Issue 10: Why would you want to be taught by an idiot?

Convener: Lucia

Participants: Nick White, Paul, Jonathan Peck, Jacqui O’Hanlon

Summary of discussion


- It presents an opportunity for teachers/students to work in a new different way
- Told by an Idiot offers subversion and energy
- Told by an Idiot are not teachers, we are artists/theatremakers and this is our strength. We are not limited by boundaries, the work / connections will grow organically
- Told by an Idiot places great emphasis on the creativity of the performer, the individuals working in that room and this is empowering and liberating. There is no formula or sense of something being lifted from elsewhere
- “How stuff happens” – this is what teachers want to know and are interested in. How do theatre companies work?
- Told by an Idiot reignites the spark for people who may have become slightly tired, stale or out of practice
- The way the company works is relevant to the curriculum, to assessed coursework modules in devising. For younger students there are argument to be made in relation to creativity, literacy, listening and writing
- One of the A Level syllabus may list TBAI, this provides a natural selling point
- An intensive professional development programme for teachers, FE, lecturers would have huge appeal, teachers find it increasingly difficult to have opportunities to be inspired and work with professional practitioners and a staleness can creep into their approach. Working with teachers spreads the reach of the company far and wide
- What are the routes for allowing people into the company and feeling part of it, thinking about how it might best offer participation opportunities? Open rehearsal?
- Told by an Idiot’s way of working would possibly have appeal for deaf groups, people with mental health issues, learning difficulties but does the company want to be that specific?