There is a perception among some folk that children just don't like Shakespeare. It's boring. It doesn't make sense. They are not interested. Hmmm. What to say to that? I wonder if that is actually true or are we, in fact, merely projecting our own feelings onto modern children? Often our own childhood classroom experiences of Shakespeare can shape how we view it now. How many times have I heard adults complain that they 'read' the plays back in school and didn't understand them. More often than not they just 'read' them in class and never actually acted them out. What is that about? As a result some adults have almost completely blanked out that section of the British cannon as just either not accessible or not interesting. All based on a negative childhood experience. How sad. 

In my continual quest to keep my regular drama classes relevant and interesting, this week I ventured into the murky realms of the 2015 Election. I wanted to see if I could get the group 'pumped up' about politics. I was pleasantly surprised to find that when asked what was happening in the world on Thursday 7 May, they responded with a resounding cry of "um, the election...duh!".
I was off to a good start.  

Not wanting to set too dry a task for them, after all they do come to drama class to enjoy themselves, I divided them into three groups and asked them to form their own political party. 

Stick with me, it gets better. 

I then asked them to come up with a catchy name that would be easily remembered and would encapsulate what their party stands for. It could be anything. Anything in the world. They were then charged with electing a leader within their group who would drive their party forward with strength, determination, conviction and a sense of morality. 

They started to lose interest then but I brought it back with...

...the final task which was to come up with some policies that defined their party and then be ready to present them to the group. Again, the policies could be absolutely anything. Free carrots for all, bouncy castles at every birthday party for the under 10s, a better selection of clothes for dogs. As I say, absolutely anything. BUT, you must present the policies with sincerity and be prepared for questions from the audience at your presentation. You have 15 minutes. 

Go! 

And so began hushed, intense and in-depth conversations within the 3 groups and the first topic under discussion was, undoubtedly, who was to be leader. Some parties voted while others just assigned. It all went off without a hitch. The next item on the agenda was the name of the party. A crucial element of any self-respecting political party is their name. Much conversation was had and then, surprisingly amicably, decisions were made. Then began the serious task of policy making. 

I left them to it. 

I was surprised how engrossed they all became, even requesting paper and pen to write their policies down. Great stuff. Eventually came the time for the presentations. A sense of anticipation filled the room as the first party took to the stage. The Fashion Party. Intriguing name but what were their policies...

1) Free hats and accessories for everyone on Tuesdays. Well, you can never have too many hats, shoes...

2) All girls must wear skirts on Wednesdays. A controversial one this but the audience were on board. 

3) All shoes will be available in 'doll size' right through to 'giant size'. Fun, yes. Practical, no. 

During questioning they were challenged regarding what ants would do for shoes? And what about cats? And cows? Which then inevitably led to a tidal wave of similar questions. Seals, dogs, spiders and ocelots were all fully represented and had their shoe needs discussed. The Fashion Party came to the conclusion that they would operate a 'Shoes for All' policy across the board, which went down well. 

Next to the stage were The Blue Banana Party. They were incredibly convincing. Their policies included...

1) Allotments should be made available to everyone to encourage them to grow their own fruit and veg. It is healthier and also good for the planet. Can't argue with that. 

2) Ice-cream should be made in a wider variety of flavours. Fair enough. 

3) All bananas should be blue and be given away free to everyone. Hmmm, okay. Potassium is good. 

When questioned about whether they were going to be genetically modifying the bananas to be blue, they fired the answer straight back that, no, in fact they were going to use blueberries. That told us then. 

Then followed then a series of questions about what they would do if you didn't like bananas? Answer, give you oranges. What happens if you don't like oranges? Answer, they would give you apples. What happens if you don't like...you can see where the audience were going with this. The final question was, what happens if you don't like any food or drink? The answer came back quick as a flash, you'll starve. Classic.

Lastly we heard from The Bobbington Party. The origins of the name are still unclear. Their policies are...

1) Free chocolate for the over 60s. Interesting, though there are health implications. 

2) All public toilets should be cleaned on the hour every hour. A very popular policy. 

3) More money should be put into the investigation and discovery of dragons. Ground-breaking stuff! 

4) Free snorkels for all seals. Charming yet there were concerns over the practicality. 

The audience were worried about any over 60s with diabetes. This was quickly quashed by the Bobbingtons as they made it clear they would fund sugar-free options. The toilet cleaning was met with resounding approval, with only slight concerns for the workers but the electorate was reassured that working conditions would remain fair. In fact, by using the dragons as alternative transport the party would, in fact, save money on cars and roads thereby freeing up more money to pay workers. An all- round winner. Finally, when questioned about the likelihood of dragons actually being found, the party replied with the quote of the day..."well, no-one has ever not found a dragon." You can't argue with that. 

In conclusion, I remain hopeful for the future of this country if these young people are anything to go by. In the words of Prince George in Blackadder the Third, "sensible policies for a happier Britain."      

Great theatrical events can happen anywhere, not just in theatres. Sometimes you don't need a huge great set, elaborate costume changes and hundreds of lighting cues - don't get me wrong, that stuff is good but all you really need are talented performers, a great story and an interesting way of telling that story with emotion, humour and sensitivity. And a space for the performers and a space for the audience. If your story is worth telling, the audience will listen anywhere. This is what happened on Saturday 18 April at Gressenhall Village Hall when I was in the audience for the premiere performance of 'Momentous Times'.   

