stage one

Spark

for young people in primary 1

As your little one becomes a big one and begins their new adventure into school our Spark groups are designed to support them through the transition. Using a variety of popular themes and stories as stimulus, groups will continue to work on developing their imaginations all whilst building their confidence and encouraging a more independent approach to their work. At this stage we also introduce basic theatre skills such as voice, movement, character, singing and storytelling and they will get the chance to experiment with props, costume, musical instruments and masks or sometimes get arty and make or design stuff to help tell their stories. They will also be introduced to idea of working together to create characters, stories and scenes and have lots of opportunities to perform them to their friends. There will be opportunities to share what they have been working on with family and friends throughout the year.

Key skills covered

Voice, movement, character, expression, emotions, imagination, story-telling, group work, making friends, listening, confidence.

Group Times

Choose one group.  Groups take place weekly during school term time. 

Monday

Group Name Place Starts Ends Drama Worker
Spark D (P1) Art Department 1 16:30 17:30 Rebecca Morrow

Saturday

Group Name Place Starts Ends Drama Worker
Spark A (P1) Spires Studio 2 10:00 11:00 Susan Kirkwood-Lewis
Spark B (P1) Spires Studio 2 11:15 12:15 Susan Kirkwood-Lewis

Sunday

Group Name Place Starts Ends Drama Worker
Spark C (P1) Art Department 3 11:30 12:30 Eleanor Farrelly

FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers

Paisley workshops take place on a Saturday and also mid-week. Workshops take place during school term time. With four terms in the Youth Theatre year, there are roughly 34 workshops per year in total. Workshops take place in our base at Spires Drama Studios, as well as in The Wynd Centre, Paisley Arts Centre and Team MacNeil Dance Studio.

Our Core Workshops mostly follow in line with school year groups. Our Accelerate and Young Company programmes are for members who have shown particular skill and ability in core classes and entry is by tutor/director recommendation or audition, but these are also divided according to age.

All of our groups are run by our trained staff, with the resources of a company that has specialised in working with children since 1988. All PACE staff are PVG checked.

PACE Youth Theatre workshops are all based on our unique syllabus devised to increase confidence, self-expression, communication and performance skills. They are also great fun and a great way to meet new friends. Workshops are at the core of PACE Youth Theatre and a lot of time and effort is spent ensuring our workshops are fun, educational, well targeted and of the highest standard.

You can find out more about the content and structure of workshops on the page for each group level.

Although PACE is a workshop based youth theatre, members often have the opportunity to participate in shows, be they large scale, devised or scripted. Members get advance notice and discounts on our Fest! Performing Arts Festivals events and performances. PACE mount over 70 Fest! performances every year during the school holidays, giving everyone lots of opportunites to get on stage! These day and week long activities concentrate on drama, dance and music for both members and non-members and are always extremely popular. 

We also have a festival of youth theatre performances every year for older groups as well as presentations and open workshops for parents to attend.

PACE Youth Theatre members are in constant demand from TV and film produstion companies, both nationally and internationally. PACE Casting was set up to represent our members to interested companies and provide a comprehensive chaperoning and licensing service. All this is provided to our members for no additional charge or agency fee. PACE members have appeared in hundreds of films, commercials and TV productions over the years both in the UK and abroad. Established members also have the opportunity to appear in the Young Person’s Casting Directory, the largest directory of young actors in Scotland, distributed annually to hundreds of production companies.

PACE has worked with tens of thousands of young people, who have used the key skills they have learnt form PACE in all walks of life. Many of these have gone on to work in all aspects of the performing arts. PACE alumni have included singer Paolo Nutini and actors James McAvoy (X-Men), Richard Madden (Bodyguard, Cinderella), James McArdle (Mary Queen of Scots),  Amy Conachan (Hollyoaks), Mark Rowley (The Last Kingdom) and many more.

Find out more

PACE is a self-sufficient, non-profit making company and registered charity so all of our membership charges go towards improving the quality of service we provide to young people.

Membership of PACE Youth Theatre is paid over 10 months with discounts available for families with more than one member living at the same address. Full details can be found here.

Members joining mid-term will have their first term payment adjusted accordingly.

Bursary and concessionary places are available for families on low incomes.  You can find out more about our bursary fund here.

Please wear casual, comfortable clothes and appropriate footwear to workshops. PACE t-shirts are recommended but not compulsory. Please do not wear non-essential jewellery. Mobiles phones are not permitted to be used during workshops or rehearsals.

Please do not bring expensive clothing or other items to PACE. We cannot accept responsibility for any items lost, stolen or damaged.

Please inform us of any medical condition or special needs when booking. All information will be treated in confidence.

PACE aims to make our workshops as inclusive as possible and will try and make appropriate adjustments for young people with additional needs, within the confines of our resources. If your child has any additional support needs please talk to us about it in advance.

spark

PACE Youth Theare Core Membership Fees
£ 29
60
Monthly
  • 10 monthly payments (Sept - June) - cancel anytime
  • Fees pro-rated when joining mid-term.
    Family discounts, bursary and concessionary places available.

family discounts

Discounts on core membership fees are available for families with more than one member.
   2 in family      15% off
   3 in family      33% off

Fees Example
A family with one member in Leap and one in Tots would pay £47.26 per month.
i.e. £34.40 + £25.60 = £60.00
– 15% = £51.00
SAVING £90 PER YEAR

Learn more about membership fees

Learn more about our bursary and concessionary places