Welcome
Claque are the founders and leading exponents of community plays. Since 1979 they have been transforming the way in which people view theatre and community through large-scale and inclusive community plays.
“The plays ... are very much about shared energy. It’s an old fashioned notion; a couple of hundred people come together and surprise themselves by what they can do.” Times Educational Supplement
Claque Theatre began life as the Colway Theatre Trust with the production of the Lyme Regis community Play in 1978. The Trust was formed by Ann Jellicoe as a vehicle for exploring and developing the community play as an accessible and innovative form of theatre. In 2000, Colway relocated to Kent and changed its name to Claque to reflect the South East's close proximity to Europe.
Under the direction of Jon Oram since 1985, Claque has produced 50 community plays across the United Kingdom, in Canada, the United States and Europe. The plays are always of high artistic quality which they achieve by working closely with the community over a two year period,, developing skills, researching, and devising in collaboration with with leading playwrights and experienced directors and associates from across the theatre disciplines. Together, the production teams offer design, set and stage management services as well as creative and educational workshops, Empty Gallery installations and events..
“The plays ... are very much about shared energy. It’s an old fashioned notion; a couple of hundred people come together and surprise themselves by what they can do.” Times Educational Supplement
Claque Theatre began life as the Colway Theatre Trust with the production of the Lyme Regis community Play in 1978. The Trust was formed by Ann Jellicoe as a vehicle for exploring and developing the community play as an accessible and innovative form of theatre. In 2000, Colway relocated to Kent and changed its name to Claque to reflect the South East's close proximity to Europe.
Under the direction of Jon Oram since 1985, Claque has produced 50 community plays across the United Kingdom, in Canada, the United States and Europe. The plays are always of high artistic quality which they achieve by working closely with the community over a two year period,, developing skills, researching, and devising in collaboration with with leading playwrights and experienced directors and associates from across the theatre disciplines. Together, the production teams offer design, set and stage management services as well as creative and educational workshops, Empty Gallery installations and events..
News
PLAY in the MOMENT
Claqueur Impro have been quietly running a series of preview Play in the Moment shows on the last Tuesday of every month at the Rusthall Club. In devising Happy Highways on Zoom we relied a lot on improvisation and began creating spontaneous scenes some of which felt like stepping into a play. The Claqueur performers began developing a new approach to their own performances as a result. throughout lockdown and in the the last few months we have been able to practice live. We believe we will be ready and prepared to play them publicly from September. Play in the Moment is dependent on ‘playing in the moment’. with no forward planning. In effect this puts the performers in the same position as the audience, the story unravels behind them when they ask "what just happened?" as opposed to the traditional method of asking "what happens next? It's improvisation with no rules rather principles. It's the purest form of improvisation, it's like stepping into a play that somehow already exists and discovering rather than inventing who we are playing. We can't tell the audience beforehand whether we will be stepping into a drama or a comedy, whether it will be dark or light, we will discover that in the same moment as the audience. For us it feels thrilling, dangerous and liberating. We are looking for places to perform so if you have a venue give us a call.
Learning to be Creative
WHAT:
A series of 2-hour weekly workshops over 24 weeks designed to discover and develop individual creativity, run by professional theatre practitioners.
WHO:
The workshops are open to all adults (minimum age 18) regardless of skill or experience. We do ask that everyone who enrols commit to the twenty-four sessions as places, will be limited in number.
WHERE:
Southborough Civic Centre, High St, Southborough
WHEN:
From Wednesday 4th Oct to 27th March 2024. (28th March will be a double session of 4 hours.)
COST:
Free (The Course is supported and funded through West Kent Mind)
WHY:
“‘Creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value’ It differs from imagination, which is the ability to bring to mind things that aren't present to your senses. Creativity is putting your imagination to work. It’s not only related to the arts; it can be applied to all types of work, every task, or conversation.”
When we were children we employed imagination to be creative in art and play without self-judgement, but by the time
we reach adulthood, our education and life experiences have sapped our confidence to be creative in every area of life. This course aims to awaken our inborn creative selves, step back to childhood and try new things again with a sense of fun and discover new possibilities. By employing techniques of mindfulness and improvisation in different ways we can enhance our 'performance in life'. There will be exercises, games and activities to unlock our creative powers and build trust in our own unique imagination. Also, by working collaboratively with others, we will increase our imaginative capacity to confidently make creative choices that can be applied to writing, storytelling, improvising. Making and using masks and other creative processes.We will discuss your individual needs and expectations and attempt to meet and realise them. The programme is inclusive so that everyone can work at their own pace and rediscover that creative potential we were born with.
THE COURSE LEADERS
Jon Oram is artistic director of Claque Theatre – the founding company and leading exponents of community plays. He is a theatre director, playwright and improviser actor and teacher. Jon has worked as a drama advisor training teachers to use educational drama teaching methods. He has trained and performed in mime and physical theatre. He has created visual exhibitions involving shadow puppets, masks, lanterns, and other mixed media arts.
Maryjane (MJ) Stevens is a director, actor, facilitator, and dramaturg who has worked in participative arts for more than 30 years. She runs Fabulous Projects, which takes bespoke drama projects to schools and community settings and is a facilitator with Moving Memory Dance Theatre. MJ has directed comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe for the past few years, and this year she'll be at the Gilded Balloon with Last Stand on Honey Hill, a musical comedy about harnessing the power of song to fight an enormous, private water company.
