I have been reminded recently of the value and importance of drama in the school curriculum, because I've been doing some corporate role-play work, helping lawyers and insurance salespeople to navigate challenging interpersonal scenarios in the workplace.
It is extraordinary how effective the basic skills of listening and empathising – so inherent in all drama work – are to the improvement of everyday interactions and processes in business. The training that we as actors are able to offer these businesspeople can make a far more wide-ranging impact than any business nous they might be offered elsewhere.
It's amused me in particular that applicants for roles and promotions are judged, among other things, on what in corporate speak is termed their ‘interpersonal savvy’ – that is to say, being a human being, and noticing the human being opposite you. It is my belief that nothing at school could prepare people for that very necessary skill-set so well as drama classes. The work that our drama teachers are doing is setting up young people for a greater competence than their peers in all walks of life, and as such, it is essential.
This issue of Teaching Drama is simultaneously a gathering together of practical strategies to enhance your own teaching and your students’ learning; and a celebration of Theatre in Education – of companies who can come in and inspire you and your students and make a real positive impact on their approach to drama and a host of other ideas.
Practical strategies include mantle of the expert (page 24), still image (page 31), forum theatre (page 33), verbatim theatre (page 34), and developing a culture of oracy throughout your school (page 19). So there's a whole year's worth of drama approaches just in this issue, should you choose to work through them!
On the theatre company front, meanwhile, we meet people from all over the country who are going in to schools and inspiring students with drama: Big Brum theatre company (page 27), Stan's Cafe (page 26), both based in Birmingham; London's Chris Woodley (page 29), and the UK-wide English Touring Theatre (page 21).
We've spent a busy month planning the programme for the Music & Drama Education Expo | London, which will take place on 6-7 March 2019. Since the last issue of Teaching Drama, registration for delegates has opened, and the programme has launched online! Go to mdexpo.co.uk/london to check it all out, including a list of exhibitors who'll be on hand to offer expertise, such as representatives from the exam boards, and the National Education Union (NEU). The Expo is a unique opportunity to find all these people sharing ideas and advice in one place, and it's completely free to attend.
Wishing you a continued excellent autumn term.
Sarah Lambie Editor
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