School’s ambitious plan to build eco-friendly theatre

A SCHOOL in Woodcote is hoping to build an environmentally friendly theatre.

Langtree School, a small secondary, needs to raise £1.47million for the project and is appealing for sponsors and donations as well as seeking experts in fundraising and project management.

The theatre, called The Beacon, would be a performance space and a meeting place for not only the school but also the local community.

The school currently uses its hall for productions with rehearsals held in a classroom.

Haworth Tompkins, an architectural studio in London, has drawn up the school’s vision for the building, which would have natural heating/cooling properties built into the vented stone walls to ensure a consistent ambient temperature.

Jesse Cleverly, a school governor, has been working with the firm on the design for four years.

In the Nineties he used to work at the Royal Court Theatre in London, which was one of the first theatres to receive a National Lottery grant to restore the building.

He met Steve Tompkins, who founded the architectural firm, which specialises in theatrical and ecological architecture.

In 2020, he made contact again and persuaded the company to help out after showing a 15-minute video featuring students and teachers explaining the school’s architectural, social and ecological vision.

Mr Cleverly said he couldn’t believe it when the architects agreed to help.

He said: “It was an extraordinary moment for us as they create theatre designs of the highest order and are the rock stars of the industry. As a humble, yet brilliant state secondary school, Langtree has no culture of fundraising but in fact this is one of the reasons why they wanted to take it on.”

Lucy Picardo, 43, a director of Haworth Tompkins, who is leading the design team, said: “As architects, we are very involved in helping people to have quality spaces so Jesse knew that would really chime with our values.

“The really exciting thing is that it’s not only socially sustainable, but everyone is keen on making it an environmental and a regenerative space, which is something we are trying to push forward.

“It’s an exemplary regenerative building because it is highly unusual and a different approach to a classroom and performing space so it’s pushing lots of boundaries.

“We would want to source materials as locally as possible and then we could follow a socially sustainable scheme which would involve the community. The whole thing is a team effort with teachers, parents and students getting involved with the construction.

“It is a cone-shaped timber-framed structure sitting on a base covered in a straw bale jacket with a wool, timber and a natural sedum-planted skin.

“It’s naturally ventilated as the air is brought through at a low level through walls, which will preheat or pre-cool the air depending on the season.”

Ms Picardo added: “Rather tragically, the school is an urgent need as its current space isn’t adequate but we can’t march ahead until the money is available and then we can push it.”

Headteacher Simon Bamford said: “I think it is absolutely doable. If we get the right sponsorship and market it to the right people, then we can raise the money and get people involved that will take it forward.

“We are looking for sponsors and people with expertise in fundraising and delivering a project of this scale to help us.

“At this stage, which is still almost the feasibility stage, we know we’ve got a brilliant project but we just don’t know if there are people out there to help us take it forward.”

Mr Bamford said the theatre would help to create well-rounded pupils and support those on the autism spectrum.

He said: “We believe in a really broad, well-rounded curriculum that’s personalised to the student.

“A big part of our ethos is about creativity in its broadest sense, not just arty farty musicians and drama queens, but creativity in its fullest sense and using it to problem-solve and to be productive members of society.”

Mr Bamford, whose son is autistic, added: “We get lots of students with autistic spectrum conditions. The life skills and the emotional intelligence they pick up in drama is outstanding.

“My son has learned so much from his drama lessons about reading people’s emotions and emotional intelligence.” Drama teacher Gillian Pimm, who has been teaching at Langtree for 17 years, said: “Some of the most rewarding parts of the job are the kids for whom drama’s really challenging. I think that’s why it should be on the curriculum.

“It’s not so much for the kids who do it outside of school on Saturday and are passionate and want to be an actor but actually for the ones who find it challenging as they’re building communication skills and learning how important group work skills are.

“The ability to use and read things like facial expressions and body language and use their tone of voice to engage an audience are really important.

“The rest of your life will be better if you work hard at your communication skills and that’s what I keep showing them.”

Ms Pimm, a former stage manager, added: “We have 40 to 50 kids who work on backstage stuff, so they are involved in every aspect from the lighting and sound to the set design and costumes, which is great but there are limitations because we just don’t have the space.

“It’s a small classroom that we’ve got to work in, even though we do have a stage in the hall.”

Ms Pimm said the new building would be a “purpose-built, better functioning space” that would benefit everyone.

She said: “It is something that will not just benefit a few performing arts kids in their leg warmers and leotards but actually the whole school community and the wider community as well.

“It’s exciting for our school but it’s also much bigger than our school too.”