Virginias Diary
Our artistic director & CEO Virginia Radcliffe founded Licketyspit in 2004, following her success as the director of Scotland’s first early years theatre residency, at Wee Stories.
In 2008 she developed her immersive theatre piece LicketyLeap, through play and consultation with early years children. This led to the Storyplay Approach, which is the cornerstone of all of Licketyspit’s work.
Virginia is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of theatre and performance to open up imaginary playworlds for children, families and early years professionals.
In these blogs you can read about some of the work Virginia does with Licketyspit outside of project delivery. This includes advocacy, child consultation, training, digital inclusion and much more. The blogs also include reflections on the journey of Licketyspit and the importance of play and children’s rights.
Storyplay for the Planet
Licketyspit wants to spark a children’s rights-based play revolution! Storyplay for the Planet is part of our wider work in Glasgow, the first Storyplay City! See Big Porridge & Play and Storyplay City to find out what else we're doing nearby. What is Storyplay for the Planet? A series of Storyplay & Have Your Say Through Play sessions for families with 3-12 year olds in East Centre Ward. Licketyspit will deliver sessions in schools, nurseries and online for communities across the East [...]
Stories of Resilience
25th October 2021 This autumn, we were delighted to make a film about Porridge & Play Online as one of 13 Stories of Resilience commissioned by Refugee Action. Working on Zoom has produced a wealth of wonderful video clips of Porridge & Play Online throughout the Pandemic. Lead Actor-pedagogue, Iona Zajac, was able to cherry-pick from these in order to edit together a 5-minute film to provide a window into the essence of this amazing project. The narration, recorded by Storyplay Champion children, draws on child consultation sessions to capture [...]
Women’s Aid Storyplay Scotland
29th September 2021 Licketyspit and Scottish Women’s Aid are excited to offer a free place on to our upcoming Storyplay training course to member Women’s Aid groups across Scotland. Following a very successful introductory session in February, Women’s Aid Storyplay Scotland will provide in-depth Storyplay training to Women’s Aid Workers to use Storyplay as an additional approach in their work with mothers, children and young people recovering from domestic abuse. Storyplay offers a children’s rights-based approach to social interaction and relationship building through structured, joyful, imaginary play. [...]
New Porridge & Play Hubs!
7th September 2021 We are thrilled to announce that Licketyspit has been funded by the New Scots Integration Fund to set up two new Porridge & Play Hubs in Glasgow! Porridge & Play Hubs - Castlemilk & East End will be delivered in partnership with Storyplay Champion partners, parents/carers and children from these communities, with open sessions starting in the new year. The project has been designed in consultation with the Licketyspit Children & Families Network and draws on Licketyspit’s highly successful and well-evaluated intergenerational imaginary play project [...]
Unfearties for Play!
Play Day Blog August 2021 We always say our shows are for everyone from 3-103, because we believe that when it comes down to it, we all need what children need, and when we meet the needs of children, we meet the needs of society. Being an Unfeartie is about levelling up children and grown-ups, fostering intergenerational equity – like we do at our Porridge & Play sessions. Read Virginia's full Play Day 2021 blog for Children's Parliament HERE. “Thank you very much for the [...]
Storyplay Training
More and more Children’s services are recognising the importance of play for learning and wellbeing, especially as we begin to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Play is how we learn and grow and build strong relationships. When we are in touch with our playful self we can be relaxed and at our most open - to other people, to new experiences and to new ideas. We can be anyone, do anything, go anywhere! We can adventure! We can be brave! Children are of course the world’s play experts. As adults, [...]
