about us
the power
of the arts
We believe the Performing Arts are for everyone and that arts projects and performance should reach for quality and innovation in every way.
We formed in order to break the arts out of their respective boxes and to utilise artist skills in collaborative projects that widen access to the arts for all. We formed to ensure the arts have a central role to play in the life of communities, in new models for bettering health, social justice and well-being, and in all forms of education. We strive to ensure that the arts are respected and valued as a life-changing, life enhancing and economy boosting industry.
We're here to
nurture and empower artists
Break-Out Arts are here to nurture and empower artists and the artist within everyone and to develop our future problem solvers through artistic projects, activities, performance, research investigations and collaborations.
Nothing is off limits, we break rules, we break boundaries, we are Breakout Arts.
What's on
Current Productions
Breakout Arts brings you a range of productions, including Shakespeare’s Macbeth and The Tempest, as well as our ongoing community projects Lions of Rotherham and Home Safe?
Our set text shows are engaging, pacey and imaginative professional touring productions set in the round which are perfect for schools, colleges, 6th forms and universities across the UK.
Jun 15th
09.30am to 11.30am
NAME OF THE EVENT
Location
This is some space for the full description of the event. Usually one to two sentences would surfice.
The Home Safe project was funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner’s fund, who supported Breakout Arts to work with survivors of domestic violence and abuse. As part of this process, Breakout Arts worked with individuals in Rotherham, Sheffield Women’s Aid, Dalton Early Help youth group, and various refuges, using drama techniques to place the survivors at the centre of the work giving them inherent control and value.
This experience was amazing. Survivors actively participated, shared their stories and offered advice for those currently in dangerous and abusive situations. From this process, our team developed a script based on a mixture of these true stories and wider research.
Breakout Arts are using professional actors to tour our 1 hour performance, Home Safe?, that raises awareness of domestic violence and abuse and informs audiences where and how to get advice and support. We will be touring this production to schools, colleges, community groups and more.
The show is available to book now, and we have limited free shows available in February 2023, after which time we will be available to book from £350.
For more information, or to help us continue this work, please contact Karen@breakoutarts.co.uk
Going forward we hope to use this work to further explore the power of language and tackle issues around this with teenage boys.
Set Text Tours
Breakout Arts presents Set Text Tours – our professional and neurodiverse cast of actors present pacey and engaging interpretations of GCSE and A-Level texts, allowing your students to experience them as they were intended to be experienced.
We are currently taking bookings for Macbeth and The Tempest for April 2023 onwards, with plans to begin begin work on adaptations of Jekyll & Hyde and An Inspector Calls in the near future. To book, or to enquire about a show not currently in production, contact karen@breakoutarts.co.uk
Rotherham Shakespeare Festival
As a lead practitioner and a participant in the previous Open Minds Shakespeare festival we are now re- starting the festival from Jan 2022.
We are starting small and have limited places but are taking registers of interest to build a list for the following year.
The Team
YOUR CORE STAFF
Our expert staff are industry professionals, Arts Award advisors, LAMDA examiners but also qualified teachers, so are able to combine these elements in order to provide high quality, innovative and inspiring solutions and sessions through workshops and projects. Give us a call or drop us an email and we can discuss how we can help you.
Karen Mulcahey
Artistic Director and CEO
Karen has been a professional performer and director for 25 years. As well as being the Artistic Director at Break-Out Arts, she is also a qualified teacher and Programme Leader at Rotherham college and runs the Theatre, Acting and Performance degree.
Benedict Fitzgerald
Associate Director and Head of Education and Community Engagement
Benedict graduated with a first class honours degree from university of Hull ( UCR campus) in Theatre, acting and performance and has worked professionally as an actor and doing lights and sound tech for a range of professional Theatre companies. He is also a musician and has experience of working with people with disabilities, Complex needs and adults who are neuro diverse. Ben also leads our youth theatre.
WORKSHOPS
OUR SESSIONS
SET TEXT TOURS!
Bring the magic of theatre to you and your students!
Set Texts Professional Tours for GCSE and A’Level: Book in our cast of professional actors who will be doing 1 hour performances of GCSE and A’Level Set texts accompanied by a workshop of 1.5 hours and leaving you with useful online and physical resources to use.
Bespoke workshops
We have an ensemble of professional actors and workshop leaders who can be brought together to design and tailor a workshop package to your specific needs
For example, Karen Mulcahey has been brought into work on a specific Shakespeare texts to help young people access the language and to help direct and stage performances. Similarly, both Karen, Jason and their colleagues have been asked to provide devising skills workshops, Greek tragedy, Naturalism and Stanislavsky, Epic Theatre and Bertolt Brecht, Antonin Artaud, physical theatre, mask acting and comedy workshops.
We have been commissioned to come in and work with a GCSE or A’level group to help them to be exam or performance ready and to reach their full potential.
OTHER subjects
bespoke workshops and performances
Our bespoke workshops and performances are not always directly about theatre or drama. We also use our skills to create engaging workshops in a variety of subjects including science, history, geography and more. The best way to find out how we can help you is to tell us your needs and we can work out something specific.
Continual Professional Development
OUR CPD PACKAGES
Breakout arts provide a range of practical training sessions designed to inspire and develop teachers and lecturers in delivering Performance sessions in their classroom or studio. Our CPD packages can be applied in any classroom and no prior performance or drama teaching experience is required, just the passion and desire to breakout of the teaching norms and ignite your students understanding of concepts, texts, and performance ideas linked to whatever it is that you are teaching.
Our sessions can be delivered at your school/college/university, or you can make a day out of it and come to us in our own space in Rotherham Town Centre.
Take a look at what we offer and become a student for the day while we Breakout the Arts!
PROJECTS
IN THE COMMUNITY
The staff at Breakout Arts have a proud history of working with diverse groups in communities over a long period of time.
Karen Mulcahey has worked with Crisis UK and SkyLight South Yorkshire with homeless and vulnerably housed adults teaching 10 week drama workshops and also doing one off short term projects such as creating and filming a short modern version of Charles Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ which was screened at the Members celebration event.
Pioneer:
The Rotherham Musical: She also researched, wrote and directed the large scale Rotherham Musical ‘Pioneer’ with composer Doctor Pete Birkby, bringing Rotherham’s local history and heritage to life for Rotherham Music Service. She worked with staff members of Breakout arts to do workshops and work with teachers at Primary and Secondary schools across Rotherham and worked with community and professional actors. The musical was performed over 3 nights at Magna to audiences of over 600 people and Karen and Dr. Birkby presented the project at the Manchester Music and Drama Expo in 2018. Teachers were given a CPD package to continue work on local history with students.
Rotherham’s World War one Story:
Home from Home: Karen also wrote and directed the Rotherham WW1 project with 6 primary schools, community and professional actors and degree students. The project used local archives and information from Clifton Museum and libraries to present true stories about Rotherham’s part in WW1. Again a CPD package was created for teachers.
Rotherham YoUTH Theatre
Breakout Arts run Rotherham Youth Theatre and will be beginning this again in Sept 2022.
CONTACT
GET IN TOUCH
To discuss your next project please contact us describing which project/workshop you are booking giving as much information as possible about what you require including text, subject matter, age group?: (Eg. Summer schools, Set text tours, bespoke workshops)
CONTACT INFO
Phone: 07947861284
Email: karen@breakoutarts.co.uk
BREAK OUT ARTS
We believe the Performing Arts are for everyone and that arts projects and performances should reach for quality and innovation in every way. We formed in order to break the arts out of their respective boxes and to utilise artist skills in collaborative projects that widen access to the arts for all.
© 2021 Break Out Arts. All rights reserved