Workshops
Jonathan has a wealth of experience leading workshops with young people of all ages.
He works both in schools and with Youth Theatres, and is particularly interested in engaging young people’s imaginations to develop stories.
With years of experience both as a writer and a performer he can draw on a wealth of strategies to stimulate children’s minds. He also has a strong understanding of the importance of structure in creating an effective narrative.
Recent projects include:
Zone Creativity Week (Wolverhampton, June 2010)
An intensive week of story-making with infant, junior and comprehensive schools in the Deansfiels area of the city. Using art and craft sessions as stimuli, Jonathan accompanied groups of children on journeys of pure imagination – monsters in classroom cupboards, school discos for the undead, dizzying journeys through space. The week culminated in a presentation of the stories at Deansfield Community School
Unlikely Stories (Telford, 2010-2011)
Working in Telford schools, Jonathan helped and encouraged children aged between 3 and 14 years old to devise, develop, and structure their own stories. The subjects ranged from a bad-tempered hedgehog to the most unlikley Royal Wedding, taking in dragons, witches, bullies and pirate pigs on the way. Jonathan then wrote polished versions of the tales, which have been published in two volumes. An important aspect of the project was to encourage children, and their parents, to read books at home.