Verbatim Workshop with LUNG Theatre and the RSC

Our Year 10 GCSE Drama students welcomed Matt Woodhead from LUNG Theatre and Paul Ainsworth from the Royal Shakespeare Company for a thought-provoking verbatim workshop.

LUNG Theatre is a nationally-renowned company specialising in verbatim theatre — a creative form that uses real people’s words and testimonies to tell powerful, socially relevant stories. Their work often tours theatres across the UK, from cultural venues to school halls, and they are known for engaging communities whose voices are often unheard in mainstream theatre.

In partnership with the RSC and National Theatre learning programmes, LUNG also leads creative initiatives such as The LUNG Method, which gives practical training on the techniques and ethical considerations behind verbatim practice.

During the workshop, Matt and Paul guided our students through the process of developing material for a new play in progress, focusing on how real voices, interviews and lived experience can inform dramatic storytelling. Students explored methods of gathering testimony and shaping narrative.

Paul Ainsworth, who works with the RSC’s learning and young-theatre projects, brought invaluable insight into how professional rehearsal-room techniques can support students’ confidence, creativity and interpretation. The RSC’s long-standing work with schools champions the idea that theatre education deepens literacy, communication and self-expression, as well as artistic skill.

Our students responded with enthusiasm, asking thoughtful questions and embracing the challenge of engaging with real voices in their work. Workshops like this not only enrich our Drama curriculum but also highlight the wider possibilities of theatre as a form of creative expression and social engagement.