Let’s face it; summer is over. Sigh. Sad-faced emoji. Hashtag ‘gutted’. Gloomy picture of a rainy beach on Instagram. Er, yes, it was over pretty much as soon as it had begun. And if you missed the two weeks in June when temperatures soared, well at least you avoided the discomfort of sunburn. But with Autumn creeping into sight, at least it will finally be okay to have a cosy log-fire, or the central heating back on without that lingering sense of guilt which accompanies such actions in late summer.

And with the nights drawing in, it is also okay to start thinking about the school nativity. Yes, honestly, it really is, even if the word itself has you making a beeline for the nearest full bottle of Merlot (a nice Autumnal drink!). But wait, resist, stop and think; you might just be able to make your life a whole lot easier. And here’s why.

Sometimes it can be tricky to come up with fresh drama workshop ideas. Anyone who has ever developed a school musical or a youth production for a drama club will know that rehearsals tend to follow a rather standard format: warm-up, practise songs, work on staging/movement of songs, block a scene, finish with another song.

We feel compelled to struggle our way through the script, generally in chronological order, usually before children have learned their lines or have much awareness of the overall structure and storyline of the play.

However, with a little inventiveness, there are numerous alternative approaches which might add interest to rehearsals and depth to the final performance. 

 

When you decide to stage a school musical, the entire enterprise can generate so much interest and enthusiasm from pupils that it would feel rather a missed opportunity not to harness this energy for other areas of learning. Subjects such as English, History, Art, Music, Drama and PSHE all lend themselves to such an approach, but with a bit of inventiveness, even Science, Mathematics and Geography lessons offer relevant learning opportunities and oodles of fun.

When it comes to roles in school musicals, children aren’t fools; they know there can only be one Matilda, one Peter Pan, one Tinkerbell, one Doctor Dolittle. They desperately try for these parts, but they accept that they are unlikely to get them.

But that doesn’t mean that children not cast as main roles should instantly become anonymous, characterless members of the ensemble, to be positioned somewhere near the back of the stage whenever a song kicks in. Or third nameless pirate from the right, whose sole contribution is to wear an amusing headscarf.

The Summer Term has long been the home of school musicals, a fantastic way to end the school year on a real high.

But increasingly, schools are recognising that the Spring Term presents an equally enticing option to stage a brilliant musical. After all, what’s not to like?