Who is Gertie Whitfield?
  • Over 30 years in the secondary and primary classroom delivering Drama, English and PSHE  
  • Most of over 30 year career in Derbyshire as a teacher and Advisory Teacher   
  • Working for over five years in a continuing role as part-time primary drama teacher   
  • 5 years Derbyshire Education Improvement Service
  • 16 years as an Advisory teacher or Consultant with Education Improvement Service and Healthy Schools·        
  • Has developed resources for Historic England
  • Impact Fellow for Sheffield Hallam University, continues to write and deliver resources for them
  • Resource writing for University of Leeds
  • Staff trainer·   
  • 20 years as theatre reviewer for Theatreworld· 
  • Gertie set up Whitworks in 2013. Through that company she has been working with young people and communities on a wide range of exciting projects inspired by historical people and events. See whitworks.co.uk for more details.  
Who is Paul Whitfield?
  • Published playwright with a long and proven track record in writing for young people. 
  • Founding director of the Lost Cause Youth Theatre for which he wrote About Face (performed at Edinburgh Fringe), Precious and A Game of Two Halves, both of which were performed at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. All three plays were subsequently published by NATE as part of their ‘Cracking Scripts’ series in 2001. 
  • His musical The Girl, the Garden and the Glow-worm was the centre piece of a community arts project in Sheffield involving 75 young people, and was also performed at the Crucible as part of the 2003 Children’s Festival.
  • For Brief Candle Theatre wrote fifteen plays for a wide range of audiences, and covering a dazzling breadth of issues, since 2002. No Place for Dreams was performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (“Amazing quality work” 5 stars Broadway Baby).
  • Directed young people’s productions of About Face, Precious and A Game of Two Halves, as well as productions of Clean?, Tight, Shattered, True Colours, The Tower, Story-Rider and Interference for Brief Candle Theatre.
  • Recently written four plays for primary school audiences based on significant historical women – all successfully used by Gertie as part of her work with ‘Whitworks’ - whitworks.co.uk
  • Worked for fifteen years as a teacher in secondary schools in Derbyshire, including as Asst Head of Expressive Arts at Hasland Hall School in Chesterfield for 8 years. 
  • Completed MA in History by Research in 2021. Now working towards a PhD. 
​Our Vision
We believe:
  • That heritage, education and the arts have the power and potential to change lives and should be available to the many not the few.
  • That education and the arts thrive when people are put before profit.
  • The value of belonging to a community of education and arts professionals sharing and learning together.
​We aim to:
  • Excite, inspire and engage children, young people and community groups.
  • Bring high quality, imaginative art, heritage and educational experiences to the widest possible audience.
  • Provide the best possible working conditions and pay.
  • Promote inclusion, equal opportunities and diversity alongside a genuine sense of belonging and ownership.
  • Actively involve children, young people and communities in creativity through hands-on participation and creative collaboration.
  • Create a positive and supportive learning environment for children, young people and communities in which people can take risks, make decisions and enjoy facing challenges.
  • Share knowledge and experience with peers.
  • Improve the skills and knowledge of the children, young people and communities that we engage with.
  • Actively engage with ITC and make good use of the services.
 Our work focuses on: 
  • Enabling personal progression.
  • Creating exciting, innovative and stimulating education, drama and theatre experiences of the highest quality with, by and for children, young people and community groups.
  • Using historical research as a stimulus for creative and educational work.
  • Shedding light on untold stories, forgotten voices and neglected narratives.
  • Bringing history and heritage to life so that children, young people and community groups can engage positively and with authenticity.
Policies
Whitworks Adventures in Theatre has policies in place to ensure work is safe, appropriate and of a high standard.
The following policies can be examined on request -
Safeguarding
Equal Opportunities
Disciplinary
Employment
Environmental
​Risk Assessment
All those involved in the delivery of Whitworks Adventures in Theatre projects have DBS.
Links
www.whitworks.co.uk
www.loosemore.group.shef.ac.uk
www.chrishobbs.com/sheffieldsoldiersfww.htm
educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk
www.oldheeley.org
www.st-johnfisher.org
rainbowforgeprimary.co.uk
www.charnockhall.sheffield.sch.uk
www.birleyspaschool.co.uk
www.birleylearningcommunity.org.uk
www.sheffield.gov.uk/libraries/archives-and-local-studies.html
www.museums-sheffield.org.uk/
www.historypin.org/en/​
www.britishpathe.com
https://arts.leeds.ac.uk/legaciesofwar/news/families-and-the-war-sheffield-primary-schools-project/
https://everydaylivesinwar.herts.ac.uk/?p=1850#more-1850
​http://menwomenandcare.leeds.ac.uk/writing-about-arnold-loosemore-v-c/
​http://beyondthetrenches.co.uk/the-centre-for-hidden-histories-taking-the-first-world-war-into-schools/
​http://www.derbyshirelives.uk/derbyshires-commemoration
http://www.norbriggs.derbyshire.sch.uk/
http://www.bakewell-inf-derbyshire.org.uk/
http://www.parkwood.bradford.sch.uk/
http://dronfieldstonelow.derbyshire.sch.uk/