TEAM is a touring company dedicated to providing theatre for young audiences by bringing productions that entertain and educate to schools.
TEAM Theatre is the only professional group of actors in Ireland who tour schools performing plays that they have written themselves.
Above the Parliament Inn on Parliament Street in Dublin, 'TEAM', a group of young actors, are limbering up ahead of rehearsals. Their unique approach to theatre has brought their performances to schools, youth clubs, community centres and theatres across the country.
The Team Educational Theatre Company is the only full-time professional group in Ireland specialising in theatre for youth. Its players provide young people with an exciting alternative to traditional theatre.
By providing theatre in education, the Team touring company helps to fill the gaps in drama missing from the school curriculum.
The company's productions are geared specifically towards their young audience the six full-time members take on the roles as writers, actors, and administrators. Each member earns about £35 a week and the company survives on income from performances alongside grants from private and public bodies including The Arts Council and Dublin Corporation. Despite this, finances remain tight for the company.
This report shows the company performing their latest production 'School for Clowns' for pupils at Aravon Preparatory School in County Wicklow. The play tells the story of an autocratic teacher and fun-loving pupils. The relationship between the actor and the audience is key to the work of TEAM Theatre.
If you're not absorbing the children and entertaining them, your message isn't of much relevance.
The Headmaster at Aravon believes that drama plays a very important part of the school curriculum and is delighted to have TEAM Theatre perform for his pupils in the school.
I believe it (drama) helps the children to see other sides of life. I believe it helps the children to become a little less inhibited, a little less guarded in their emotions, to become far more natural.
This episode of 'PM' was broadcast on 28 March 1978. The reporter is Áine O'Connor.
PM was a magazine series reporting on aspects of Irish life with interludes for music from Irish performers.
PM was first broadcast on 20 September 1977 and was initially aired three nights a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7.00 pm on RTÉ 1.
The original presenters were John O'Donoghue, Áine O'Connor, Nicholas Coffey and Doireann Ní Bhriain. They were later joined by Pat Kenny.
As editor Noel Smyth sees it, the Tuesday programme will consist mainly of film reports on topical events anywhere in Ireland, the Wednesday edition will concentrate on studio discussions, and the Thursday programme will be in Irish, with just as wide a brief as the other two.
(RTÉ Guide, 16 September 1977, Vol.1, No.37, p.18)
PM ran until Thursday, 12 April 1979.
