Course Overview
Skills for Performance is an 8-week course welcoming back existing and new participants to learn more about theatre and develop skills to create and perform.
Each week we’ll work actively to develop your creative ideas, finding new and exciting ways to explore your imagination. We’ll grow those ideas together, using writing, our voices and our bodies to do so, playing with all the ways we express ourselves. We’ll then consider how we present those ideas, honing your skills and confidence in performing.
CoCreate theatre classes are designed to help you discover what it is you want to say that the world needs to hear!
Course leader – Rachel Fullegar
What to Expect
Create:Connect Courses are two hour creative sessions with a tea break in the middle. Expect a safe and supportive environment for you to try new things, learn new skills, meet new people, and share your creative ideas with a group.
This course will expand your ideas about what theatre is, as we explore ideas from performance art, creative writing, and movement and dance practices, alongside more traditional dramatic forms.
You don’t need any prior experience, just curiosity and interest in taking part.
What You’ll Achieve
Over the 8-week course, you’ll grow in creative confidence and discover new skills that can support you to share your thoughts and ideas, bringing your creativity to life!
Theatre courses are group based sessions, you’ll learn how to develop your own ideas and how to support others’, helping you work with people even more effectively, and collaborating to forge dynamic and unique creative work together.
By the end of the course we hope to have developed not only ideas, but also short group pieces, or series of individual pieces that we’re proud of.
We think it’s pretty likely you will also feel like you have created, written, performed, supported, directed, laughed, learned, grown, smiled.... and much more!
When, Where & What to Bring
Any materials needed will be provided in the sessions, you are welcome to to bring your own notebook if you find it helpful. This is an gentle but active class, we recommend wearing loose clothing/footwear that you move around in freely.
8-week course – Friday afternoons, 2pm-4pm (room opens 1.45pm)
Starting 30th October 2026
Access Wellbeing at Hope House, Weymouth
Support
CoCreate sessions are designed to be safe and supportive spaces, that allow you the freedom to do your best work. Our courses are suitable for all levels of experience, and we welcome complete beginners.
When you sign up you’ll be asked if there’s anything you might need access support with, this could include physical access (lifts, wheel chair access, etc) or other things like help with writing, large print, or more time to process information. We’ll send a reminder email, with a link to join the session, to everyone.
You don’t have to tell us anything you don’t want to share, and we’re always happy to talk about how we can support you at any point in the course.
Sign Up
Create:Connect courses are open to people who identify as having lived experience of poor mental health and/or have a mental health diagnosis
Click the button below to complete a short online form to register your interest.
Courses are free, but spaces are limited — early registration is encouraged.
“I learnt more about the process of generating creative ideas.
There was no agenda, and there was a lot of freedom in playing with ideas with no expectations of the outcome.
This is the beauty of creativity for me”
Summer Term Participant
With special thanks to our project partners Access Wellbeing Weymouth & Portland Hub
