Breakthrough - School Reunion
From 7 April 2005
Performance at Central Studio, Basingstoke - Thursday 29th September 2005

"A bold and imaginative project - and thoroughly worthwhile. It is to be applauded."
Andrew Hunter MP for Basingstoke

Workshop leader - Deborah Wilding

proteus brought their highly successful theatre workshops for anyone affected by disability. Allowing participants to explore the perceptions, myths and challenges surrounding disability and create a play especially for them!

Previous participants made the following comments:

"Absolutely wonderful freedom of mind"; "An excellent way of involving people to play out their feelings"; "A very enjoyable and worthwhile experience"

The workshops were FREE and provided a unique opportunity for participants to:

- express themselves in new and challenging ways, through theatre and performance skills
- confront issues facing them and explore ways of dealing with them
- help them identify their role in society
- work with a professional community theatre company to produce an original performance piece at Central Studio, Basingstoke.

Workshops were running every Thursday for six months from 7 April 2005 until 29 September 2005 from 11am - 12pm at St Michael's Church Cottage, Church Square, Basingstoke. For more information call proteus on 01256 354541 or e-mail info@proteustheatre.com.

proteus has secured funding from Greenham Common Trust and Hampshire County Council to run workshops this year.

Breakthrough is now in its fifth year and for the first three years of the project was delivered through a successful partnership between Barclays Bank and proteus.

proteus worked with the workshop participants, professional actors and writer, Ali Campbell, to produce "What Everybody Wants?" - an interactive play focusing on the challenges surrounding physical disability and mental health which toured to more than 30 day care and residential centres across Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey during October 2003. Breakthrough was also showcased in Basingstoke to invited members of the local community and in London to an invited audience of individuals and organisations working in the fields of arts, health and business.

"An interrogative and contributive approach to working towards a greater understanding of disability."
Basingstoke Gazette 24 October 2003

Production Team

Director: Deborah Wilding
Assistant Director: Hannah Rowe
Designer: Sam Pine
Production Manager: Simon Beckett

Devised by the cast with additional material by Neil Woodruffe and Deborah Wilding

The Cast

Shirley Ryan (Gemma)
Peter La Warne (Adam)
Tania Rolfe (Susan)
Keith Elton (Bob)
Lesley Davis (Tasmin)
Tom Fisher (Ted)
Graham Marlowe (John)
Neil Woodruffe (Andy)
Lauren Rowe (Lauren)
Fran Francis (Francessca)
Helen Cook (Helen)
Charmain Jeff (Laura)
Jane Connolly (Melissa)

Supporting Cast

Amanda Williams
Adam Waltham
Hannah Rowe
Ross Harvie