Une introduction
Theatre at Sèvres
By Paddy Salmon
Over the years, I feel, we have created a tradition of school production, which is handed on down from year to year and class to class. It’s a tradition of co-operation, commitment and celebration, along with the will to get as many involved as is humanly possible.
When I came to Sèvres in 1987, I had already done quite a lot of university and school and productions in England, but as a teacher I was not satisfied with the way school theatre worked.
Generally what happens is that drama teachers choose a play which will be a showpiece for the best acting talents of the school. The cast is usually fairly limited (it sometimes even includes teachers!) and, like a concert, those who are able, perform in front of those who come to applaud, usually rather politely!
Having always believed that theatre should be something for ALL pupils and that often the best actors emerged amongst pupils who were often unconsidered academically, I began looking around for two things: scripts involving large casts (and with positive female roles) and scripts where pupils could also exercise their musical abilities. There are many musicals with quite large casts, but these often require rather more professionalism than pupils can manage. I found that there were few such scripts on the ground, though we did very successfully put on “The Sweeney Todd Rock and Horror Show” and “The Dracula Spectacula” in the early 90s.
The answer, laboriously, was to write our own scripts. I started with my adaptation of Aristophanes’ “Frogs” and went on to write “Hard Times” and “The Canterbury Tales” and “A Midsummer Night’s Virtual Reality”, for all of which the pupils were encouraged to write and perform original music, for lyrics which I suggested.
Petra Montel, who by then had become a close collaborator, also contributed some very memorable scripts, with “Huckleberry Finn”, “At the Court of King Arthur” (1997) and “The House of the Seven Gables” (1998). Mark Shullenberger, another English teacher, also had a resounding success with his adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” called “Lights Up On Maycomb” (1999). Since then I have also written adaptations of Gulliver’s Travels and the Odyssey (“Odd Issues” - 2004).
As the whole business of writing a script, which usually takes the best part of a whole summer holiday, is very time-consuming, I have recycled old scripts from time to time, but often with completely new music and some re-editing. In 2006 for example, I re-edited Petra Montel’s lovely script for “Huckleberry Finn”, which was presented with completely new music that was later recorded as a CD.
I have been lucky to have a team of teachers about me who can help with production. The parents too have been invaluable in their help, both in helping with ticket sales, costumes, supervision and general support.
Not only does the music provide a platform for pupils’ talents in a certain direction, but also the stage management provides others with the chance to be involved in the whole team spirit of the production.
For me, what is magical always is to see how, out of the seeming chaos and the logistical nightmares which accompany any large scale venture of this kind, a wonderful synergy is created where pupils of all ages (and teachers of all ages!) are equal in front of the daunting task of actually putting on stage in front of large audiences (who are often wildly enthusiastic!) a show which really grabs the audience by the scruff of the neck.
Because this is the magic of theatre! This is what Shakespeare himself knew at first hand. When the lights go down and the music starts, the cast and the audience are transported in a way which film and TV cannot compete with.
And Sèvres is, as far as I know, nearly unique in this form of theatre: we try hard to get as many involved as is humanly possible. Over the years, I feel, we have created a tradition, which is handed on down from year to year and class to class. It’s a tradition of co-operation, commitment and celebration, and one where skills are learnt and developed without the usual school learning processes. What counts in the final analysis is the show, and as always
THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
Click here for a student’s viewpoint.
Dernière modification le 06-12-08 par
