The Global Media Site for Entertainment.
Menu
I sit in the school theatre, I look up to the small set of dusty LED lights and the old Parcans hanging at awkward angles, the light barely reaching the stage. I move my head to the left, they have a natural twinkle, like a dusty old diamond, peaking through the grey.
The lighting desk is old, and no one knows how it works. There is no technician, so I spend time pressing buttons and wondering if I will ever figure this out. My lesson is starting in ten minutes, and I wanted a green wash, to build up the sci-fi atmosphere and I am losing hope. I somehow find it, but the dark spots on the stage irritate me. One light is still stubbornly amber.
The children pile in asking “Miss are we still doing Sci-Fi?”, to which I reply “Yes!” and they cheer. I immediately feel invigorated and forget the amber light. Like most teachers, a group of Year 8’s can change the course of my mood and day.
You might be surprised to know that parents pay 20k a year to send their children here, and I, like the other staff, spend my days trying to muddle through, make do and mend. Its frustrating and limiting, oftentimes disappointing, but not unusual in private education. Don’t be fooled into thinking that we have an endless money supply and facilities. It was a surprise to me when I first started working in the Independent Sector.
Many silk purses are made from sow’s ears in this neck of the woods. After a tumultuous year of lockdowns, masks, unpredictable plans and endless guidance, I decided to start working on a show that was as “Covid safe” as I could make it.
Outdoors, promenade and in the summer. I began working on Romeo and Juliet with the pupils, and I forged a relationship with a local landmark Naval Fort, who were enthused by the idea of being our backdrop. The domineering buildings, full of graffiti, old cannons and concrete became our set, gave us lighting and generated an atmosphere that my LED lights and dinner hall theatre could never manage. Pupils as young as 11 weaved their audience through the tunnels and batteries of the old Fort.
Parents in awe of the 1940s theme, immersive style, and intense acting. In the end, I was too bowled over by their performances. It will go down in school history. All this arose from the most complex and ever-changing parameters.
It reminded me that, like all Drama Teachers across the country, we are creating Diamonds often with nothing, but our sheer determination as pressure to form the gem. Some of us have spaces full of lighting but pupils who are out of control, some of us have full theatres but unrealistic workloads and unachievable time frames.
I only have a small set of LED lights, but I now know, with the crushing pressure of Covid, pupils who have missed two years of school and never been in a show before, I created my best work. My own gem. I salute others who work in the Diamond mines of Drama Teaching.
The Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children is Spreading Joy
Victoria has been teaching and leading performing arts subjects for over twenty years. She has worked in nursery, primary, secondary and FE as a teacher and leader. Victoria has owned her own theatre school, working in the community, offering performing arts lessons for all ages. She has also run a range of intergenerational projects, bringing together young and older people to share stories and create art. Victoria has witnessed the broad spectrum of education that is on offer in the UK including state, academies, independent, prep schools, single sex, and co-ed settings. She has been a written paper examiner, a visiting examiner, and a lead of cocurricular provision. Throughout her career, Victoria has enjoyed directing and choreographing shows, from musicals to Shakespeare. Her most memorable and influential experience in the arts was being in the audience for Frantic Assembly’s “Peep Show”. This performance led her to frequently create immersive, site specific performances with young people. She is a great believer in the key role that the performing arts has in education, from building a person’s courage and self-belief to nurturing future talent. She believes that schools can create incredible theatre, given the right support and the courage to be groundbreaking. Young people are incredible.
Read Full Profile
© 2021 TheatreArtLife. All rights reserved.
Thank you so much for reading, but you have now reached your free article limit for this month.
Our contributors are currently writing more articles for you to enjoy.
To keep reading, all you have to do is become a subscriber and then you can read unlimited articles anytime.
Your investment will help us continue to ignite connections across the globe in live entertainment and build this community for industry professionals.
