The free drama classes getting children off phones

Free acting classes in Wolverhampton are being credited with improving children's confidence and encouraging them to spend less time on their smartphones.

Dennis Ffrench and Rebecca Shepherd, from theatre group D&B Productions, started the club in 2023 to make drama more accessible in the city.

The weekly evening club at Fifth Avenue Community Centre is filled with a range of activities from dancing and singing to playing instruments and games.

Dozens of children attend the club including 17-year-old Shahad who said the classes had helped her make new friends and improve her English since moving from Iraq six years ago.

The classes are funded by the WV10 consortium, a partnership of community groups in the north of Wolverhampton.

"I feel more confident. They've helped me develop my speech and teach me the meaning of words," she said.

Shahad said she felt like a stranger when she first moved to England, but now has a higher self-esteem as she prepares to go to university in September.

"Dennis and Rebecca have helped me a lot, they've sorted out my uni stuff so I feel like this space is my second home," she said.

Neo has been coming to the classes for the past two months and said he felt "proud" to be a part of the club and enjoy himself.

Before he joined, the 13-year-old said he would spend more time using screens but being with others was a chance to "get away" from it all.

While he decides between becoming a footballer or an actor in the future, Neo said he loved that the classes could help him get into acting in the future.

"My favourite part is the improvisation exercises as it's a way I can express myself and my imagination," he said.

Mr Ffrench from Burntwood, Staffordshire, and Ms Shepherd, from Wolverhampton, said teachers had noticed children were quieter and concentrate more during class due to the club.

"It's a weird world we're in right now and people don't know where they're going. But these guys are finding out who they are and their identity," Ms Shepherd said.

If young people come into the session with issues, the pair said they would work on it and help build the student up.

Mr Ffrench said that the techniques used in the classes could help them deal with social issues and the ability to talk about them with others.

"We base our training on the real world and the process of achieving your dreams may take a while, but anything is possible if you try," Mr Ffrench said.

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