A New Start For Love Drama

2015: A New Start for Love Drama

2014 was the busiest year ever for Love Drama and the last year of Love Drama as mainly a one woman band. I delivered teacher training, spoke at events, ran five drama camps, ran our six weekly classes, delivered nursery and primary drama workshops, sat on the National Drama Working group at Education Scotland, wrote and delivered a national drama workshop tour in primary schools for The Scottish Book Trust, was accepted by The Cultural Enterprise Office Scotland to the prestigious Starter for 6 programme, was whittled down from over 150 to 9 businesses and awarded investment, became a certified practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming and walked over glass and fire. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, but it was time to take someone else on to help deliver the Love Drama Classes. Before I keeled over.

In November the job advertisement was put together and sent out into the universe to find ‘The One’. The applications came in and there was only one group of people that I trusted to help me in the interview process and that was of course the Love Drama pupils! 14 Love Drama pupils volunteered their services and after putting the applicants through their paces both teaching and questioning – we found Charly!

Taking on Charly and ‘handing over’ some of my beloved classes has been a pleasure as Charly has exerted so much enthusiasm, happiness and energy and all of our amazing members and parents have been warm, welcoming and open to the change. For this I am so very happy and grateful. The Love Drama assistants and volunteers Abbie, Katie, Denise & Lois are second to none and have all been Love Drama members since the offset in 2009. I could not be prouder of the positive role models that they are and of how passionate they all are about ensuring each and every member has the best experience possible.

This is the beginning of a new and exciting time for Love Drama and I very much look forward to the future of all of our members, staff and volunteers – may they all be inspired, grow in confidence & creativity and enjoy being their wonderful selfs!

Now over to Charly…

I joined Love Drama at the beginning of this year as the new Workshop Manager & Director. As an outsider coming into Love Drama, the thing that has struck me the most is how wonderfully close everyone is. Every class oozes unity, friendship and a huge determination to support each other as they partake in each game, activity and performance. This has made teaching the classes an absolute joy as the children have been so incredibly welcoming and willing to accept me as a new tutor. Indeed, getting to know each class has been a really fun and exciting experience and now we have reached our February break, I feel that we have developed a wonderful rapport.

Along with the participants from the classes, I have also had support from my wonderful assistants Katie & Abbie and volunteers Denise & Lois. These people show nothing but enthusiasm when I discuss my class plans each week and during the classes, they take part with just as much enthusiasm as the children themselves which only adds to the fantastic atmosphere that I have discovered Love Drama possesses. Their advice on each of the classes’ individuality has been invaluable and their willingness to support me in every class makes my job feel so relaxed. I look forward to developing our relationships and being able to support them in further developing their own skills as tutors.

I cannot write this first blog without mentioning and thanking Kirsten. Her support has been incredible and she, like the participants, has been so friendly and welcoming. This has made the handover of the classes so smooth and relaxed and her advice on teaching styles, class plans and the organisation of groups has instantly put me at ease. Indeed, I feel that this has already made me a better, more confident tutor. 

My first few weeks has been an incredible, fun and exciting experience and as Love Drama heads for their February Camp, I am filled with enthusiasm and raring to go! I owe a huge thank you to Kirsten for giving me the opportunity of my dream job and to everyone who participates in the classes, whether staff or pupils, for making me feel so welcome. ☺ Charly Anderson.

Now over to Katie…

Although I am not brand new to Love Drama, far from it – I have been a member since I was 11 – this past month has been a new exciting opportunity for me. Instead of assisting in 2 classes a week like I was previously, I am now up to a whopping 5 a week! I have loved getting to know all the different pupils, and continue to bond with the pupils I have worked with for nearly a year. What I noticed first, especially in the first week, was that every class is totally different. Each class has its own combined personality, and each one I absolutely adore. The second thing I noticed, like Charly, was how close everyone was. Everyone is so supportive and caring of one another, and it is really heart-warming to see. It reminds me of my own time as a pupil in the company and how close I was with my Love Drama class-mates. It’s a vibe I love to create in each class every week.

In this last month I feel like I have taken on new responsibilities. I am now planning more warm-up games and becoming more involved in class plans. I feel myself becoming more professional and noticing changes within myself. My main insecurity with planning warm-ups was that I always felt I was awful at explaining things- I’d overcomplicate the rules or just make no sense. However, I have noticed over the weeks I’ve put more thought into my explanations, taken my time and kept composure. I have also been surprised how much respect and admiration the pupils have given me. I honestly didn’t know if I could assert myself as a teacher, but everyone has really boosted my confidence by being so respectful and so focused. I got my first thank you note from a pupil several weeks ago I was so emotional and grateful. I’d like to thank all the Love Drama pupils for making me feel so welcome and for being so amazing. You guys have no idea how great my time has been so far because of you!

Massive thanks also need to go to, of course, Charly and Kirsten. When I first met Charly I knew we were going to work well together- she’s so bubbly and bright and cares so much about her job and each and every pupil, as well as all members of staff. I’ve had so much fun working with her so far and I can guarantee that won’t change. We’ve discovered we can work well as a team together, and she gives me so much support and reassurance. Her positive attitude is infectious and brings out the best in all of us. Kirsten has always been like my rock – I can ask her anything and she always has time to help. I have referenced in a lot of my previous Love Drama blogs how much of my experience and growth I owe to her, and she continues to be an invaluable source of guidance. I am so grateful that she has so much faith in me, and sees me as a good representative of her company. Pretty much all of the work I do now is inspired by lessons she has taught me, and these lessons I won’t forget.

I have been made to feel so appreciated and so welcomed by each and every pupil this month. In some of their eyes I am ‘the legend’, in others I am just Katie, but in my eyes they are all so special- and of course all legends! I leave each class with a huge smile on my face, and there is so much more fun to come. We have big plans for the next few terms. Stay tuned! Katie Fegan .

Now a special shout out to Abbie and our volunteers…

We cannot wrap this blog up without saying another huge thank you to all the staff that help keep the company going. Abbie is continuing to do an excellent job assisting the Musselburgh 12-16 class – helping them bring out so much creativity and giving them so much encouragement. She is an incredibly valuable asset to the company, and her transition from pupil to teacher over the years is nothing short of outstanding. She has so many great ideas on the backburner to help run the classes, and we look forward to seeing what she has in store for them. Keep it up, Abs!

Our amazing Love Drama volunteers, Denise and Lois, have been, of course, brilliant when working with our pupils. Their confidence has grown dramatically and they have an excellent connection with the children during classes. They are not afraid to stand strong and take control, and are always on hand to offer advice and feedback when asked. Lois is still a member of the Musselburgh 12-16s, and it is heart-warming to see her take what she has learned as a volunteer and use it to help guide her classmates through exercises. Denise is growing into a confident and creative tutor, doing a brilliant job at February camp this year and coming forward with new and exciting ideas for future classes. Well done girls, you truly are fantastic!