Puppetry Skills Workshop ?️

Monday 21st – Friday 25th November 10am – 4pm
The Bognor Makerspace, 58-60 Longford Road, Bognor Regis PO21 1AG

Adults currently not working can apply to join a free creative skills course taking place in Bognor Regis in November. Led by professional theatre and puppetry practitioners, this friendly training programme offers unique hands-on experience of a range of practical but transferable skills that can improve your employment prospects and boost your confidence.

Over the course of the week, the team will work together on the making of a short animated film using team-work, problem-solving and creative skills. They will make the puppets and background, learn how to storyboard and create sound effects. Participants will also benefit from on-going support in their search for employment and achieve a useful Health and Safety qualification. The edited film will be uploaded to the MTGS YouTube channel.

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Arts & Craft Course September 2021 ?

If you’re a young person aged around 18 – 24 receiving certain benefits you can apply to join our technical and craft work experience programme taking place in Bognor Regis next month.

Led by professional theatre technicians, this intensive but friendly training course offers unique hands-on experience of a range of practical but transferable skills that can improve your employment prospects and boost your confidence.

The course is free of charge but only available to benefit claimants (Universal Credit, ESA, IncomeSupport, JSA).

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Join our Festival Training Course!

Benefit claimants aged 16 – 24 (ESA or Universal Credit) can apply to join a festival work experience programme taking place in our new Makerspace in May. Led by professional theatre technicians, this busy but friendly training programme offers unique hands-on experience of a range of practical but transferable skills that can improve your employment prospects and boost your confidence. 

The course is free of charge but only available to young people aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit.

This 7 day course (running 28th May – 4th June) is aimed to provide participants with practical work experience of running a festival. Linked to the upcoming Bognor Puppet Festival, the group will gain skills in backstage crewing, front-of-house operation, stewarding, health and safety and café operation.

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Check out our two new videos! ?

Our most recent one-week course finished on 22nd March and the eight participants produced an amazing short puppet play called What’s Going on in the Garden?. Aimed at primary age children, the play described some of the wildlife that emerges at the start of spring and the team made ingenious 2D puppets including a hedgehog, owl, frog and even chicks being hatched!

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Toilet target reached! ?

We’re delighted to report that the Bognor Makerspace crowdfunding appeal has reached its target thanks to the many donations from individuals, charity groups and local councils. Work has started today on installing two super accessible toilets and we hope that they will be ready for use by the end of February.

The Makerspace has also been awarded a grant of £8,650 from the National Communities lottery which will enable the installation of a kitchen and cafe area. These important developments mean we can start making the groundfloor space available for other community users as soon as lockdown restrictions are eased.

Making Theatre Gaining Skills moves into a new, permanent home! ?

Since Making Theatre Gaining Skills started back in 2011 we have spent many years moving between temporary venues of varying degrees of comfort and always searching for a permanent home. We are delighted to announce that we have found a wonderful building in Bognor Regis and moved in at the beginning of October.

It is a large industrial building very conveniently located just two minutes’ walk from Bognor railway station on Longford Road. Owned by Reynolds Furniture, it was until recently used as a furniture showroom. We have taken a lease on the building in partnership with the Aldingbourne Trust and the building will be named The Bognor Makerspace.

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