Yes, I am a drama teacher.
Don't worry, I'm still acting, I only teach four hours a week!!
I took over the job from someone else, someone who had picked the play that was to be performed, had already cast it, had the theatre booked and tickets had been sold. I was given three different classes to teach, and I probably only knew about 8 names out of the 54 cast members that would be in the production.
I felt strangely calm about the situation, thirteen weeks didn't seem long, but with no 9-5 job, I felt like I had plenty of time to sort everything.
The first few weeks went quite slowly, I was getting to know everyone, having to re-cast people in different roles, had people dropping out, it got a bit crazy but I kept my cool and slowly but surely everything fell into place.
At times it felt like I was fighting a battle with some students, I came in expecting lots of hard work and hoping that they would be dedicated to the play every single minute. Of course they weren't, some of them are teenagers!
Eventually they saw that I meant business, and once they saw that I wasn't backing down, I began to see brilliant work from all of them.
I spent many nights up until the small hours making props and costumes, almost had a mental breakdown over a cardboard tree(!) but I knew it was for the good of the show, and as the one in charge, I knew that I had to keep going. The students were working so hard, and I couldn't let them down.
Yesterday was show day. Thirteen weeks were up, and it was time to face the music. Thanks to all of their hard work, I was able to sit and watch both shows without feeling any panic whatsoever, they knew exactly what they were doing and I had a fantastic group of people helping me out backstage, so everything ran completely smoothly.
The feedback that I received from parents was amazing. Of course people are always going to be proud when they see their children on stage, but the personal messages made me feel brilliant.
But the thing that has made me the most proud of the show and the journey it has taken to get there is the messages I have been receiving from one of the cast members.
I only found out a couple of weeks ago that it would be his first ever production. He had been working so hard and was so good that I was completely unaware of it. Over the last couple of nights, he has been sending me messages of thanks for all of my help and encouragement, and he rounded one message off by saying thank you for making his mum proud of him. That really pulled at my heart strings. He has already asked when the next show will be, and when our next lesson is, I think I've created an acting monster!
I haven't felt like I've properly gotten into the job yet, my main concern was getting a group of 54 students into something that resembled a show as quickly as possible under a massive time constraint. I have seen them improve during the rehearsal process but to receive messages from their parents telling me how much of an improvement they have seen in their children's acting, and their confidence as people, had really made an impact on me. If I have done that in only a few short weeks, then what else can I push them into achieving in the next show?!?
I don't know who will read this, but thank you to all of the cast for doing such a great job, the cheers and thunderous applause was all for you, you deserved it. Thank you for bringing smiles to my face every week, I look forward to our next show together!
Nxxx
