Summer School is always a highlight in the TFT calendar – and this year was no exception! Over 2 weeks we welcomed over 60 young people aged 4-18 into the building to create their own original shows for the Factory stage. Guided by a team of professional theatre-makers, the companies wrote scripts, developed characters, devised movement, recorded sound and made their own props and costumes across their 5 day Summer School.
This year, our theme was How Did It Get So Late So Soon?, inspired by the Dr Seuss poem of the same name. The companies explored the past, present and future – remembering everything we’ve done, enjoying what we’re doing now, and imagining everything we could do. In the rehearsal room, we built time machines, wrote poems, crafted puppets and danced to our favourite songs – developing scenes and stories in response to these explorations.
The final shows were a huge success, with every young person taking to the stage to share their original work to an audience of family and friends – but the process of creating them was equally important. Curiosity, connection and creativity are at the core of our young people’s programme, and the chance to freely experiment with ideas and build an ensemble in the rehearsal room is integral to this. Every young person who fedback said that their time in the theatre nurtured their confidence and self-esteem, supported their wellbeing, and provided a joyful experience.
One young person said: ”It made me feel more confident in my own ideas, but also helped me to learn how to listen well to others and make a joint piece. I am very happy I signed up. Our facilitators are amazing. They encourage us and are understanding. I made lots of new friends.”
It’s vitally important that anyone who wants to join Summer School can come, which is why we offer Pay What You Choose pricing and bursary places for anyone who might need support in attending. When reflecting on their daughter’s experience, one parent said:
“My daughter attended the Summer club for the first time, and we were incredibly lucky to receive a bursary. I already had a feeling that this would be a great holiday club for her, as she is very artistic and loves dancing, painting and other creative activities. She had never tried drama before, so I was really excited to see how she would take to it. It turned out to be the best holiday club she has ever attended! She absolultely loved it. In fact, she even asked to be dropped off at 9:30am and picked up at 4:30pm — the earliest drop-off and latest pick-up times avaiable — just so she could have more time playing with her new friends before and after the club. Every day after coming home, she spent hours thinking about how to develop her character, talking about the role and rehearsing. It was wonderful to see how much she got into it and how genuinely excited she was.
As a mum, I was also really impressed with the final performance. Considering it was put together in only five days and performed by a group of young amateurs, it was fantastic well organised and with a really engaging story. I have seen many dance and performance shows involving my daughter and her peers before, but this one felt noticeably more polished. It was clear that all the carers and coaches had put a huge amount of effort into supporting the children, from the props, lighting and sound to the direction and all the little details that made the performance come together so well. Their knowledge, really showed. The club completely exceeded my expectations, and we would absolutely love to come back next year.”
Posted on 21 October 2026
