Maya’s placement reflections

As an applied theatre practitioner from Syria, one of the main questions I constantly have about this practice is around continuity and accumulation. I spent two months with Underground Lights as part of my placement on the MA in Applied Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. During that time, I volunteered, shadowed, and assisted across all three strands of the organisation’s work in Coventry: the weekly drama workshops, the Creative Café drop-in sessions, and community outreach workshops. This opportunity to observe and take part in a sustained practice in the city of Coventry, where a community of belonging is built through simple acts of care in weekly sessions, provided a core answer to my question.

In the Drama workshops, Beth, Liz and Emily taught me a great deal about accessibility, inclusion, and how a creative process can evolve smoothly while remaining responsive to the people in the room and their needs. Their generosity also made the placement an invaluable learning experience. The Creative Café showed me the strength of a community built through openness, adaptability, and consistency.

I leave Underground Lights with the understanding that some of the most important work in applied theatre is often invisible. Belonging is built slowly; through repetition, trust, shared cups of hot chocolate, creative conversations and tasks, and the simple decision to keep showing up for one another, making a space feel genuinely welcoming and open, a space where long-term change can occur.