adminSCHOOLS theatre is an interesting branch of theatre. One reason why it is interesting is that it is done by that one group of people that is very energetic and inquisitive — teenagers. When these go on stage the outcome is not predictable. Expect anything. The current vibrancy of school theatre can only be attributed to the numerous drama competitions that take place throughout the year, especially in Bulawayo.
This year Isiphiwo Sami Talent Search registered more than 30 schools for the drama competition whose theme was Who Am I?
The Plan High School drama competition has about 36 Bulawayo schools registered to take part. Participation is quite high in these competitions.
A quick observation is that students are excited about these competitions; they come to the competition excited, seeking public approval from their teachers, peers, and recognised theatre experts who act as adjudicators. But in all honesty the competitive spirit or nature of these school competitions don’t bring out the best in the students or the interpreters or the their art, not really, but no better method has yet been devised to encourage young people who are taking few tentative steps into the world of the arts.
So for now it is competitions that are more exciting for the majority of the students and even the teachers than anything else. Besides a few grumblings, especially from schools or teachers who will have lost, the excitement around the competitions has been very infectious.
However, my only worry, and this is a serious concern, is the absence of happy stories among our young thespians and the fact that young people are so comfortable telling adult stories than their own stories.
In the past three or so years I have seriously been involved in schools drama competitions and I must confess that I have not come across many happy stories on stage. In fact, the happy stories I have seen are not more than the fingers in my one hand. And I have seen stories, hundreds of stories from these schools.
Violence, drunkenness, women and child abuse, sadness, and poverty are the major issues in most of the stories. One yearns to see more happy stories — children and young people dancing, singing, laughing and living life. I know I am not the only one who wants to see young people, represented by characters in their plays, dreaming and fulfilling their dreams.
Many people want to see children happy; their stories must be happy. If our children have no happy stories to tell it all comes back to us as parents. We are all to blame. It means our children are not happy, for how can they write and even act out something they haven’t experienced in their own lives.
Teachers too must try and encourage children to write about their dreams and happy moments. Surely happy moments for our children cannot be about boozing and sex! There has got to be other important things that make our children happy and excited.
The absence of happy stories could be a result of our children preferring to tell adult stories instead of stories about themselves. Rarely do you go to these competitions and see a story about children, told through the eyes of children. It is always adult stories — drunks, poor mothers who have no say about their lives or children’s lives, shebeen queens and stepmothers who are so cruel they would put Nanny McPhee to shame.
The question that always boggles my mind is why are these children always going for adult stories. Is it because their lives have no drama or they feel their lives are not worth going on stage and talking about? Food for thought, especially for teachers working with these children.
Online Reporter