The Power of the School Play

As we reflect on a fabulous week of our Main School Production Sweeney Todd, many schools will be gearing up for somewhat lighter nativity productions.  

There are lessons everywhere in the school play. It is a huge piece of teamwork, yet individuals get to shine – sometimes throughout the play or sometimes for the briefest and most memorable cameo moments.  

 

The backstage team are as crucial to the success of the production as those in the spotlight. As we watch the drama unfold on stage, there is an equal amount of action behind the scenes, with sets, lights and props, musicians in the pit and directors anxiously willing the cast on. We have all sat in plays where the leading actor is speaking, but our eyes drift to the supporting cast, who must be just as focused – a reminder that is not easy being in support, but it matters. 

The school play has the power to bring different combinations of people together to create a family and a community within a community after just a few weeks of quiet rehearsal. We see girls and boys, often of mixed ages, working alongside each other as equals and with adults.

Within the school play are many valuable life skills. Acting involves using voice, facial expressions, and physical movement in harmony to convey meaningful communication. Plays require hard work, unseen for weeks on end, before the outcome – an important lesson for life in a world where children and adults often seek immediate outcomes. Rehearsing, listening to and taking advice, witnessing a production’s evolution, and experiencing the gradual build of momentum are all essential aspects of the process. When I go to two performances of the same production, I can see the growth in confidence even during the performance week.  

Actors must learn to overcome nerves, to learn lines, to be someone else, to be somewhere else, to feel and convey complex emotions, such as happiness, anger, love, and pain. Making mistakes is part and parcel of the creative process. I can still remember my crown falling off in the nativity play and thinking it was the end of the world, but learning to keep going, to persevere and to embrace the mindset that that the show must go on is incredibly beneficial. At the end of the performance, it can be challenging for a young person or cast to fully embrace the applause. Learning to accept praise with both pride and humility, whilst acknowledging the contributions of the lighting team, director, and musicians, is a priceless learning opportunity. 

In the school play all our school values are brought out – care in rehearsal and performance, care for each other in a cast. Courage to perform to peers and parents, to make mistakes, to dance, to sing, to play the fool, to be someone different. 

The contribution of everyone is vital; the lead actor needs support, the spotlights must come on at the right moment, the props and set need to be in the right place at the right time, the singers and musicians in perfect synchronicity with one another. 

Connection – between performers, with their roles, and ultimately with the audience – is the heartbeat of every production. Live drama, like live sport and music, has the power to connect with us emotionally. Through the powerful connection of emotion, the act of creating something for others, and the joy shared with pupils, parents and staff in the audience – followed by the conversations that continue long after the curtain falls – this experience unites us all. 

Even for those who will not or do not act, the school play reminds them of the power of performance, to sit still for a while, to appreciate the skills of others – like Chapel or listening to the choir, there is a ritual and a learning for all.  

Ultimately, the school play is a reflection of life. We are always centre stage in our own lives, but we rely on others all the time to play their parts with us and for us. We also play supporting roles, or merely walk-on parts or we form parts of the scenery in the lives of others, but it’s important that we perform those roles well.  

I finish with some advice for parents, and I include myself in this. We should embrace the joy and nerves in seeing our children perform, sing, or play sport, but instead of focusing solely on them, we should enjoy the show, the concert, the match. We should praise our children not just for what they did, but what they did for others, as part of something greater than themselves. That’s the essence of life: each of us a vital piece in a beautifully intricate puzzle.