Few educators have shaped the landscape of Drama education quite like Philippa Bell. As Head of Drama Curriculum from Prep to Year 8 at the City campus we asked her to reflect on the evolution of Drama education, and what inspires her.
Tell us about your roles at Haileybury?
My association with Haileybury began in 1985 when I was employed to teach the new Middle School subject of Speech and Drama, to Years 7 and 8 boys. During this time, I was also the make-up designer for Senior productions, which gave me an insight into the broader benefits drama brings to school life. I taught at Haileybury until the end of 1991 and returned in 2001 to take on the role of Middle School Drama teacher and literacy support at the Castlefield (Brighton) campus. I proposed the introduction of primary drama and from 2002 this became a core part of the curriculum across Haileybury campuses.
In 2016, I was given the opportunity to help establish the Drama program at the City campus, including contributing to the design of purpose-built facilities as part of the steering committee. I was passionate about ensuring a clear Drama pathway to VCE and we are now seeing our second group of City Year 12s complete VCE Drama. I have been fortunate to work at a school where Drama is central to the curriculum.
What has been an impactful teaching moment?
There are special moments every week. Recently I was exploring Shakespeare with my Year 6 boys and a young man from that class gave me an alternative meaning for one of the lines I had been teaching for years, and it blew me away. I love that my students are still teaching me.
How have you seen the world of drama and performance education change?
Drama is a subject that has always existed at the margins and been delivered by passionate staff. Students have loved the way drama has allowed them to express themselves and given them freedom to create. It has been my privilege to teach and be an advocate for this subject. I was motivated to teach Drama in the eighties by inspiring practitioners, who were advocates for Drama and showed how it develops empathy, critical thinking, collaboration and much more. With Covid-19 and world political climates, Drama has lost its place in many schools. Although a rocky time for my beloved subject, my hope is we continue to see its worth for students.
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
The challenge of every class being different and working with students to engage them so they love the drama space.
What do you hope students will take from your classes?
To be proud of being different and unique and to respect the First Nations peoples of Australia.