Simon Larter-Evans, Principal at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts explains why he feels senior leadership teams should support drama departments.
The live performance and events industry is vibrant and dynamic, yet beneath the spectacle lies a critical challenge: a significant skills shortage across various technical theatre roles. Recent reports from BECTU and SOLT highlight widespread difficulties in recruiting sound and lighting technicians, automation specialists, and mid-level technical personnel. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this issue, leading to a departure of skilled workers.
You know every penny of the drama department is hard won, and that it's worth ten times as much in impact. There is another angle in defence of drama in schools: introducing children to technical and production skills. Investing in the drama department is a strategic investment in your students' futures and the overall enrichment of your school community, and a possible career pathway. Most people working off-stage and backstage in live theatre caught the bug in school.
Bolstering the drama department directly addresses a national need. A well-resourced department can offer students early exposure to crucial technical skills, sparking interest and providing foundational training. Providing equipment, space, and qualified staff for technical theatre education can open up new and imaginative career paths for students who might not see themselves in traditional professions. Talk to your local theatre, too; they are just as keen to support the next generation of techies.
Students involved in school drama develop communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and time management skills. All this you know. In technical theatre, they also learn the importance of teamwork, creative thinking and especially responsibility.
And not everyone wants, or needs, to go on to university. Our obsession with destination league tables is undermining life chances for some of our students. Despite the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre finding that 73% of creative industry employers report difficulties in finding candidates with the right skills, many technical theatre roles do not require degree-level qualifications. This mismatch suggests a need for more accessible technical education routes, such as apprenticeships and T-levels, to address the industry's workforce needs.
Go to your senior leadership and urge them to look beyond the immediate performances and recognise the profound and lasting impact of a well-supported drama department on your students and your school as a whole. Prioritising the drama department is an investment in a brighter and more diverse future for our students, and the wider creative industries.