In this week’s Shiplake Spotlight, Head of Drama, Mrs Emma Farrell talks about her passion for helping our pupils find their ‘voice’ in performing, which in turn helps them develop a better understanding of people, the world and beyond...
Theatre changes lives, I saw this very early on in my school career and as one of our Year 13 students pointed out this week, it gives people who may not have it, a voice and allows people to both express themselves and to see their stories in a way that they may not have been able to communicate before. Thus, it fosters community and belonging, a sense that you are equal and valued, whether it be as a cast member in a show or as an audience member sharing an artistic experience with others.
A lot of people study drama because they like to perform, they feel at home in the limelight and they enjoy making people happy. Whilst there was an element of that for me when I was younger it was the ensemble work and collaborative nature of putting on a show that drew me in and fired my passion.
There is a sense of freedom in the teaching and study of drama. There is no set curriculum at Key Stage 3 and the exam specifications leave a lot of room for creativity - this allows us as a department to perform plays and styles that we are passionate about and most importantly adapt to the strengths and desires of our students. So, the joy of teaching means that one term we could be exploring iambic pentameter in Hamlet and the next running amok in a Joe Orton farce, every lesson is different and every week exciting. Our aim is to ensure that our students have the widest experience possible in school so that when they create their own work they have a huge tool box of styles, techniques and practitioners to draw inspiration from and of course the confidence to add their own twist of creativity. By having the space to experiment with anything from comedy to horror and exploring such different styles as naturalism and physical theatre, students find their voice and discover how they want to use it.
It is important to us that the artistic experiences in school are as high a quality as possible and our expectations are those of a professional theatre company. In an industry that is notoriously hard to get steady work, we aim to give our students a taste of what a life working in the industry would look like, to see what is achievable through hard work and commitment. Our school production was staged off the school site in a local theatre, our GCSE and A Level performances are open to the public and our theatre company Scruffy Penguin allows the students to experience the life of a working actor for a week at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year.
When the students find their voice we encourage them to channel the power in that. To recognise that you can choose how you want an audience member to feel and apply a range of acting skills to make that happen is incredibly powerful. These are skills to take into daily life and the knowledge that you, through your words and how you say them can bring joy and happiness, or hurt and sorrow, forges more compassionate and thoughtful human beings.
Drama gives us a window into the world, allowing people to experience what life is like for others and develop our own personal opinions on people and events, constantly teaching us to be better humans. The outpouring of sympathy for Antigone, the outrage at Lady Macbeth’s villainy, the frustration at Willy Loman’s self-centred focus on popularity, all hold a mirror up to us and ask, why do you feel that way and what would you do in their shoes? Brecht takes this further and says, ‘art is not a mirror to reality but a hammer with which to shape it’. It is so important that theatre experiences both as an audience member and in the production of a play are open to everyone to widen our societal vocabulary and develop an understanding of people and how to be the best we can be. Without drama our world is smaller, our understanding of humans is slimmer and we march alone, a solo voice. With drama we are seen, we are heard, we are valued and our voices matter, we have the power to shape our own reality and make the world a better place.
About Shiplake Spotlight
Shiplake prides itself on the huge array of subjects and co-curricular opportunities available to all pupils. There really is something for everyone to ignite enthusiasm, passion and creativity. At Shiplake, we encourage pupils to find their ‘thing’. The thing they can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning to do, the thing where they set themselves challenges and goals to get better, the thing that motivates and inspires them.
Each week, we will be bringing you a spotlight on an individual subject or co-curricular activity from our teachers, who for them, this is their ‘thing’. We hope their insights will spark some passion in you to learn something new, or simply find out more about what Shiplake has to offer.
