NOT WHAT I LOOK LIKE, BUT WHAT I STAND FOR

Although drama often starts and ends with a performance behind the 4th wall, at St Dunstan’s we also encourage students to embrace theatre as a medium through which societal and political injustice can be explored and challenged.

Even in moments of global adversity, we believe that drama can inspire and empower students to have a positive impact on the communities that they are a part of. Through engaging with issues of social injustice, students develop a sense of social responsibility and create work that challenges any form of discrimination or prejudice.

As an example, our student led production of ‘Our Land,’ an all-female production that was devised in response to the rise of domestic violence during the pandemic, raised over £2500 in aid of Refuge, a local Lewisham charity that supports victims of domestic abuse. The Nightingales Project, a 5 day theatre residential that was directed by external director Briony O’Callaghan in collaboration with the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust. Originally conceived by the 1st XV, the project sought to break the taboo of mental health issues in young male sports players, using Tenesse William’s ‘Not About Nightingales’ play text as a stimuli. By stepping out of their comfort zone and focusing on a purpose far greater than themselves, these young men, most of whom had never stepped foot on a stage, came together to raise over £3000 for a cause close to their heart, beautifully encapsulating what we as a department believe to be the true purpose of theatre in society.