USW students celebrate sold-out show with Hijinx Theatre

Last week, University of South Wales (USW) students attended a celebratory Christmas party with Hijinx Theatre’s Odyssey and Telemachus groups, who they have been working on placement with. The groups consist of neurodiverse and neurotypical actors and have a long-standing partnership with USW’s BA (Hons) Creative and Therapeutic Arts course.

For their Christmas 2022 show, Odyssey put on a sold-out production of ‘Dr Dolittle’s Wild Adventure’ at Wales Millennium Centre.

First-year Creative and Therapeutic Arts students have working with Odyssey, supporting their participants on a weekly basis. Attending their rehearsals and workshops in Cardiff Bay, the students have played games, helped actors to work on their lines, and discussed their characters in the show. They also worked with the participants to make bird and insect puppets, inspired by Telemachus participant drawings, that featured prominently on stage.

Eugenia Taylor, student, said: "Working with actors from Hijinx was really fun. After a few weeks, we had built stronger relationships with them. Using their personal designs to create props and puppets for their final performance was a brand-new experience for me, but seeing our final designs being used by the performers was such a special moment. I can't wait to get stuck-in with the rest of our placement in the new year."

Laura Welsman, Course Leader for Creative and Therapeutic Arts, said: “A huge congratulations to Hijinx on another vibrant and successful production. The partnership between USW and Hijinx Theatre continues to develop in innovative and exciting ways and is highly valued by students as part of a rich learning experience.

“Students benefit from these first-hand experiences of how to facilitate workshops in a therapeutic arts context. They get to know their participants personally and gain an understanding of the significance of doing meaningful community work outside university.

“Participants make new friends in the students, widening their experiences, learning diverse new art skills, and celebrating collaborative achievements.

“The Christmas party was a chance for students and participants to see each other socially, to solidify those bonds, and to celebrate the amazing show that we were lucky enough to see and feel part of. They played lots of games, ate mince pies, danced, and had a whale of a time.”