our work

from page to stage

From Page to Stage

Eastside launched From Page to Stage in 1998 to celebrate the UK's first National Year of Reading and to support the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy. From Page to Stage aims to encourage and promote reading more widely, especially amongst boys. The project was inspired by the belief that a multi-faceted approach to books and stories makes reading more appealing to reluctant readers and increases participants' motivation for independent learning. The project comprises of a series of week-long literacy based drama workshops, that guide children through an exploration of carefully selected stories, challenging them to put on a short show in under a week, inspired by the books they discovered and read at the start of the project. From Page to Stage uses drama as a tool to open young minds and free students' imagination by placing the emphasis firmly on fun.  The project progresses through a series of well structured games and exercises, building in excitement over the week and culminating in a final performance. Literary genres explored to date include classic children's stories, folk tales and fairy tales, performance poetry and news and current affairs. From Page to Stage includes a free book distribution, where participants can select two new books and begin to build up their own library at home. This is an important part of the project, designed to enable children to continue reading at home, in their own free time and for pleasure. Eastside also arranges for authors and poets to visit the workshops, and previous writers have included David Wood, Nina Bawden, Lynne Reid Banks, Jan Blake and Jeremy Strong. In 2008, From Page to Stage celebrated its tenth anniversary, which coincided with the launch of the UK's second National Year of Reading campaign. Eastside also runs a number of other reading projects which include a Dad's Club, aimed at fathers and their children, a Tiny Book Club (for the under five's) and Turn the Page our popular teenage reading group.