I joined in these sessions as part of a journey of self discovery. This was to take me out of my comfort zone as I have not participated in drama/theatre type events before, other than being a member of the audience.
So the journey began under the directorship of Rachel, providing an overview to stimulate our personal stories about Redcliffe. Stories about St Mary Redcliffe church unfolded relating to WW11. More up to date stories emerged ie Princess Diana’s visit to Redcliffe’s Guinea street; the filming of Dr Who and his Tardis. many of these stories connected to other individuals in the group. Nothing was being judged, just stories of times gone by. One story did evoke curiosity that took me on a journey of research. In the following session I brought in the story of WW11 operation Starfish [Special Fires].
Throughout the sessions we were introduced to various methods of ‘change of perception’ exercises, which allowed us to experiment with visual, audio and kinesthetic experiences. This was invaluable when one of the sessions was based in St Mary Redcliffe Church, when we took our stories and found a way to tell them using the church as the setting.
I feel that being part of this group has allowed me to share stories with members of the local community and others. whilst initially I was apprehensive about taking part in these sessions I have really enjoyed all aspects of the journey with all the individuals that took part.
I do hope the group can continue and look for ways to develop the stories that have unfolded…..creating the next episode.