Kent schools involved in a Storytelling Project (coordinated by the School of English and the Partnership Development Office) closed the four-month project with a gala performance of their work at the Gulbenkian Theatre on Thursday 8 May. St Anselm’s Catholic School and Cornwallis Academy (Partner Schools of the University) and Astor College (part of the Kent and Medway Progression Federation) performed to family, friends and university staff in an hour-long celebration of the project.
With expert guidance from professional storyteller and University of Kent alumna Emily Parrish, PhD students from the School of English and the School of Arts, and supported by ambassadors from across the Faculty of Humanities, helped groups of students to develop their own stories and styles of performance. Students involved in the project developed skills in performance, creativity, confidence, imagination and teamwork. Now running for the third year the project has been a great success.
Professor Peter Brown, Head of the School of English, said: ‘This is a fairytale with a happy ending. Thanks to the storytelling Project the School of English has been able to provide these schools with an opportunity to raise their pupils’ awareness of what is possible when you use your imagination.’
Amy Harris, Cornwallis Academy, said: ‘The students at Cornwallis Academy thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Story Telling Project at the University of Kent. Each week they were eager to take part in the sessions to develop their ideas and performance. Seeing the confidence in the students develop over the course of the project was exciting and rewarding. We would like to thank the University of Kent for inviting us to take part in this fantastic experience and the ambassadors who worked with us who we found inspiring, eager and supportive.’