Into the Woods

Into The Woods Project

We have had a wonderful time delivering the Into the Woods project over the past two years in partnership with BYB@Blackrod. The project focused on empowering Blackrod Primary School pupils to express their creativity and tell their own stories inspired by the beautiful rural surroundings of their school.

Children from Blackrod Primary School have taken part in the Into the Woods project funded by the Ragdoll Foundation and developed through a partnership between the Octagon Theatre and BYB@Blackrod, the CIO set up by the school which aims to increase opportunities for children in Blackrod Primary School and the wider community.

Inspired by the rural landscape of Blackrod, this two-year project delivered high quality arts engagement opportunities for children providing them access to the arts and theatre. Into the Woods was established as a creative exploration of the environment that used storytelling, fairy, and folk tales to spark the young people’s imagination and creativity.

The Octagon ran a series of school activities and drama workshops with the children including fantastic summer school activities which supported children to embrace film making, script writing and outdoor performance. Activities continued into 2023 with lots more learning and imaginative activities having been explored.

Project outcomes have been impressive and include:

Over 300 children taking part in activities with more than 1000 engagements
Significant improvements in the children's artistic skills, confidence, self-esteem, interpersonal qualities, teamwork and communication skills
Bringing the Blackrod community spirit to life and enhancing opportunities for all children.

Head of Creative Engagement at the Octagon Theatre, Imogen Woolrich said: “We are thrilled to have worked with Blackrod Primary School and are extremely thankful to the Ragdoll Foundation for supporting our community work and making this project a reality. Into the Woods is about letting the young people explore their creativity and artistic experiences so we wanted to present the project in as magical way as possible which is why we chose to use fairy tales to really engage their imagination. In the days leading up to the assemblies we placed clues around the school which included lines from a fairy tale poem that would form the stimulus for the project, which we have used in sessions to explore the theme of going ‘Into the Woods’. Children have taken part in a series of creative drama workshops and summer school activities to help them to explore their imagination.”

Head Teacher at Blackrod Primary School, Kath Mead said: “We are delighted to partner with The Octagon Theatre to deliver ‘Into the Woods’ and would like to thank the Ragdoll Foundation. This is a fantastic and magical programme which has sparked the imaginations of all children within our school community, enabling them to explore creativity and learn new skills in the surroundings of the beautiful and rural landscape of Blackrod. We believe it is so important to work with partners to provide children with enhanced opportunity, and this is a perfect example of how collaboration can make such a difference to the lives of children.”

The Ragdoll Foundation said: “Our Trustees have been pleased to support this high-quality, strategic project, which builds on Octagon Theatre’s commitment to engage local communities and promote equality of access to the arts. Its strong sense of place and two-year duration mean that the children have a strong voice in how the project develops.”

Amelia Greenwood, a pupil at Blackrod Primary School said: "Into the Woods has been absolutely fabulous. I have become a better actor and the sessions outside in the school grounds made me feel like I was in an enchanted forest. Everyone should take part in into the woods!"