mostly david ephgrave

The nicest thing about tonight’s preview - aside from the fact it went ahead - was that some of my ex-students came to see it. I’d clocked their name on the booking list for the previous Actors’ Temple show, which we ended up having to pull, and wondered if it was them (their surname rivals mine for its unusualness) so I was particularly pleased they were able to make the rescheduled date; it’s lovely when someone goes to trouble of booking - let alone planning to travel into town specifically to see you - that you hate to be the reason it doesn't go ahead. They enjoyed the show, which was a compliment as they were always very funny themselves. They were the first to put their hand up for any improv game I set and they always made me laugh. Their class was full of talent, and the keenness they injected into proceedings made the job a lot of fun. The show was fairly good and was certainly very useful, even when putting tearful reunions to o...

Around six or seven years ago, when I was still teaching drama, I wrote a pantomime for one of the schools I worked at. I’d often write scenes or songs for this particular school. The great thing about the students was they were all very talented. A lot of the older kids had a firm grasp of comedy, which helped me tremendously when it came to writing the script. I knew I could drag the dialogue toward my own style for the most part and they would understand what I meant. That said, I had to bear in mind that I was writing for an age range that spanned from six to sixteen, which was quite a width. I also wanted to keep to most of the panto traditions, to give the kids an understanding of the idiom. Yes…”idiom”. The story I based my script on was Aladdin. You’ll find the prologue below. It was performed by the entire school, with different students taking different lines. There’s nothing funny in it, save the appalling 'station / washer-w...

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,...

Of the many assemblies I attended in 1995, one sticks in the mind the most. Occasionally, someone other than our head teacher would take the stage. These instances offered alleviation from the usual monotony. By far the most entertaining, often for the wrong reasons, were those lead by a particular teacher who shall remain nameless. His stints at the mic were the funniest. The chief source of the humour, I'm ashamed to admit, was his obvious nerves. His fear of public speaking would alway made him trip up verbally. It didn’t help that he had a lisp. On one occasion, he told the harrowing story of a pedestrian who was trapped 'under the lorries of a wheel'; a linguistic misstep that undermined his account instantly and left us stifling laughter. He’d clutch each side of the lectern for dear life, like it would offer protection from the swarm of 800+ pre- and post-pubescent students glaring up at him. It never did. Secondary schoo...