Science at the theatre: Arcola’s Inventors Club teaches teenagers about tech

Teenagers can learn all about science and technology at the Arcola’s Inventors Club; here, participants experiment with a model car

The Arcola Theatre is best known as a venue where plays are performed, but it has also amassed a surprising body of scientific expertise over the years, thanks largely to its staff’s interest in environmental sustainability.

Now this art institution has become the somewhat peculiar home of an innovative outreach programme that will appeal to youngsters with an interest in science and technology, and in particular electronics.

The Arcola’s Inventors Club, a free summer school, is being run for the first time ever this month (August), and working scientists are on hand at the Dalston venue to help participants aged 13 to 18 make their ideas a reality.

Prospective participants were asked to submit proposals detailing gadgets and gizmos they hoped to create.

Feimatta Conteh, sustainability manager at Arcola, was keen for the enterprise to be “entirely student-led” though facilitated by the theatre.

Many young inventors are thwarted by not having access to the necessary equipment, and Conteh sought to challenge this.

“If a young person says ‘I want to make a radio that does X’ we say ‘brilliant! Here are some bits. What do you need to learn to make that? Let’s help you make that.’”

However, Arcola’s expertise in renewable energy means projects have tended towards the electronics side of the science and engineering spectrum.

Perhaps this is just as well as new research from the Wellcome Trust has found teaching quality is the most important factor for inspiring interest in science.

Conteh says: “If we let technology, especially renewable energy technology, remain something that only a few people can understand, then it is never going to become widespread.”

The Arcola Theatre’s executive director, Dr Ben Todd, was originally hired as an IT handyman in 2005. Since then he has grown Arcola’s sustainability programme, linking it to his PhD in hydrogen fuel cells from Cambridge University and creating Arcola Energy in the far corner of the office.

It may be an odd place for a renewable energy research and development company, but this spin-off has ensured that Arcola has the equipment and material to launch science sessions. These include Hydrogen Challenge – a series of workshops for London schools to teach pupils about delivering a sustainable future. The programme has also brought with it science-minded personnel such as design engineer Arlan Harris, who is on-hand to help youngsters taking part in the Inventors Club.