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.  

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 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