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The Antithesis of Stage Schools.


Of all the weekend performing arts schools I’ve taught at - and there have been quite a few - the one that was the most fun was in Harlow.

The atmosphere was great. The staff got on brilliantly, had total faith in each other’s ability, and the students were lovely. Going there was never a bind, despite the early start. Any tiredness would soon be fixed by a black coffee and a biscuit.

I worked there for four or five years; long enough to become a permanent fixture and to gain the students' respect. The saddest part was watching them grow up and leave. I remember one boy really not wanting to go. I understood how he felt; I knew how much my drama club meant to me when I was his age. It was where I felt safest, and most able to be myself. Being a teenager can be hard, man.

(Apparently I grew up in the Sixties.)

For me, these clubs are about giving children confidence. If they decide to work in Performing Arts in the future that’s great, but this shouldn’t be the emphasis. If you bring someone timid out of their shell, even briefly, you’ve done something right.

I started out teaching singing, then moved to drama. I enjoyed this the most, for the freedom and - more than anything - for the laughs. I have a reasonable sense of humour (hence the day job), but the wit of some of the students in the top class was razor-sharp. I’d set them impro task after impro task, then watch and learn. It was inspiring to see so much unfettered talent.

I like to think I inspired them too. One particular singing class sticks in my mind, when I taught them Here Comes the Sun. They were impressed by my guitar playing and asked what other Beatles songs I knew (they were into Beatles Rock Band at the time). The session turned into a mass sing-along, which the school’s principal walked in on and joined in. You don’t get that often in the workplace.

I’d write them songs and scripts to order. The last show we did was a pantomime. Rehearsals were haphazard, but the performance was great. I was proud to see how they pulled it off.

I look back on those years fondly. I’ve worked in lots of other schools with lots of great kids, but Harlow was special. It’s not often you hear that. 

I found a card from one of the students the other day when I was tidying up. It made me smile. For me, that's what it's about.
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