On With the Show In times of social distancing, how can a subject like Drama survive? In an online world how can Drama not just survive, but thrive?
Holly Sullivan, Head of Creative Arts at The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia reflects on hosting the inaugural FOBISIA Monologue Challenge.
T
he impact of the global pandemic on education has of course been unprecedented in its scope and exceptionally challenging in the issues it has produced. But like many industries, we in education have discovered some amazing new skills, resources and of course technology which can actually enhance and improve the provision we offer our students in years to come.
Here in Malaysia we are currently in our third period of school closures and whilst all academic areas have been impacted, there is no doubt that those subjects which have a high practical or vocational element to them have had the biggest
“Our students
were thrilled to have their names spoken by and their work acknowledged by Kerry - what an achievement for a young performer”
FOBISIA Monologue Challenge Judge, Kerry Frampton, Artistic Director at Splendid Productions
mountain to climb with a switch to online learning. As a Drama teacher I certainly miss working with my students in the Drama studio and of course, the unmatched thrill of preparing for a live performance. Drama is such a highly collaborative subject, thriving on the interaction between performers and from the energy of the audience. However individual skills are also important and these are of course the areas that we have focused on more when working online. The monologue slowly became the central practical focus of our online curriculum and clearly those of every other school as our WhatsApp groups and Facebook streams were deluged with requests for the best modern monologues for men or the best Shakespearean speeches for women. The students too so became fascinated by the subject, bringing in their own suggestions, alongside producing some excellent original material of their own.
THE FOBISIAN: February 2021, Term 2, Issue 35
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