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Our Story So Far...
Our Story So Far
In the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, amidst all of the confusion and fear, two friends felt the need to do something proactive. Toby and Leslie, our Co-Founders, watched in dismay and horror as community arts groups closed their doors right when people needed to connect with others the most. Of course those doors were closed in order to keep people safe, however the sad truth was that Toby and Leslie knew that many of those doors wouldn't reopen.
Toby and Leslie had collaborated on different projects over the years and they knew they shared the same vision... so they decided to create an inclusive performing arts group that focused on fun, friendship, expression, and of course positive mental health!
Highlights from our Mini-Sharing after our 2022 Pilot Project
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After having to put plans on hold due to the arrival of the Omicron variant, Work in Progress was finally able to get started in 2022! We ran a short pilot project and began exploring the performing arts with our members in Rhyl at Good News in the Community. We also hosted our first Visiting Guest Artist, Little Peaches, who ran a popular workshop on adaptive and meditative dance. Our pilot project was originally planned for 10 weeks but our members wanted more! They also wanted to share what they’d been working on with friends and family. With that in mind, we extended the project to 14 weeks and held a Sharing for invited guests.
Our first song in front of an audience!
2022 Pilot Project Mini-Sharing: 'What A Wonderful World'
All content in the Sharing was driven by members: ensemble singing, devised drama scenes, solos, poetry/texts, movement/dance, and members’ personal thoughts. Little Peaches not only attended the Sharing, but she and our members all performed the dance that had been learned during her workshop.
We also shared other creative ways members express themselves by holding an exhibition of paintings, crafts, crochet, jewellery, even family recipes! There were also had two interactive exhibits: Help Us Weave Our Story, where guests could use a loom to add their own personal weaving to one that we'd already started, and Wings of Freedom, created by our friend Gobaith Galeri. This was inspired by a section in our Sharing and allowed guests to write down what makes them feel free to add to the Wings of Freedom selfie station.
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More photos from our 2022 Pilot Project and Sharing can be seen in our Gallery.
Members of Work in Progress performing 'Freedom' for the finale of our 12-week Pilot Project in 2022
What's Next for Work in Progress?
Our journey continued in 2023!
Following this success we were fortunate to have secured funding from the Arts Council of Wales which has allowed us to take Work in Progress to the next level with more members and exciting plans ahead. Our next Sharing will be in Theatr Twm O'r Nant in Denbigh on 7th October 2023, in conjunction with World Mental Health Day. The Sharing will also feature performances with our friends Choirs For Good, who run community well-being choirs across Wales. We are looking forward to performing with their Conwy choir!
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Leading up to the Sharing our members will work weekly with our Artistic Director Leslie Churchill Ward as well as participate in several workshops with Visiting Guest Artists. This year's guest artists are Lowri Kirkham, Manon Llwyd, Little Peaches, and Tamara Hall. We've also been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with local filmmaker and photographer Rob Grey. Rob has been visiting us and documenting our journey this year.
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It's only our first full year together as a company and we even performed in the award-winning Inclusion Project at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod! For some of our members it was the first time they'd ever been on any stage in their lives. What an experience!
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Check out our News page for exciting announcements, as well as our Blog to hear directly from our Work in Progress family.
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We are all a Work in Progress. Together we can do so much!
Members of Work in Progress performing at the 2023 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod
Photo : Rob Grey (Rad Stuff Photo Video)