Amity Arts

We specialise in devised theatre, meaning that we make up shows from scratch. All of the theatre we create is made by our students. They are the directors, the actors, and the set designers too. We like to keep them busy!

Sessions leading up to show seasons are a super-fun mix of show-making, theatre games, and theatrical training. We cover singing, acting, dancing – even things like puppetry and poetry. Everything about our classes is designed to build skills, confidence, and allow our students’ own creativity to bloom.

At Amity Arts, we really enjoy involving our students in our creative decisions. As such, the direction of our group is largely decided by the students themselves. If we have students that love to have a laugh, we’ll explore lots of comedy. If we have a group that love to dance, we’ll be sure to do lots of dancing! 

Teaching is delivered by our director, Esme, and supported by a team of friendly and experienced SEND education professionals.

Session will be held on Fridays between the hours of 11am-2.30pm.

You can join any time! There will be 47 Amity sessions in a year, and our only planned closures will be as follows:

2025: December 26th
2026: January 2nd, April 3rd, August 21st,and August 28th

We will be based in the Gilbey Room at the South Mill Arts in Bishop’s Stortford. You can find the South Mill Arts here, at the address linked below.

South Mill Arts, 1-3, South Rd, Bishop’s Stortford Cm23 3Jg CM23 3JG ·

Who Our Sessions Are For

Our drama sessions are designed for adults (18+) with learning disabilities, autism, and/or additional needs.

Support and Care

While Amity staff are here to support with learning, students are ultimately responsible for managing their own personal care and wellbeing during sessions.

If a student is coming to class independently, it is understood that they do not need support in the community. Amity Arts is only able to provide educational support inside the classroom. If someone needs help to access the community, they’ll need to bring a support worker who stays with them throughout the session (either in the classroom or nearby in the building, depending on what’s agreed during the interview).

Amity staff are not able to provide medical or personal care. For example; assistance with using the bathroom, administering medication, or eating. If this kind of support is needed, please bring someone who can help.

Lunch Break Info

We’ll be using the South Mill Arts café area for lunch. The café has a small selection of drinks and snacks, so we recommend bringing a packed lunch.

Amity staff will be around during lunch, but students remain responsible for themselves.

Shared Spaces

Please note: South Mill Arts is a working theatre, so we’ll be sharing communal areas like the café and bathrooms with other members of the public.

Before You Join

Before signing up fully, each student will complete an initiation pack with an Amity team member. This includes sharing emergency contact details for someone we can reach if needed.

Admittance to Amity Arts will be reliant on whether or not we can be sure that in coming to Amity, the safety of yourself and others will not be compromised.

At present, classes with Amity Arts will be privately funded – meaning you will need to cover the cost of attending the class yourself. Fees will always be low and affordable with Amity. On top of keeping our fees low, we hope to secure outside funding for our future endeavours. This would mean we can do even more fun things together, without breaking the bank.

The fees for the Friday drama class are as follows:

Teaching would be charged at £8.48 an hour. A session would last for 3 and a half hours, inclusive of three hours of teaching, and a half hour lunch break you don’t pay us for. This means that the total cost for a 3 and a half hour session is £25.44.

There will be 47 sessions in a year. We take monthly payment for these sessions by direct debit. Spreading the cost of 47 sessions across 12 months will mean you pay £99.64 monthly.

This payment includes participation in all shows, and covers all fees for costumes etc. There are no hidden fees with Amity!

To keep our classes affordable and sustainable, we ask students to understand that enrolling means committing to come to as many classes as possible. Of course, we understand if you become seriously poorly, wish to take a holiday, or have a super-fun adventure planned on one of our days. In instances like this, just give us as much notice as possible and we will do our best to adjust your payment for you.