Our Impact

Scene & Heard is an award-winning charity and professional theatre company; a treasured community resource and a highly regarded part of the London theatre scene.

Teachers report that:

Of participants show improved literacy

Show improved confidence

Change attitudes to learning

Scene & Heard is celebrating 25 years of bringing children’s imaginations to life on stage. To mark this milestone, we have commissioned a study analysing the impact of our work with over 420 children, to build confidence, raise aspirations and open access to creativity.

This in-depth analysis of our work, unpacking the ‘what, where, how and why’ of our unique model, demonstrates and supports our belief that engagement in the arts is an essential element of life and wellbeing.

Our Awards

Rosalind Paul MBE, Scene & Heard CEO & Artistic Director, was recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2022, for charitable services to theatre, young people and families in Somers Town

Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2011. In recognition of the amazing work that our 450 volunteer theatre professionals do for the children of Somers Town

Centre for Social Justice Award 2015. In recognition and celebration of the best of small grass roots charities that work to alleviate issues surrounding poverty and disadvantage.

Press

A collection of articles about our work since our founding in 1999.

As a Centre of Excellence, we do more than just create our own amazing work. We work in education and the arts, with charities and practitioners, to share knowledge, experience, and expertise. We seek opportunities to help shape policy and opinion in the arts, education and charity sectors, in Camden and beyond.

Rosalind Paul MBE

Advising

As a Centre of Excellence we regularly advise organisations and individuals in the UK and abroad on:

  •  Education projects using playwriting and drama

  • Working with children facing multiple disadvantage

  • Best practice in engaging marginalised families

  • Community relations

  • One-to-one mentoring

  • Volunteer management

  • Evaluation, measuring impact and outcomes

  • Charity management and governance

  • PR, communications and publicity

  • Fundraising

Partnerships

Scene & Heard has developed partnership projects with a variety of organisations and institutions.

Our Writeback  course introduces our Member Playwrights to a range of cultural institutions in their local area. To date we have partnered with the Foundling Museum and Wellcome Collection. Short documentary films can be viewed here.

We sit on the Cultural Camden Steering Committee alongside Roundhouse, The Place, British Library, British Museum, JW3

In collaboration with Channel 4,  Arts Council England and Passion Pictures, Scene & Heard Member Playwrights wrote short pieces for Animate! directed by Tim Hope.  Watch them on  our films page.

Dr Aoife Monks conducted research into the nature of volunteering using Scene & Heard as a case study, leading to a symposium for MA and PhD students from University of London. Scene & Heard’s Artistic Director Rosalind Paul was made an Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck College.

Scene & Heard Member Playwrights wrote short plays performed by professional actors and broadcast as part of a  BBC World Service  season giving voice to young people throughout the world. Listen to all 5 plays on SoundCloud >>

We worked with National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) to create Home Edinburgh, a single piece of theatre written by a group of Edinburgh-based children using Scene & Heard methodology. 

We have hosted work placements for MA and BATE students from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and from Clean Break , a women’s theatre company changing lives and changing minds.

We collaborated with Rosehill Theatre, Cumbria to develop their own Playmaking One project.

Teacher’s Pack

Educators, keen to find new ways of working with language, encouraging creativity and developing literacy, often ask us how they can apply our work to their classrooms.

Aimed at Key Stage Two, Playwriting the Scene & Heard Way is a series of lesson plans that can be used as part of Literacy, Creative Writing and Drama.

The structure and format was developed through consultation with primary school teachers and Head Teachers, Scene & Heard staff and our volunteer theatre professionals.

“Great resource – I’m developing a drama workshop for KS2 (never done this before) and some great techniques and ideas for helping students begin to write their own plays. Thank you.”