The Course is funded by West Kent Mind as part of their creative mind projects
How: Booking should be open from August 19th. Places are reserved on a first come basis. To reserve your place go to:
A series of 2-hour weekly workshops over 24 weeks designed to discover and develop individual creativity, run by professional theatre practitioners.
WHO:
The workshops are open to all adults (minimum age 18) regardless of skill or experience. We do ask that everyone who enrols commit to the twenty-four sessions as places, will be limited in number.
WHERE:
Southborough Civic Centre, High St, Southborough
WHEN:
From Wednesday 4th Oct to 27th March 2024. (28th March will be a double session of 4 hours.)
COST:
Free (The Course is supported and funded through West Kent Mind)
WHY:
“‘Creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value’ It differs from imagination, which is the ability to bring to mind things that aren't present to your senses. Creativity is putting your imagination to work. It’s not only related to the arts; it can be applied to all types of work, every task, or conversation.”
When we were children we employed imagination to be creative in art and play without self-judgement, but by the time
we reach adulthood, our education and life experiences have sapped our confidence to be creative in every area of life. This course aims to awaken our inborn creative selves, step back to childhood and try new things again with a sense of fun and discover new possibilities. By employing techniques of mindfulness and improvisation in different ways we can enhance our 'performance in life'. There will be exercises, games and activities to unlock our creative powers and build trust in our own unique imagination. Also, by working collaboratively with others, we will increase our imaginative capacity to confidently make creative choices that can be applied to writing, storytelling, improvising. Making and using masks and other creative processes.We will discuss your individual needs and expectations and attempt to meet and realise them. The programme is inclusive so that everyone can work at their own pace and rediscover that creative potential we were born with.
THE COURSE LEADERS
Jon Oram is artistic director of Claque Theatre – the founding company and leading exponents of community plays. He is a theatre director, playwright and improviser actor and teacher. Jon has worked as a drama advisor training teachers to use educational drama teaching methods. He has trained and performed in mime and physical theatre. He has created visual exhibitions involving shadow puppets, masks, lanterns, and other mixed media arts.
Maryjane (MJ) Stevens is a director, actor, facilitator, and dramaturg who has worked in participative arts for more than 30 years. She runs Fabulous Projects, which takes bespoke drama projects to schools and community settings and is a facilitator with Moving Memory Dance Theatre. MJ has directed comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe for the past few years, and this year she'll be at the Gilded Balloon with Last Stand on Honey Hill, a musical comedy about harnessing the power of song to fight an enormous, private water company.
The Course is funded by West Kent Mind as part of their creative mind projects
How: Booking should be open from August 19th. Places are reserved on a first come basis. To reserve your place go to:
The Art of the Community Play
I am finally making headway with the book on Community Plays. It's 37 years since Ann Jellicoe wrote Community Plays and How to Put Them On, a record of the beginnings of the Community Play and a handbook on managing the projects.. An update is long overdue. the work has developed radically over three decades and times are also very different. The book will outline some major developments in my approach all designed to give the community a more meaningful experience and greater input and investment into the plays. It advocate much more centrally placed collaborative position for the community , a role define as a social actor., The professional becomes more in the service of the community to give greater credence to them as creatives and actors and supporting them in defining the content and shape of their
play. I write about the nature of groups and how working collaboratively as a group and finding the collective intent is central to 'finding the play' and working as an ensemble to implicate the audience in the performance. I draw on my experience in educational drama and describe the Drama Search, a form of group role play to explore research material to inform the development of the script. The books working title is The Srt of The Community Play as it focusses more on the creative process and the art form more than the project management. and because I believe it i should be both seen and approached as a serious art form.
play. I write about the nature of groups and how working collaboratively as a group and finding the collective intent is central to 'finding the play' and working as an ensemble to implicate the audience in the performance. I draw on my experience in educational drama and describe the Drama Search, a form of group role play to explore research material to inform the development of the script. The books working title is The Srt of The Community Play as it focusses more on the creative process and the art form more than the project management. and because I believe it i should be both seen and approached as a serious art form.
Visit our other Websites
The Empty Gallery
The Empty Gallery produce collaborative projects between Claque and a local community or group to create a mobile 'interactive theatre-art exhibitions' that reflect the lives, thoughts and ideas of the community who create it. The creators could be the community within a city, town, village, street, an organisation, an 'interest group' or your community or group. Each exhibition varies in content, size, scale and running time depending on the theme, community and location. We start with an empty shop, a village hall, a school, a gazebo, a bus stop, or anywhere at all. Our most recent projects have been The Aldgate Project for the City of London, and The War Time Silhouette for Rusthall Community Arts
Claqueur Impro
If you are interested in learning improvised theatre you can join Claqueur Impro . These are a core twelve community improvisers who workshop regularly at 7.30pm on Monday nights at the Rusthall Club. The workshops are open to all but please enquire first through our contact page. We occasionally hold full day and week end workshops but this is unlikely until later next year. The workshops are led by Jon Oram,
OTHER PAST EVENTS
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