in performing, lighting, set design, costume, producing, directing, setting up a business or anything in between it provides opportunities for young people to take initiative and learn how to lead. It's not just about a nice bit of drama, it's about creating leaders and giving kids the skills they need to make it in this tough economic climate, whilst having a lot of fun in the process.

What Dan and his team have put together isn't just good for a group of young people, it's good full stop. The business plan makes sense on every level and what they've come up with is both original and good value for money. There's no one doing exactly what they are in Birmingham and the equivalent cost per hour of drama workshops offered by their nearest competitor would be close to £4000 where The Fourth Wall Theatre Network's top package is a mere £500.

It's pretty awesome stuff! And if you fancy finding out a bit more about who these guys are and what they can offer for schools check out their website http://www.fourthwalltheatre.co.uk

H.B.

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