Wednesday, March 11th we visited Torre Abbey where Polly hosts a morning parents and tots' group. This was a completely different experience for us as we are not used to working with the age 2-5 category at all. Stephanie actually ran a game that was adapted from our recent Play it Fair training the week before that was catered to teens. We had a great time with the adorable little ones reading, dancing, imagining, and playing together.

Colourful little birds in the program room at Torre Abbey

Steph peaking around some stairs at the abbey

We then had a chance to meet two of the staff members working there, Kate Richards and Anna Gilroy, who showed us around the historic site with its 1000-year history as a monastery now home to art and a historical gallery. The building was quite the rabbit warren of tunnels, halls and rooms. The upstairs hosts a permanent installation detailing the history of the building and area, and there are permanent and flexible galleries throughout the rest of the building. A beautiful brick barn outside is one of these flexible spaces where different community organizations like Doorstep Arts can hold showcases in the off-season months. We got a quick glimpse at the previous show as the school groups were in the process of taking it down. It was neat to witness the juxtaposition of the historical significance of such an old building with the new, creative use of it.

Alia washing imaginary dishes in the old kitchen

Alia trying to break into the tower at Torre Abbey

In the evening we went back to the Theatre Royal in Paignton for the second Doorstep Arts Studio group. This group was a late elementary, early junior high group with youth ages 10-15. They are currently interested in the topic of deforestation and are working on a dance piece around this theme. We witnessed their current piece and attempted to use found materials to create a tree prototype that could be used as a prop for their show.

Torre Abbey And Another DAS Group- March 11th