Education

Fran Moulds in Punchdrunk Enrichment's The Lost Lending Library.

Fran Moulds has been creating immersive theatrical experiences for young people for over 15 years.

Fran is interested in creating space where anything becomes possible. Whether devising a learning adventure for children, or running physical theatre workshops with teenagers, she is primarily concerned with the world of the imagination - guiding people into rich, unknown territories.

Her approach is playful and inclusive, with a firm belief that every person has their own unique creative voice. Fran works to inspire young people, empowering them to know and express themselves.

Some of the education projects that Fran has co-created can be found below.

Inspiration Days

Performer and supporting writer | Adventures in Learning

From Greek Gods who have been evicted from Olympus to explorers with no sense of direction, primary classes face an unusual day at school when strange characters burst into the classroom with a big problem that only pupils can fix. A world of possibilities open up when fossils are discovered beneath the playground, a lady with a mysterious suitcase needs help unlocking the contents and Zeus strides into the school hall.

“The workshops that were tailor-made to fit our topics were both engaging and exciting for the children and adults! Coney made learning come to life and inspired every child…”  Jehan Morbi, Assistant Head at St Eugene de Mazenod Primary School, London

Adventures in Learning

Adventures in Learning are interactive stories that take place in the classroom to motivate formal learning. They’re made with all the attention to detail and artistic values that characterises Coney’s work for adults, but are constructed in close collaboration with teachers to create an engaging narrative framework within which learning can be delivered.

Fran has been working with Coney since 2009. She is a regular contributor to Coney’s Adventures in Learning, having worked on projects including Arabian Nights, Inspiration Days, A Cat Escapes, and Rhyme Rocket.

coneyhq.org/learning-participation

A Cat Escapes

Performer and facilitator | Adventures in Learning

“The most exciting and motivating project I’ve done in 22 years of teaching.” 
Claire Lound, participating teacher at Furzedown Primary School

Jasmine the kitten has been cat-napped, and Varjak Paw himself contacts the class to ask for their urgent help.

Alone in a small room, Jasmine learns to type, and communicates with the pupils by email. Over six interactive episodes the class must work together to help Jasmine escape and find her way back to Varjak. A final twist in the narrative brings two live performers to the class to deliver a dramatic finale.

How can Jasmine design a structure that will allow her to see out of the window? What is the terrifying black ghost that follows her around? Can pupils distract the cat-nappers for long enough to allow Jasmine to escape?

Linking closely to the Key Stage 2 curriculum, A Cat Escapes is Coney’s flagship Adventure in Learning and has been enjoyed by more than 1,500 primary school pupils across the UK.

Based on the award-winning Varjak Paw novels by S. F. Said, the adventure casts pupils as heroes in an engrossing, responsive narrative that motivates them to learn.

Adventures in Learning

Fran is a regular contributor to Adventures in Learning, having worked on projects including Arabian Nights, Inspiration Days, A Cat Escapes, and Rhyme Rocket.

coneyhq.org/learning-participation

Up, up and away

Co-writer and Performer | Punchdrunk Enrichment

up_and_away_dalmain_116_800 — Fran Moulds in Up and Away © Punchdrunk

Up, Up and Away brings to life the tale of Marianne Montgolfier, Vincent Lunardi and Bernard Blanchard. As story balloonists they travel the world, letting the wind carry them from place to place, collecting, gathering and telling stories.

Eager to spread the art of story telling and to find new imaginative storytellers, they decide they can only visit places that they know will provide them with brilliant new stories and storytellers.

“You don’t have to just put normal stuff in your story you can put imposssible stuff in” KS2 pupil

“It can be hard to motivate the pupils, especially as they get older. This was something exciting, and real to inspire them, and the teachers. There were lots of opportunities to motivate the pupils” Year 5/6 teacher

About Punchdrunk Enrichment

In 2008, Punchdrunk began a groundbreaking experiment in reaching out to children, young people and the wider community with activities that focus on the innate creativity and imagination of the individual. Fran has been working with Punchdrunk Enrichment since 2009.

punchdrunk.org.uk/enrichment