The 1st of March is traditionally the first metrological day of spring, and whilst the UK has escaped the extreme winter weather of last year, it has been an extremely difficult winter for the creative sector. Film and television continue to feel the effects of the advertising slowdown, with many freelancers out of work and many contemplating or actually leaving the industry. Theatres, already grappling with the cost of living and high energy costs, are now dealing with increased budgetary issues, with many of those who rely on local authority grants facing reductions or outright cuts. It has never felt like such a challenging time for UK creatives.
However, at the risk of being head in the sand, in this post, I am going to write about one thing that has given me a real sense of hope over the last few weeks.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Time to Act looked at the impact of using RSC rehearsal room teaching methods across 45 state primary school year 5s, splitting them into 2 groups, with teachers in one group trained by the RSC in their rehearsal room techniques and delivering 20 hours of Shakespeare teaching using these techniques. The control group delivered their existing curriculum and did not receive the RSC’s training. Researchers analysed written responses produced by both groups over the 12 months of the project.
The headline results from the analysis of those pieces of writing showed children in the intervention group showed:
- richer, broader, more sophisticated vocabulary, including 24% higher use of rarer verbs
- better at writing in character and expressing emotion, a broader understanding of abstract terms and descriptions
- 17% more confident in their ability to work out what to do next when stuck
- 9% more confident in wider problem-solving
- 11% more confident in their own ability as good learners.
As one teacher participant observed: “Particularly boys who are disengaged, find their voice, pick up the pen and start to write. And I didn’t hear ‘what’s the point?’ anymore, [instead, I heard] that ‘this is fun and I really like it’.”
This report and the video have sharply reminded me it is not about the economic contribution or the soft power. Our work is about enabling people to find their voice, develop empathy and curiosity, and spark their imaginations. Not all the intervention Year 5s will become a future Judi Dench, Ian McKellen or Michael Boyd, but as I have said before, it is not just about educating future creatives; it is about empowering future humans. All those from the intervention group will take those skills of sophisticated vocabulary, expressing emotion and confidence in their own ability into the world of the future and run with that world, whatever our increasingly challenging, changing world throws at them.
If you can find two minutes today, watch the RSC’s video on Time to Act. I challenge your heart not to lift a little.