Have you always been interested in drama?
Yes. I was born in Leytonstone and did GCSE and A level drama at King Solomon High School. I was drawn to drama, not necessarily as a performer, but as a way of life which seemed to bring so many useful skills. I understood the benefits. When I was 14, I produced a show. I invested £4000 – which was everything I had in savings including my Bar Mitzvah fund. I worked on it for a year and we made £10,000. I took back my £4,000 and we donated £6,000 to Parry Charitable Foundation. I’ve always regarded that year as my professional training. It was like university. I learned a huge amount.
And when did the teaching start?
Four days before my 16th birthday. They encouraged me at school and I started a class based in the school. Five children came to the first session. After that we doubled the numbers every week and I had to start employing other people to help me. Suddenly Make Believe was born and that was the name from the very beginning. Children have vast imagination and self-belief and “Make believe” sums up what I was trying to do.
What did you do about safeguarding?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2019 IP130 من Ink Pellet.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2019 IP130 من Ink Pellet.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Joel Kern
Still only, 31, Joel Kern started Make Believe 16 years ago. The company provides drama, dance and singing training for children and now has 50 franchised branches. He chatted to Susan Elkin.
Free At Last!
Fourth Monkey Actor Training company announces accredited BA (Hons) Acting course and the introduction of audition fee wavers for all.
Looking Closely
Two contrasting exhibitions caught the eye of our graham Hooper
Composed Comfort
Paul Fincham is a composer whose carol Ring The Bells will be sung in concerts all over the country this christmas and whose opera The Happy Princess got good reviews last summer. Susan Elkin meets him.
What Makes A Good Pantomime?
An annual tradition or perhaps the fi rst visit to the theatre, going to a christmas show should be a truly memorable experience. Susan Elkin has some pointers.
A Rye Gem
Susan Elkin met with Theatre Peckham AD Suzann Mclean, discovering this hub has much to offer
Playing Shakespeare With Deutsche Bank
Proving an unmitigated success, the annual Playing Shakespeare season at The Globe promises to enthral, engage and entertain thousands more teenagers this spring. Susan Elkin is a huge, well wrapped up fan.
Dancers Wellbeing
As the Head of Dance at READ College, I am passionate about ensuring that my young students have the very best start to their professional dance training and consequently their future careers. This means educating our young people about how to look after themselves both physically and psychologically.
Supporting Students Through Design
Hot on the heels of the new digital Theatre+ platform release featured in last month’s Inkpellet (see bit.ly/Ip112Nov16), we asked matthew Nichols (director of drama, manchester Grammar school and chief Examiner of GcsE drama, aQa) to take us through his ideal playlist on dT+, as a guide for drama teachers looking to use digital resources to support the teaching of design skills in the classroom.
Careers In Theatre
Susan Elkin Pays a Visit to Half Moon Theatre to Learn How They Are Enthusing Pupils to Look at Possible Careers in the Theatre.