Having been quick to adapt to a virtual format when the first lockdown was announced, over the past 12 months Dramatis Community Drama School has run a range of online activities to help support local children with their mental wellbeing.
The school's principal, Suzy Duxbury has been writing the scrips for example ‘Willy Wonka’s Lockdown Madness’ was written to help children, express their frustrations and fears surrounding the pandemic. It also provides them with some much-needed social interaction with their peers.
As Suzy explains, “Like everyone, I was concerned with how the pandemic was affecting children and so reached out to an online parenting group to get a better understanding of how kids were being impacted and where Dramatis could best
support”.
A common concern was “a change in behaviour”, with some children becoming “increasingly withdrawn” and others having “uncharacteristic outbursts”.
Parents cited a “lack of structured activities” and “ongoing absence of friends” as possible causes as well as the “struggle for children to explain how they feel”.
As a result, the drama school with a heart for all ages devised tailored scripts for children to work on as part of their Winter Term classes which culminated in filmed performances of ‘Willy Wonka’s Lockdown Madness’.
The Spring Term, which concludes next week, will see children perform ‘Lucy’s Adventures in Zoomland’, another script created to help explore
changing emotions during the lockdown.
The latest government guidelines, mean Dramatis will soon be able to start running in-person activities again. Starting on Monday 12 April, ‘Can’t Stop the Beat’ is a Holiday Workshop in which children will spend five days acting, singing, dancing and playing games.
For readers interested in getting their child involved, it's held at The Regis School in Bognor Regis during the Easter half-term, it is designed for 6-12 year olds and costs £125 per child.
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