300 pupils from four primary schools across Bridlington have had the time-travelling adventure of a lifetime, following a four-week immersive theatrical project where they helped historical figures, such as Charles Dickens and Alice Lieder, navigate the 21st century.
Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, East Riding Libraries commissioned local community producing company ARCADE and award-winning KIT Theatre to deliver the Wardrobes project to ten classes across four schools: Bempton, Burton Agnes, Hilderthorpe and Martongate.
An immersive theatrical experience developed to aid creative learning and support multiple aspects of the school curriculum, Wardrobes forms part of East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s wider ‘Arts in Libraries’ programme, a three-year project aimed at improving equality of access to culture and creative opportunities.
Beginning with a backstage tour of Bridlington Spa, the children followed a mysterious treasure hunt, working together to read and solve clues to find the magical, hidden office of the ‘Professor’. Here, the Professor recruited the children as WOOF (Wardrobes Of Our Friends) agents, tasking the pupils with supporting time-travellers from the past who have become stuck in wardrobes whilst making their way through time and space.
Returning to the classroom, the agents learnt all about their specially chosen time-traveller, including important figures like Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson and Burton Agnes family member Frances Griffiths. As well as using email communication to help and support their time-traveller whilst they were trapped in the wardrobe, each class collaboratively created a guidebook to help their new friend understand the ways of modern life. This two-week period also saw the pupils engage in a specialist workshop, where they created their own original story to summon the wardrobe in the final week of the project.
Culminating in a visit to Bridlington North Library, the pupils reunited with the Professor, ready and eager to meet their time-traveller. After finding useful books to help their time-traveller in 2023 and performing their unique summoning story, the magical wardrobe appeared in the bookshelves – spilling out the historical figure with whom the children had been communicating at school.
Exploring the library, the children taught their time-traveller all about modern life, explaining topics like electricity, cars and technology and even teaching them popular dances! Waving their new friend goodbye as they embarked on their adventures in the 21st century, the children officially graduated as fully-fledged WOOF members.
Feedback from teachers who attended the sessions was highly positive: “The children were totally gripped, buzzing with excitement, the creativity and enthusiasm was great- definitely supported the learning and teaching aims! Sparked my imagination, too!”
As well as enabling the pupils to learn multiple school subjects in a creative and exciting way, Wardrobes supports the development of communication skills, teamwork and confidence. By engaging the children with their local library, the project aims to aid future learning, encouraging them to borrow books and get involved with all the library activities on offer: including Lego clubs, microscopy sessions and theatrical performances.
Hannah Davies, Executive Producer at ARCADE, said: “Working on this project has been such a joy. Embedding creativity into schools in a way that supports the curriculum and celebrates creativity and play is so important.
“This project has delivered real results – the guidebook and story work of all the classes was so impressive.”
Councillor Nick Coultish, Cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, said: “Libraries are a doorway into greater learning and understanding for the children of the East Riding, and we’re so proud to be able to offer such immersive learning experiences to schools in our area.
“With the funding from Arts Council England, libraries are paving the way with innovative and exciting cultural opportunities for our communities. They are a vital part of the East Riding and the lives of those who live here.”
To find out more about events and activities happening in your local East Riding library, please visit: https://www.eastridinglibraries.co.uk/whats-on/
