Forms I and II took part in a drama workshop run by the theatre company “Scary Little Girls” with a theme of female collaboration and support. There were a variety of activities designed to get our students to think about what it means to be a member of a community and to explore issues they feel passionate about.
The physical activities involved working together to achieve an aim and trusting each other. These activities are also designed to challenge students’ preconceived ideas of how strong they really are. Some girls were amazed that they could lift one another while others were equally amazed that they could be lifted!
It was explained to the students about the all-women peace campaign at Greenham Common in the 1980s. We explored how the success of the campaign depended on the women working collaboratively, even when they did not agree on everything. Students were also able to relate this to their learning earlier in the academic year about the Suffragists and the Suffragettes and their campaign for female emancipation.
Students were then asked to explore topics that they feel passionate about and to devise a short piece about their chosen topic. Topics included climate change and cruelty to animals. The resulting short plays, which involved using many theatrical techniques, were excellent, resonating with the strong feelings the students were exploring. Each group demonstrated that they had worked well together and had listened to different ideas in order to create their final piece together.
