The Arts Centre Melbourne is taking Spin and Spinout to Victorian schools in the hope of educating high school students about drugs, social health and critical thinking.

Spin is a captivating performance workshop to foster critical thinking.

The audience witnesses an event...

... a bag is stolen... or is it?
... someone finds a bag containing illicit goods...
or do they?
... someone retrieves a bag belonging to them....
or does it?

Spin engages students in a process of interpreting a performed event between two characters by repeatedly replaying the event from different perspectives - continually challenging students' perceptions of what's actually occurring.

Exploring the notion of ‘presented facts', Spin's clever interplay of live action and workshop content will have students scrutinizing their assumptions and keep them enquiring after the truth.

• Performed scenarios by professional actors
• Facilitated student discussion
• Exploratory workshop activities
• Student role-play & performance making

Stimulating and interactive, Spin provides a deeper awareness of mass media but more importantly, encourages a greater appreciation of the value of making informed judgements.

“This is an excellent combination of performance and workshop. It stimulated the students, engaged them with the material, and entertained them. I was very impressed."

Brunswick Secondary College

Spin was devised by Maggie Miles, Andrew Murrell & Chris Thompson for Education at the Arts Centre.

The Spinout: Alcohol Awareness Program is a dynamic and interactive drama event built around choice, responsibility and alcohol use.

A seemingly normal weekend in the life of a teenager... hanging out with mates... going to a party... Nicole has too much to drink... her friends put her into a taxi... problem solved?

Over the course of 90 minutes, Spinout unpacks the events of this seemingly normal weekend exploring the wider implications of a few simple actions. Weaving between performance and workshop, Spinout pulls into focus a sharper awareness of the broader consequences of its characters' choices, while exploring students' own views about alcohol use.

A powerful use of arts-based learning, Spinout encourages creativity, stimulates deeper thinking about social health and through its variety of delivery methods, engages students regardless of learning styles.

• Performed narrative by professional actors
• Facilitated discussion of students' views
• Investigative workshop activities - specific to the piece & exploring broader related issues
• Student role-play

“A highlight of the Spinout experience was seeing even the most reticent students participating actively and sharing their thoughts.”

Year 10 Coordinator, Christian Brothers College

Spinout was written by Chris Thompson from creative development by Tirese Ballard, Andrew Gray, Sally Smith, Tristan Watson & Mark Hennesy for Education at the Arts Centre, and developed in association with the Drug Education team at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD).

Spin tours from May 10 - 21 and August 9 - 20, 2010; Spinout from May 3 - 28 and August 2 -27.

For more information or to book for your school, call (03) 9281 8714 or head to the website (watch the spiffy video whilst you're there).