Setting the pace in children’s theatre
There was a great conference at the Soho Theatre on Friday, about theatre in primary schools, and primary schoolchildren in theatres. The conference was sponsored by John Lyon’s Charity, for whom I do a little light consulting, which dispenses money throughout nine London boroughs on a wide range of projects, and not just theatre.
Lyn Gardner of the Guardian and Tony Graham of the Unicorn both suggested that the cutting edge of British theatre was in work for the under-fives. Playwright David Wood reported a teacher saying to him that they had no more time for fun any more in schools — so where does that leave the government’s five hours of culture a week policy?
And the teachers themselves said the key to it all was laying siege to the head teachers. Jacqui O’Hanlon of the RSC said that the primary schoolchildren who did a project on the Henry IV plays really flew when they realised Hal could say goodbye to Falstaff by saying he was going on to secondary school and had to get serious.
Flight was a theme sensationally taken up in a reading of a play from the Soho Theatre’s own under-elevens playwrighting scheme: in Imma Begum’s Teenage Troubles, a bird-obsessed school girl was bullied by her peers, then inveigled to the top of a church tower and pushed off. She flapped her arms and flew, and was free!
We also had a reading of a scene from James Campbell’s Cutlery Wars, which charts a friendship between two boys banished to the far end of a playing field on the brink of going from primary to secondary school. It’s one of the best plays I’ve seen this year, and Campbell played ball by chairing our panel of Lyn Gardner, David Wood and Vicky Ireland, former director of the Polka.
There is a danger, of course, that gathering lots of artists, fund-raisers and educationalists together under one roof results in hot air and no practical outcome. But everyone seemed to be saying they’re all so busy with their lives they have little chance to meet, greet and exchange views, so the conference at least served that purpose.
Patrick Spottiswoode, director of Globe Education, was working the room at lunch afterwards in the Soho studio, while I had the pleasure of meeting not only Sarah-Jane Holm, actress daughter of one of my idols, Ian Holm — she was representing her child’s primary school – but also Matt Bawler, the drama teacher at my local primary in Gospel Oak; I’ve already promised him I’ll pop along and join in one his classes. Maybe I’ll learn something.
Lisa Goldman, artistic director of Soho, welcomed the conference to her theatre, then skedaddled for some fund-raising meetings and joined us again for lunch, as did Anthony Clark of Hampstead, Susan Whiddington of the Mousetrap Foundation (now also a trustee of the John Lyon’s Charity), Katie Michell and Rosie Dalling of the Donmar, many teachers, Ola Animashawun, director of the Young Writers Programme at the Royal Court, whose enthusiasm at last year’s JLC conference in Sloane Square did so much to lead onto this one, and friends and colleagues from the Tricyle, the Unicorn, the BAC and Richmond Theatre.
I felt the relationship between schools and theatre makers took a few steps forward, at least in understanding each others’ priorities and requirements. But when these sorts of occasions are happy and enjoyable without being self-congratulatory, you just feel the spirit moving, and that surely will have some effect.
Next stop the Unicorn on 21 July, when Vicky Ireland launches the Children Arts Manifesto. There is provision in European law, apparently, for children’s rights in the arts — so that might make it easier to hold the government to that promise of five hours a week.
