Woyzeck provides an immersive and interactive experience where your students take part in a 2hr workshop exploring the styles of Brecht, Berkoff and Artaud before actively taking part in the show. This is a rare and unique opportunity for students to work as actors in a style prevalent in theatre today. What did Woyzeck's nightmarish visions look like? What did the voices in his head sound like? How does it feel when a room is filled with Marie's screams as he brutally murders her? We will find out. We will arrive at your school with a show that is 75% complete. The remaining 25% will be shaped by your students on the day as they work alongside us to create a vibrant piece of theatre.
Students will explore multi-roling, narration, sound scaping, audience interaction, physical theatre, multi-purpose props, heightened characterization and gain a thorough insight into practitioners whilst having the opportunity to perform in a professional setting.
PRICE
The £650 fee includes 1 x 2hr workshop, 1 x 1hr show, followed by an optional Q&A and a 30 page teacher's pack. The fee includes the first 400 miles travelled by both actors. For schools that exceed 400 miles joint travel, a 40p per mile charge will be added.
For the workshop we have a maximum of 30 students and a minimum of 5. If you wanted to cater for an even higher number in the workshop we can add another session for extra students for an additional £75. Each session lasts 2hrs, followed by a break (minimum 15 minutes) and then a 1hr show. We don't have a limit for the number of students who watch the show so schools are welcome to bring in additional year groups for the performance.The workshop needs to take place before the show in order to rehearse the students before a select number of them take part. Both actors are fully DBS checked.
For the show we ask that the space is nice and dark (for mood and atmosphere) and we usually get the students who participated in the workshop to either sit on the floor or sit very close so there is less of a divide between us. Students who don't take part in the workshop and just watch the show will still get a great deal out of it by seeing their peers perform alongside the actors.
The teacher will have received a casting breakdown before the show and will highlight to us certain students taking part in the workshop who they know are very much up for the experience and happy to be involved and perform with us. They will be the students who are brought up on stage to perform alongside us and play larger roles in the performance. The remaining students in the workshop will still take part in the performance through sound-scapes and chorus/ensemble work etc but they won't be brought up on stage individually. They may be brought up as a group depending on comfort levels. We will ascertain this in the workshop. We want to ensure no one feels forced to get up if they don't want to. We then run the workshop, essentially rehearsing them ready for the show. Students who watch the show and don't take part in the workshop will still be invited to join in through soundscapes and chorus work (similar to the audience interaction in a pantomime) but there is no pressure on them at all. They can happily sit and silently watch if they want to.
Daily schedule example:
9.45am - Company arrives - One actor sets up the show and the other runs
the workshop
10.15 - 12.15 - Kat leads a 2hr workshop with a maximum of 30 students.
From those 30, the teacher will have pre-picked students (a group of say
4 -15) who are very keen to perform. Teacher will let Kat know who
they are and they will be used extensively on stage.
12.15 - 1pm BREAK
1-2pm - 1hr show where the 30 workshop students work
alongside the performers to create an immersive, interactive version of Woyzeck. The 30 workshop
students can be the only people in the performance, or the school is welcome to bring in additional classes to watch the show.
2pm - Show finishes, optional 20 minute Q&A with actors
2.20pm - Actors pack up
2.30pm - Actors leave
Please see some feedback below from our current tour of WOYZECK:
'We had the very brilliant Kat Mary Productions in school with their production of Woyzeck. The U6th took part in a workshop exploring the play, Brecht, Berkoff and Artaud, before performing it to L6th and Yr 11 Drama Students. It was a hugely beneficial experience for all involved!
(Brentwood School)
'KatMary brought a fabulous energy and imagination to their workshop and performance here. Kat herself, is an exceptional practitioner with a dynamic and hugely engaging method of working with young people. Our students thrived and blossomed in her company and the opportunity to perform in a blended show alongside professional actors was inspiring for all. KatMary gave our students the methods and means to immerse and contribute to a powerful and memorable performance experience. Everyone has had both their textual understanding and importantly their personal creative investment in the play enhanced by KatMary’s work.
In my twenty years teaching this play at A Level, this is the most impactful and meaningful version of Woyzeck I have seen – rich with invention, playful with its insight and deeply affecting in its sensitivity and uncomplicated theatricality.'
(Mike Perry - Warwick School)
'A fantastic opportunity for our Drama students and a massive thankyou to Kat Mary Pro.'
(Samuel Whitbred Academy)
'Thank you again for a wonderful day; it was so useful and really inspiring. Some of the moments in the play were genius- the horse poo; the post war euphoria; the experiment scene, I could go on. Kat, your manner with the kids was pitch perfect and I know they enjoyed it.'
(Bryony Smith - Beaminster School)
'It was fantastic! You certainly brought the play to life. Lots to discuss- so thank you! I have already made contact with colleagues from my last school to say they must have you in.'
(Kym Langdon - The Sir John Colfox Academy)
Please see below a selection of
production and workshop pictures and
videos taken from schools.
For more information, or to make a
booking, please email
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Touring Schools from September 2023
"Innocence there is a mark on you"
We are delighted to relaunch our production of Woyzeck, set amidst the backdrop of WW1. Woyzeck is a startling depiction of the lowly soldier plagued by visions of the apocalypse and plunged into homicidal lunacy by the world around him. The agonizing effects of war trauma and the utter devastation of the downtrodden man still resonate over 200 years after the play was first written.
Following the success of our 2022 schools tour of Metamorphosis, we have taken our production of Woyzeck and re-imagined it to match our brand new approach to creating exciting, educational and affordable theatre.
For those who booked Metamorphosis in 2022, our Woyzeck offering has been designed in the same manner. We decided to tackle the current uncertainty and financial upheaval of the last few years by requesting assistance from our most valuable resource, YOUR STUDENTS !! We have been astonished by the talent and drive of the students we have worked with over the years and now we want to create a live show with them.
We will take our acclaimed adaptation of Buchner's classic tale and add a new twist....
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