Trifle Gathering

Trifle Gathering are a Penryn based theatre group who have just completed 2 sell-out tours in Cornwall and the South West. Their act is hard to describe and impossible to forget: part pantomime, vaguely vaudeville, combining cabaret and the carnivalesque, Trifle Gathering have established themselves as masters in their field, delighting audiences young and old.



I’d just finished writing a scheme of work for year 11 diploma students on Exploring Group Performance and thought this would be an ideal opportunity for them to see a great group performance in the flesh.

So, I arranged a school trip (including the usual permission letters and risk assessment) to take the students to see the final performance on the Trifle Gathering tour.

The deputy head agreed to drive the school mini-bus (very generous considering it was the last Friday before half-term), and so we journeyed together to Callington to watch the cabaret.

The show involved audience participation, and I was called onto the stage, along with the deputy head and one of the students, to play a game that left us all with chocolate smeared across our faces. This was a great opportunity to build trust and strengthen my rapport with the students and showed them that their teachers are willing to get involved and don't mind (occasionally) making fools of themselves. After the performance I arranged for the students to go backstage and meet the actors and technicians. They were able to interview the director, writer and actors and learn more about what is involved in creating a piece of theatre and taking it on tour.

Trifle Gathering organise acting workshops and I have arranged for a full-day session with the lead actress after half-term. She will visit the school and work with the students as they plan and prepare their own group perfromance. As many of the students were nervous at the prospect of appearing onstage, meeting the company was a great way to reassure them they have nothing to worry about. They are now all excited and busy coming up with ideas for their own show. Result.

If you'd like to find out more about Trifle Gathering, or arrange a workshop for your students, then log onto: www.triflegatheringproductions.co.uk