School: St Mun’s primary, Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, pupil roll 165, classes involved P1-7; headteacher Mary Morren What was the best arts com-pany to visit your school in the past year? Fablevision, A Theatre with a Difference, from the Pearce Institute in Glasgow.
How did you hear about them? They came to us last year and wrote to ask if we wanted them again, and we did.
How long did they spend with you? A morning.
What did they do? There were two performers, one male, one female, and a musician who provided sound effects. They performed various scenes under the title I Don’t Want to be Like That, to demonstrate the dangers of all kinds of drugs - smoking, drinking and others. They played different characters in dialogue - two friends, a mother and son, teacher and pupil, doctor and nurse and so on, to raise awareness of all the problems involved, peer pressure, parents who don’t bother, the involvement of social workers, doctors. The doctor and nurse characters delved into the body and produced damaged lungs, liver, kidneys - all the organs which can be affected.
Did you do any preparation? No - we didn’t have to do anything.
Did you do any follow-up work? The performers also did a workshop with the P7 children, to which parents were invited and two or three did come. Class teachers are always discussing these kinds of issues and this really helped.
What did the visit cost? It was free, because the company gets funding from Scotland against Drugs, Marks and Spencer, the Robertson Trust and local authorities.
What was so good about the visit? It was that they made it such fun for the children. When they went out into the playground after the performance, they were absolutely full of high spirits. They loved it.
How relevant was it to the curriculum? Totally relevant to personal and social development. It’s such an important topic.
Contact Sarah Barr, Fablevisiontel 0141 425 2020
