Its been mighty wet and windy lately, and we hope you are all keeping safe and dry. Despite the weather, Firefly have lots of exciting projects and partnerships going on across West Lothian this month…

Firefly’s fearsome team are currently leading music projects with Knightsridge and Bridgend primary students. We’re delighted to be working with vocal specialist Morgan Gilday, and welcome  to Zimbabwean artist, Tawona Sithole, who is making his West Lothian debut on these projects!

We’ve more musical happenings through our Small Anthems programme (working this term working with young carers). Meanwhile there are theatrical shenanigans with Beatlie’s Campus’ senior students, and some highly dramatic goings-on with young adults from West Lothian’s New Directions group.

Congratulations to our new young production company members. Not only are Kirsty and Eleanor planning to work you hard, but it promises also to be a very physical production. Firefly Boot Camp time?

Miriam’s Tech Team training sessions restart next month. Meanwhile Firefly’s regular drama and film workshops roll on at Livingston’s Howden Park Centre, Low Port Centre in Linlithgow and Bathgate’s St Mary’s Church Hall. Still room in some workshops, so give us a call or email if you’ve not yet signed up.

Finally, check out this fabulous article by Firefly regular, Nina Gailani, recently published by Children In Scotland. Thanks Nina. We’re delighted to have played such a positive role in your life. Lets hope we can continue doing what we do for a good while yet!

Time to remind all Firefly families and carer of workshop cancellation arrangements, should we be stricken by severe weather conditions, plague, or sudden venue closure.

• Firstly, check Firefly’s website and Facebook pages. We will post any sudden cancellation or venue change here. In severe weather conditions, we will update these on a daily basis.
• Please don’t drop children off for workshops or projects without checking that staff are there and the activity is going ahead.
• If in any doubt contact us by phone 01506 333005, by Facebook messenger or email admin@firefly-arts.co.uk.

If your child or young person is due to attend activity that has had to be cancelled, we will phone and email the emergency contacts on their registration form. It is essential for the safety of your child that this information is up to date.

It’s Firefly Spring Term and we’re back in the swing of workshops, projects and events.

We’re delighted to be running several school-based projects this term, including performance and music projects with Beatlie, Knightsridge, Bridgend and Stoneyburn primary schools. Firefly’s young tech trainees will be getting to grips with model boxes, stage deign and lighting, while our film-makers are planning for another Firefly epic.

Our fabulous Firefly team are delighted to be running projects with West Lothian Young Carers and New Directions West Lothian, and we are keeping our young cultural talent busy with theatre trips, auditions and production schedules.

If you’ve not signed up already, there’s still space in several of our after-school workshop groups. See below for details. Call 01506 333005 or email admin@firefly-arts.co.uk to find out more…

None of this would be possible without the support of our Firefly families, volunteers and funders. A special thank you to West Lothian Council, Creative Scotland, The Robertson Trust and Baillie Gifford for getting us to this point. Here’s to a prosperous and sustainable 2020!

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year.

Team Firefly are taking a well-earned festive break, but Spring term workshops will start back from Monday 13th January.

See you all then – bright-eyed, fighting fit and ready for 2020 action!

Joanna, Alison, Eleanor, Kirsty, Miriam, Emma, Jack and Morgan xxxxxxxx

A huge thank-you to all who helped create Firefly’s winter production of The Silver Sword last weekend. Crowd-funded by friends and supporters, designed and lit by our young tech team, and performed with such skill and understanding by our talented young cast. Here’s one of our favourite reviews…

View production photos by Sinclair MacKenzie here

View Silver Sword programme here

Firefly’s fabulous winter show is nearly here, with a uniquely Firefly-ed adaptation of Ian Serraillier’s The Silver Sword.

This production has been crowd-funded by Firefly friends, families and supporters, created with passion and ingenuity by our talented young cast members, design and technical trainees, and supported by the fabulous Firefly production team.

Once again, our thanks to everyone who has helped to make this happen. In particular…

Come and see the show you helped to create.

Call 01506 333005 or email admin@firefly-arts.co.uk

Due to staff sickness, today’s (Monday 2nd December) Livingston Explorer and Livingston Navigator 1 workshops have had to be cancelled.

We have contacted all participant families and carers. We’re so sad not to see you guys before the Christmas break. Have a fantastic festive time, and we look forward to seeing you back at Firefly on Monday 13th January 2020.

Firefly’s crowdfunder campaign ends on Tuesday 8th October at 1pm.

If you haven’t done so already, please support us by clicking onto #WE ARE FIREFLY and share the link with as many folk as possible.

Your generosity will help Firefly’s fabulous Winter Show project to go ahead, underpin theatre tech and production training for young people from across West Lothian, and help provide much-needed support for a weekly drama group for young adults with additional support needs.

Breaking News: New Firefly film now showing at https://vimeo.com/363312258

See if you can spot someone you know….

Following a major funding cut, Firefly Arts are crowd-funding in order to run our fabulous winter show project, along with other youth arts activity and events that are not supported by project funding.

With only 14 days left to run, the #WE ARE FIREFLY campaign is lying at 50% of its target. We need your help! Our young people are creative, proactive and resourceful, so please take the following 3 steps to support them:

• Visit the #WE ARE FIREFLY site
• Make a donation
  
• Share the #WE ARE FIREFLY link with as many people as possible.

All contributions are warmly welcome. There are some terrific rewards – so don’t forget to claim yours by using the ‘Select Reward’ button!

A heart-felt thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign so far, please spread the work and share the link as much as possible. Meanwhile here’s our current Wondrous Wall of Fame…