Lyrical Laps (2010)

White Horse Road
Age range: 3-7

This after-school literacy and spoken word project turned pupils into word wizards through a dynamic exploration of poetry and performance. The project used a letter of the alphabet as a stimulus for the class to explore poetry before they created their own spoken work pieces which were performed, videoed and shared back to the group.

Lyrical Laps was delivered over a three-month period from January-March 2010 and covered eight Tower Hamlets schools including Ben Jonson and Marion Richardson Primary Schools.

After an inspiring CPD session teaching staff in all eight schools delivered their own projects. The scale of this project enabled an additional element: an audiovisual installation at Half Moon. The films of the young people’s spoken word pieces were edited and woven together with their artwork in a specially created installation which they as well as friends and family visited.

“The quality of the work the children did was amazing. Their speaking and listening skills improved and so too did their confidence in performing and writing.” – Teacher Funded by Tower Hamlets Extended Schools

Project photos

Creative Team

Interviews

Chris Elwell has been the Director of Half Moon Theatre on White Horse Road since 1997. He talks about a selection of the company’s schools’ projects, including Transitions, Lyrical Laps, Dramatic Maths and Careers in Theatre. Interviewed by Kavana Joyett.

Marketing

Lyrical Laps – Video; a resource for primary schools created as a follow-up to the project.