Secret Teacher: Issue 96

I have mixed feelings at the moment about many things. I have been teaching Drama for 30 years or more and have seen much change in terms of technology and the return of written exams. I am often prompted to think that children aren't as creative as they used to be and maybe schools are killing creativity after all? Or maybe it's incessant gaming and YouTube fragments that are shortening concentration spans and restricting the imagination? Devised work in spite of rich and provocative stimuli often lapses into hackneyed naturalism or a re-hash of some teenage Netflix series which I haven't seen. We learnt so much about technology during lockdown but what did we really learn about Drama and theatre? A mobile phone can be great as a light source, sound effects machine, and is now the text students hold in rehearsal. Are all those zoom auditions fair on students who are great physical communicators in space? One of my best students has just been rejected from Bristol, RADA and Central after an online recall with each. Is it morally responsible for me to be encouraging teenagers to pursue their dream of an acting career in such a financially precarious and nepotistic profession?

April is the cruellest month (I am deeply sad about the loss of Helen McCrory) and the coolest month; as an icy blast comes in from the Drama studio open fire-door for Covid ventilation purposes. The children are in rows facing front with their shoes off and coats on, and the black and yellow Covid tape lines are starting to fray and peel off. Most first lessons of the day I resort to Just Dance as a warmup because it's so cold, and there is some fine work here: ‘Black Magic’ by Little Mix for year 7 Oberon and Titania, ‘Monster mash’ for Gothic Horror with year 8, and year 9 seem to be obsessed with Boney M's ‘Rasputin’ which was a hit when I was their age. If only my knees were still up to cossack dancing!

These are stranger times indeed, but at least we're back in the room and one day we'll be able to get back in a circle and do physical theatre with lifts, and stage fighting with actual contact. I am wondering if things will ever be the same again – I guess not! Will theatre become more expensive and exclusive? Now streaming is with us, more children will watch stage performances virtually; but will this feed their imaginations and empathy in the same way as the live experience? I also have doubts about the value of TikTok, the use of chair duets at GCSE level and the academic integrity of mini-assessments. However, hope springs eternal as the weather improves and restrictions ease – roll on 21 June!

Do you have views you would like to express anonymously? Get in touch with the editor at sarah.lambie@markallengroup.com and ask if you can contribute to a Secret Teacher column. We'd love to hear from you!