In 1968 I began my career in theatre and worked in the Theatre in Education department at the Bolton Octagon. Our leaders were Roger Chapman and Cora Williams. I believe they had come from the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry where, correct me if I'm wrong, the movement for TiE was born.
In my naivety, I thought performance of fictional material for children required a pantomimic approach. Oh, the red face! Then came the TURNING POINT. Roger Chapman demonstrated the narration of the introduction to one of our adventure 'programmes'. (Read on.....)
.......The story involved two gas men, supposedly working in the school playground. (We placed a 'gas board' tent in the playground to add some authenticity). An actor entered the classroom and introduced the event, ie., that he/she was an actor from the Bolton Octagon Theatre who was going to tell the children a story about two gas board men who were working in a school playground. One of the gas board men went down the hole and failed to come back. His friend retrieved a note from the disappeared one and went into the school to look for help. At this point there was a knock on the door. In walked the gas man, distressed, interupting the story, turning the story into reality. The children would giggle with excitement because they knew what we were up to. However, back to the point about 'acting'. Roger played the part of the gas man and told us what had just happened to him and his friend. I was dumbfounded. I knew who he was, really, but what he was saying was obviously true, his mate was missing and he was worried. Everything became blindingly clear - "That's what real acting is like!"
Now, Cora was a different kettle of fish. She had not forgotten what 'playing' was about. She would tell a story to a group of children with a twinkle in her eye that let them in on the game without destroying their suspension of disbelief. For example, if a child began playing the piano in the hall whilst we were 'climbing a mountain', she would say something like, "Don't play that rock, you might start a landslide." Invariably the child rejoined the game. She was like a mother leading a child into a situation so that it might learn something - or not - maybe next time.
My aim became to try to be like both - utterly convincing and full of fun. The thing is, children allow you to do whatever you like as long as you are telling the truth. They also collude in the 'conspiracy' enabling others, who might not be totally convinced, to cross the threshold into 'wonderland'. During an episode where a class of top infant children, in the role of 'villagers', was building boats so that we might cross the river and make our way to the Rain Man and persuade him to bring rain to our village, I asked the 'villagers' to pick up the hammers and nail the planks of wood together to build a boat. One of the children, who was not prepared to give himself over to the 'activity', baulked. He sneered, "I can't see any hammers." One of his classmates turned to him and said, "Use a stone." Without batting an eyelid he saw the sense in the suggestion and joined in with the task - totally involved. Now I come to think of it, he didn't say he couldn't see any planks - funny that.
There were many such instances during the next five years. We saw children working as teams, as leaders, as reporters. In historical documentaries we witnessed their imaginations creating stories that paralleled actual events.
The feedback from the teachers was eternally positive and the pre-tour workshops, where the teachers had a taste of what their children were to experience. were always fully booked.
I ought to mention here that the service was free, so everyone could afford it. However, attendance at the workshops was not part of the 'price' for the programme. Nevertheless, they were fully attended.
Now, knowing that children learn through play from day one and are still playing when they are practicing adulthood wouldn't you think that every education authority would have at least one resident TiE company providing the service which exploits the very nature of childhood. Drama, being a social activity, socialises the participants; the emotions involved in the experiences make the events vivid and memorable - they become accessible to the artist and the poet in every child. The benefits, of course, would be cumulative.
Computers may be cheaper but they are 'passive' and are, in the main, individualistic. Beware! We could be on the road to producing Dan Dare's arch enemy - the MEKON!
