exetreme imagination in Dawlish

Students at Dawlish Community College took part in a workshop as part of exetreme imagination, Exeter’s festival of writing and stories.

Spaces to be Yourself focused on the themes and characters found in Meg Rosoff’s young adult novel How I Live Now. Participants were encouraged to explore how protagonist Daisy’s life is changed when she is forced to live in an environment which is totally alien to her, and to reflect on how spaces, both familiar and unfamiliar, affect their own experiences and emotions.

The session was led by Workshop Leader Conor Magee and Lisa Hudson of Exeter Northcott Theatre as part of exetreme imagination’s programme of activities in schools and other education settings.

Featuring relaxation techniques and tools to encourage self-reflection, the workshop encouraged students to examine Daisy’s ‘capital letter moments,’ when her frustration about issues out of her control led her to react in negative and destructive ways. The group explored how this affected Daisy, and those around her.

Lisa Hudson, Education Officer at Exeter Northcott Theatre said: “This was a great opportunity to work with students in Dawlish as part of exetreme imagination. We explored how Daisy, the main character in Meg Rosoff’s book, reacted when her environment changed. This offered the students the opportunity to explore the stories within the book and to think about how it related to them as individuals. For me, it was a fantastic start to the festival and I’m looking forward to lots more activities to come.”

Kate Bukowski, Assistant Principal at Dawlish Community College said: “We’re delighted to be involved in exetreme imagination and to build on our connection with Exeter Northcott Theatre. This workshop was a fantastic opportunity for students to use stories and drama to explore ideas about how their surroundings affect them. We’ve had some wonderful feedback from students and now they’re planning their exetreme imagination activities for half term.”

exetreme imagination is a collaboration of Exeter’s arts and culture organisations along with the University of Exeter. The festival runs until 29 October with a packed programme of author events, creative workshops and performances at venues across the city. A full festival programme is available at www.exetreme.org.