Teapot Drama Club, in Boscombe, is an acting and performance group for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) adults.
Its main focus is on acting and performing as well as creative writing, and they include the reading and writing of music and poetry in their weekly sessions.
The group aims to “create a space for adults who perhaps don’t get the opportunity to do this sort of thing elsewhere” says founder Charlie Rose.
The importance of groups like this one to Bournemouth is highlighted through its members enthusiasm and joy to be a part of a club they have been yet to see in their area.
Group Member, Naomi said: “Bringing the Teapot Drama Club into conversation is interesting and I am glad that David, Shane and I started it with Charlies help.”
“We do want to make it bigger but not too big so we take the whole world, because we’re growing already!”
The creation of the sessions came about through now members Naomi and David’s search for a group like this one.
David said: “I think it helps to have drama or some kind of arts thing [to do]. When you do drama or something constructive you’ve got something to show for what you do.
“I’m surprised when it finishes because I think, where did those two hours go we’ve just spent a lot of time laughing and feeling happy.”
With help from now Founder Charlie Rose, Teapot Drama Club has transformed into a “safe haven” that members look forward to.
Rose said: “Teapot Drama was an idea that David and Naomi came up with and about a year ago. I’ve known Naomi for years, and David and Naomi told me they were trying to get this drama group up and running and it wasn’t quite going to plan. Out of the blue, they asked if I would help them run it and before I had time to think my mouth opened and a yes came out, but it’s been amazing.
“We meet once a week and the thing about this space is it’s very welcoming. We get a lot of encouragement from the people here and I think for us all it does feel like a safe haven , we look forward to it and it’s something special. As a group we feel like we’ve known each other forever.
“Teapot Drama is primarily to have fun and we’re a very supportive encouraging group. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got experience of drama or you’re a beginner or whether you’ve got heaps of ability. It doesn’t matter because we love it all and nobody sits in judgement. It’s all about what you can do and not what you can’t do, that’s the most important thing.”
In a landscape crowded with mainstream options, this club have chose a different path. Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, the group focused on those most often overlooked.
Rose added: “It’s really a group for adults who perhaps don’t get the opportunity to do this sort of thing else where. We did have talks in the beginning about opening it up to more mainstream but actually everyone felt that there is so much out there for other people but not enough for this particular group.”
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