Brian McCann is a prolific writer, composer and director, scoring many successes with his work. He wrote his first piece, an operetta, at Wirral Metropolitan College when he was 16. Called The Square Who Couldn't Rock 'n' Roll, Brian toured this round Wirral schools the following year. Two years later it was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. 

 

After studying A BA(hons) at Bretton Hall College of the University of Leeds, Brian honed his writing skills at The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television where he wrote many plays about many different subjects, how light reflects, young peoples television habits, Kodak and even a song for David Attenborough, at the launch of Survival Island, his first IMax Film. As Director of Action Replay, Brian increased the gallery and education repertoire to 24 performances looking at many different subjects, issues and styles. This work continued across heritage sites on the Wirral as part of the Active Drama Heritage Programme. The programme looked at the Tudors in THE APPEAL OF BIRKENHEAD PRIORY  and The Victorians AROUND THE SQUARE OF BIRKENHEAD. For the Mr Park Programme in Birkenhead Park, Brian created a piece of interactive educational theatre that, although using the same framework, could look at different subjects, vary the length of performance from 45 minutes to 2 hours, and change the level of playing depending on the age and ability of the group. This provided a piece of theatre that could be fine-tuned for the client without incurring extra costs for the company.

 

As Artistic Director for Active Drama, he wrote and directed countless pieces of theatre, for conventional and not such conventional settings. His touring show BULLY has been one of the most successful Theatre in Education pieces in the country having been seen by over half a million young people. 

 

BULLY, has toured across the country for over ten years. The musical play is an interactive piece that gave the audiences a chance to look at all sides of the argument. The play is designed to hi-light issues that were currently affecting the school both for groups and for individuals. There is report after report of situations being resolved straight after the play has been shown, and in several cases during the play. The ‘hot-seating’, the interaction, the use of a ‘joker’, and the play itself are designed to work in any forum, from a comprehensive school sports hall with 800 pupils in on a Monday morning, to a small class in a private school in the heart of Oxfordshire. The play was taken on by CHILDLINE who supported several tours with additional workshops.

Other examples of the school work include EMMA, a play that looks at HIV and AIDS. BOYS and GIRLS is designed to play in junior schools and secondary schools allowing the audience to make choices about their own lives, and their own education during the interactive performance. STUPIDISM is a comedy musical that looks at racism, what is racism and how to stop the stupidity of racism, and for that matter every other 'ism,' in schools and communities.

 

As a community and educational drama practitioner Brian's work has covered many areas and communities, developing projects, working with many different groups of people. Running Active Drama for the past seventeen years giving him the opportunity to develop working practices in community and educational Theatre that are accessible to all. These methods have a proven track record of success with young people, groups with particular needs and requirements, people with learning difficulties, disabilities and others.

 

2013's mainhouse project was Down Our Street at the Royal Court Liverpool. Initially, as a community project working with students at Wirral Metropolitan College, the brief was to create a production that would bring an audience in because of the local subject matter. Ten years on the play still attracts large audiences playing to over ten thousand.

Community theatre must be accessible not just for the audience member but for the participants. It’s not unrealistic to say projects can have a profound, or sometimes have a life changing effect on participants. All participants, whatever their level of skill, must feel comfortable within the project. They must feel inspired to achieve their maximum potential.

Brian is a firm believer that a good piece of TIE can have a long lasting effect on a young person’s life.

 

The Flaybrick Project, looking at the stories of ten people buried at Flaybrick memorial Gardens, brought young people in from all over the Wirral. Working with a diverse group, participants were given the opportunity to shine, to participate in the creation and delivery of the piece. The Valley of the Blind, brought a group from the Wirral Association for the Blind together with a group of enthusiastic retired participants to create a piece of sensory theatre around Birkenhead Park.

Brian set up the History Busters programme working with young people to investigate their local surroundings to then create a piece for theatre for the local community. This was received very well by both participants and audiences. They created pieces looking at Birkenhead library, Ashton Park in West Kirby, Rake Lane Cemetery and the small village of Greasby. Other work included a full length musical looking at the History of Tranmere Rovers Football Club, a piece telling the story of Birkenhead Market and two plays looking at the tales of Bidston Hill.

Brian's educational work ranges from primary school tours, residencies, heritage theatre and theatre productions. 

 

In 2007 Brian set up the Active Impact programme for schools to work with young people who had been excluded, were about to be excluded or, for whatever reason could not attend school. This programme used music, drama exercises, discussions and work within the local community to give young people an understanding of their own abilities as well as respecting people around them. Active Impact did, in effect, teach the groups about self-respect, the respect for others around them, and the acknowledgement and enjoyment of the opportunities that faced them. All participants returned to school and went on to college. 

 

Brian's teaching started quite early as a support tutor for the Inter-Arts Programme/Creative Arts at Wirral Metropolitan College in 1987. He supported and guided students as they created pieces of multi disciplined work going on to run 3 very successful summer music schools, employing staff and guiding students through 6 week courses to gain a college diploma in their chosen discipline. For the National Museum Brian ran classes for undergraduates at Leeds University, looking at Educational Theatre and creating a piece of theatre for a gallery. Brian also set up and ran the ESF Arts course for Wirral Metropolitan College giving unemployed students a pathway into Further Education, through individual projects, leading to a college Arts Diploma. Brian also taught on the BTEC national Diploma courses at Wirral Met, delivering Acting, TIE and Musical theatre modules.

Brian also taught at Active8Success, a fantastic initiative, working with groups of young people with Mental Health Issues. Again working with his inclusive workshop theories and the group focus work,  participants gained confidence, self esteem and self respect through using drama as the catalyst.

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Brian now works with Merseyside Youth Association's SPACE project in Sefton. This has given him the opportunity to create new work for specific groups whilst bringing his back catalogue of unique musical plays to new groups of young people.

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​Through his work Brian has lectured at many schools and colleges, delivering sessions looking at theatre, drama and music as well as speaking at many conferences on individual plays and the uses of Theatre within education.

 

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