I was fortunate enough to be asked along to an initial rehearsal about a year ago, where I had the chance to just listen to the voices of these characters. Even back then in the early stages of rehearsals, it was a powerful sound. Fast-forward to April 2015 and the piece has become a compelling, moving and funny theatrical journey through the lives of 5 women touched by the First World War. These characters are real people. The source material is diaries, letters and research. The performance is a compilation of that source material, meticulously edited to create a seamless narrative that charts the significant and the mundane in the lives of these women, as they negotiate their way through World War 1.  The female characters are a colourful and very likable lot including a German school-girl, an American opera singer living in Eastern Europe, a charity worker from Scotland,  an Australian who was the third woman to climb Mount Popocatepetl and an English governess living in Moscow. What made this piece so compelling was the clever interweaving of the story from different nationalities perspectives. This was perhaps the most poignant aspect of the production, to hear from both allied and 'enemy' - whatever that means. It was very moving to hear from a German girl's war-time diary directly after hearing an English account of the field hospitals. These were ordinary women who led extraordinary lives and who were all profoundly affected by the events of World War 1, wherever in the world they happened to be.

The staging of 'Momentous Times' was simple but, as is often the case, very effective. Just a hat stand (so useful in theatre!), a board decorated with flags and placards (very Brechtian) displaying names of countries, signs showing the date, chairs and a step-ladder. The cast moved so smoothly around the playing area, sometimes swapping seats and sometimes moving up and down the step-ladder to create height. It was almost dance-like in its fluidity and was beautiful to watch. What I particularly liked were the little touches of theatrical glitter, just sprinkled through the performance and adding so much to the atmosphere. By theatrical glitter I mean a smattering of unobtrusive sound effects that emanated from the cast at certain moments, working to set the scene and to elevate the experience from  a rehearsed reading to a theatrical event. I loved the delicate clucking and scratching of hens, the irritating hum of a bluebottle, the nostalgia filled chug of a steam train. Effective and yet subtle. 

By the time the sign was flipped over to reveal the year 1918, the audience felt as though they knew these women well. We had heard about their hardships, their love-lives, there daring escapes, their bad times and good times and now the war was over. But what happened to them all? We must know! Right at the end the cast slowly turned around their folders to reveal pictures of these women, the real people not just characters, and we were able to see the faces of the women we had spent the last hour with. It was a very touching moment and a perfect end to a momentous theatrical experience. 

'Momentous Times' is currently available to perform in a venue near you. The productions runs for just over an hour with all proceeds going directly to the British Red Cross. 
For more information, please contact Leah Spencer on 01366 328536

I started running a drama group for some local Home Educated children a couple of years ago. We started as a fairly disparate bunch but over time (and with lots of commitment and hard work) we have become a really tight-knit little collective. And, after a little performance we did for the parents at the end of our last chunk of sessions before Easter, we now feel like a fully fledged little company of players 

I really enjoy spending time with these kids. They are interested and interesting. They come up with the most hilarious and unexpected ideas and often we all end up genuinely belly-laughing at some of their scenes and skits. A little boy today was laughing so hard, as if the scene he was watching was the funniest thing he had ever seen. In his whole life. After our little performance one of the parents came up to me and said ."...they all look like they are having so much fun". I hope, well, I know, that they are. 

That is one of the most important things to me - that they are all having fun. They are also learning theatre skills, building their imaginations, learning how to work positively together in groups, discovering self-discipline, how to share, leadership, creative thinking and problem solving to name but a few of the MANY things drama gives to children and young people. We know all that. Anyone who works with young people and drama will know that. It is unmistakable how children develop and learn about the world around them and figure out where they fit in through drama and theatre. They just do. Listening to the kids talking today, working through their little scenes and hopping with excitement at a good idea or a funny thought or whatever, I know this sort of stuff is helping them develop their personalities. And seeing how a more reserved child can come up with a corking idea and how that same child will beam from ear to ear when the others in the group praise it, well, that is just ace.  

Because that is the other important thing they are learning - confidence and self-esteem. Drama is one of the best tools for building confidence in children and young people. And not just in the way you might think - confidence is not all about being loud and outgoing. Drama can benefit children who are quieter too. It can help them with making new friends, hearing their own voice in front of others, suggesting ideas, making their opinions known, getting positive feedback from their peers. Working together on ideas, scenes, stories, characters and plays and then putting them on for the rest of the group is a fantastic way for kids to learn skills that will benefit them so much as adults...and all while having fun! 

I always aim to focus on the positive with young people and drama. Positive, positive, positive. Whatever the answer, whatever the suggestion, no matter how off the wall or off topic, I will always try to go for the positive. Drama is not about right or wrong. Not for children, anyway. It is about exploring and learning in a friendly and fun environment. The writer and comedian John Finnemore did an hilarious sketch on his radio show John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme that I heard the other day where he played a drama teacher trying to teach some fairly hopeless young people about 'Macbeth'. His answer to every one of their ridiculous and, frankly, incorrect observations about the play was "oh, that's really interesting." and "hmm, interesting thought." etc etc. The same teacher character then went on to teach a Maths class or something and his response to the students equally incorrect answers was "No, that's wrong." and "No, absolutely not. Wrong answer.". It really made me laugh! That is exactly what it is like in drama. I always aim to find something interesting in a child's answer.  It is the first rule of improvisation, really. Never block the scene. Say yes to everything. It is the same with drama class. Never block, always find something good to say. Older kids often cotton on to that though, as they did in the radio sketch. They know interesting is sometimes drama-code for wrong. But, hey. An interesting idea is an interesting idea!  So, you know what my response was to the suggestion today that the mine-craft, lego, evil wizard's cat should jump into the pool of lasers rather than the pedestrian spy pushing him in - well, I obviously thought that it was a very interesting idea.