My name is Sarah Shaw, I co-founded Fall into Place Theatre in 2016 with a mission to change lives through creativity. I've always loved drama - as a young person I was shy and experienced some anxiety. I found creating and performing stories with my friends hugely fulfilling, it also massively helped my confidence and wellbeing. I am now very passionate about supporting others to access the arts, particularly those who may be looking to build their confidence and skills or for various reasons might find it harder to access mainstream theatre groups. We are very lucky to have an excellent team here at FIP Headquarters, who are all very passionate about community theatre and its power to create lasting change, for individuals and communities as a whole.
We run a range of creative groups and projects, specialising in community drama. We work with people from all ages, cultures and backgrounds, using drama and creativity as a tool to laugh, play and grow together. We also hold regular performance opportunities, which allow people to connect across ages and cultures to celebrate creativity and diversity together.
Our two main weekly groups running from HEART are, first of all, Joyful Drama: Laughter, Drama & Friendship, on Thursday mornings, a welcoming, friendly drama group where participants can laugh, play, and explore performance in a relaxed setting - a space built on warmth and camaraderie. (We particularly welcome unpaid carers to attend and can assist with access costs.) Secondly, on Friday afternoons, we offer Generation Squad: Connecting Generations Through Drama, a creative drama group designed for older and younger people to come together, share stories, and develop drama-based performances in a collaborative environment. Details are on our website.
Many moons ago, we ran one of our fledgling groups - Generation Squad - at HEART, and we loved the atmosphere, the values and the people who work here. It truly feels like a place run by the community, for the community, and we recently moved our offices here too. We love being part of such a creative, friendly, dynamic place and the rooms are beautiful and light. Headingley has a real mix of ages and generations, and given intergenerational work is one of our specialities, it seemed like a good place to run Generation Squad and Joyful Drama.
Sarah Shaw
Director and Lead Community Facilitator, Fall Into Place
HEART, Bennett Road, Leeds LS6 3HN
fallintoplace.co.uk
