Scottish Community Drama Association

Theatre Maker

1. What is Theatre Maker?
2. What does it cost to receive the Theatre Maker service?
3. What services do we Offer?

-Advice and information
-National Training Programme
-A volunteer "Buddy" Scheme
-Training for committees
-A Quality Framework: How good is my club?

What is Theatre Maker?

Theatre Maker is an exciting new learning programme for community drama groups.

Whether it is a Panto for Plockton or a Murder Mystery in Melrose, Theatre Maker can help you develop your skills and talents.

What does it cost to receive the Theatre Maker service?

Members of SCDA get free advice and information, toolkits, email newsletter and tailored support. Non members can also access our general advice and information service free of charge.

Events and training days have a cost attached, and for these SCDA members get a 50% discount.

Membership of SCDA costs:

£40 per year for drama clubs
£20 per year for youth drama groups
£15 for individuals.

This entitles you to the full range of SCDA services as well as free or low cost access to Theatre Maker

Free membership for one year is available to disadvantaged groups joining for the first time. For financial year 2006/7 this is open to theatre makers from disadvantaged areas, and to theatre makers with disabilities or who are from minority ethnic communities. If you would like to claim a free membership, or would like to join SCDA as a paid member, you can contact our Arts Development Officer, Fiona Rogan on 0131 558 8464 or email Fiona Fiona@scda.org.uk

What services do we offer?

This new programme is still under development, but we aim to offer a range of services.

• Advice and Information
  
• A National Training Programme
  
• A volunteer "Buddy" Scheme
  
• Training for committees
  
• A Quality Framework: How good is my club?

ADVICE AND INFORMATION

Telephone and Information helpline

SCDA runs a telephone and email advice line for both member and non member clubs. This is free.

Theatre Maker Toolkit

• A series of information sheets is under development, to help you improve your productions. These will be available to download from the members only section of the SCDA website. Hard copies can be purchased from SCDA National office.
  
• A theatre tutor database. We hold details of a range of drama tutors. We have taken up references, and will undertake Disclosure Scotland checks for all tutors who will work with children. You can be assured that the tutors meet our quality standard. We can set up tutor visits for both member clubs and non members of SCDA.
  
• Regular email bulletins will let you know what is happening in the world of community drama.

NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME

Theatre Maker Days

Funding permitting, we will run a series of training days for drama clubs. For these days, we will bring together a range of theatre professionals who will help you to develop your skills and talents.

The first Theatre Maker day is designed for young people, and will take place in Stranraer on Saturday 21 October. If you are interested in taking part, contact Fiona Rogan on 0131 558 8464 or email Fiona Fiona@scda.org.uk

Advisory visits to Clubs

SCDA formerly had a dedicated drama adviser, Ros Lane, who travelled around the country sharing her skills with drama clubs. The new service gives us a pool of drama tutors based around the country, with a range of skills and expertise to share with you.

We can tailor a visit to suit your club's needs. There will be a charge for this, which depends on the length and type of session you want to run. We will subsidise the cost by 50% for SCDA member clubs and groups, funding permitting. The average full cost is £20-£25 per hour plus travel.
To find out more, contact Fiona Rogan on 0131 558 8464 or email Fiona Fiona@scda.org.uk

BUDDY SCHEME

This scheme is still at the planning stage. We are looking for clubs that will volunteer to act as "buddy" to new or less confident drama groups in their area. We are also looking for individual "buddies" who are willing to share their skills with new groups.

A group based at the Whale Arts Centre in Wester Hailes is currently thinking about setting up a drama group. Are there any Edinburgh based volunteers out there who would like to buddy this group?

Theatre Maker will make a donation to any club whose member acts as a buddy to a group. We will also pay all the volunteer's travel and subsistence expenses.

Are you a club that needs a buddy? Perhaps you have nobody with artistic talent, and need help to make some props for your next production? Get in touch with Fiona Rogan and she will try to match you to someone who can help.

TRAINING FOR COMMITTEES

The G Word

Behind every successful drama production, there is usually a committee of dedicated volunteers. A well run club makes good theatre. If your club is a charity, or if you are an SCDA committee member (and all our committee members are trustees of SCDA), you need to understand the G Word. It stands for Governance.

As a committee member, you are personally liable for any wrongdoing of the group, even if you were not to blame. You need to understand your responsibilities. But you are not alone!

Theatre Maker can send a governance expert to your committee, to give you training in a range of areas:

• The general legal duties of charity trustees ( if your group has a charity number, your committee members are trustees)
  
• The general duties of a club management committee ( non charity)

We can also offer specific training sessions such as:

• Show us the Money- Financial reporting for drama clubs
  
• Disability Discrimination - what do we need to know?
  
• Child Protection - how do we keep children safe without drowning in paperwork!
  
• Marketing
  
• Fundraising

There will be a charge for these sessions, but you could keep costs down by joining up with neighbouring clubs, and sharing the cost. Again, SCDA members get a 50% discount on the full cost, funding permitting.

A quality framework - how good is our club?

SCDA is currently looking into the development of a quality framework for clubs. We'd like to create a quality mark, like the Positive about Disability checkmark, or the Plain English Crystal Mark. Every club that met a certain standard could apply to SCDA for the Quality Mark. This will not be related to the quality of drama productions, but to the governance of the club. How is the club governed? Do committee members undertake training? Do they keep good financial records? Do they evaluate their work? Do they consult with their audiences? Do they contribute to the cultural life of their community?

This is a long term development, but we will keep you posted as our ideas progress.