The importance of theatre in literacy

Despite the closure of the theatres, children at Hatherop Castle were lucky enough to be treated to a streamed performance of Michael Morpurgo’s “The Elephant in the Garden” from the Barn Theatre last week.

This was a one woman show beautifully presented and lends it self to plenty of follow up drama work. This drama work is an integral part of the English curriculum at Hatherop Castle and teaches the children many vital skills, including the confidence to stand up and perform in front of their peers, an ability to express themselves in a variety of ways and of course the value of teamwork. Indeed, working together as a group in these activities teaches the children the importance of respecting others, valuing their opinions and of course perseverance.

Next week, Prep 6 and Prep 4 will be talking about characters, empathizing with characters and then acting out extracts from the story, all as part of our Outdoor Learning week – using the beautiful environment to bring our pieces alive.

The Upper School are already looking forward to their next streamed performance of one of Michael Morpurgo’s most popular novels – “Private Peaceful” in June, just showing that even through the theatres are closed, the opportunities are still there for our lucky children. A big thank you to the Barn Theatre for these wonderful performances.