The report focused on the Winter Term classes which were based on a script devised by the school’s principal, Suzy Duxbury. ‘Willy Wonka’s Lockdown Madness’ was written to help children express their frustrations and fears surrounding the pandemic as well as provide them with some much-needed social interaction with their peers.

As Suzy explains, “Like everyone, I was concerned with how the pandemic was affecting children and so reached out to an online parenting group to get a better understanding of how kids were being impacted and where Dramatis could best support”. A common concern was “a change in behaviour”, with some children becoming “increasingly withdrawn” and others having “uncharacteristic outbursts”. Parents cited a “lack of structured activities” and “ongoing absence of friends” as possible causes as well as the “struggle for children to explain how they feel”.

As a result, the ‘drama school with a heart for all ages’ devised tailored scripts for children to work on as part of their Winter Term classes which culminated in filmed performances of ‘Willy Wonka’s Lockdown Madness’. The Spring Term, which concludes next week, will see children perform ‘Lucy’s Adventures in Zoomland’, another script created to help explore changing emotions during the lockdown. Dramatis pupil Eva said: “it was great to work through a new script that felt relevant today and it was fun trying new characters”.

The latest government guidelines, mean Dramatis will soon be able to start running in-person activities again. Starting on Monday 12th April, ‘Can’t Stop the Beat’ is a Holiday Workshop in which children will spend five days acting, singing, dancing and playing games. Held at The Regis School in Bognor Regis during the Easter half-term, it is designed for 6-12 year olds and costs £125 per child.