Thursday 18 February 2010

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread for Teaching Drama in the UK...

Three Looms Waiting Part 1



A memorable episode of the long-running arts and culture programme "Omnibus" (1967-2003), about a teacher. Just a teacher? Not just any teacher, this was someone who helped evolve drastically the way of teaching children drama. It was about the teacher becoming more harmonious with the children, and not be stooped on a higher platform, trying to think of acting like a theatrical director. Instead a more involving and a lack of hierachy, would help children be enthused to act, to act as another person in a more natural process. This process even had a name, it was called "Mantle of the Expert".

This teacher's name was Dorothy Heathcote, a former Mill worker (the clue's in the video title) from West Yorkshire. As she reiterated dreams of to be an actress, the mill boss, Charlie Fletcher exclaimed "that if it didn't work out there would always be three looms waiting for her at his mill." Hence the title. Although a talented actress, she was turned down for not having the right look. For Dorothy, fair to say she wasn't a pretty girl, was plucked out of nowhere to become a drama teacher, in a career change, in 1951. At first, her style of teaching was looked down on, but she then became raved about in her teaching success, spanning into a fan base outwith her local school, and other amenities she used to teach, such as village halls in Yorkshire, and the Bradford Civic Playhouse.


This episode is an celebration of her work, who was now a university lecturer, split into 8 parts on Youtube. Dorothy Heathcote is still alive to this day, in her 80s now.

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