Musoli workshop champions creativity in Theatre and Film

I was recently invited to facilitate a workshop on the teaching of Theatre and Film at St Ann Musoli Girls’ High School in Kakamega County. The invitation came at a particularly humbling moment.

Only days earlier, I had received news that my Grade 11 course book, Excelling Theatre and Film, had been approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) as the best-written submission. I have to confess that as I stood before the teachers that morning, my heart danced quietly. Not because of personal validation. No. It was because the subject I had long fought to dignify was going to be taught using a coursebook my colleagues and I laboured to write.

The school extended the invitation to teachers from neighbouring institutions. I thought this was a generous and forward-looking gesture. That is what education should be: collaborative, not competitive. When schools open their doors to one another, they affirm that learning is a shared national project, not a private enterprise.

Most of the teachers in attendance were literature and Fasihi teachers. Under the Competency-Based Curriculum, they are now expected to teach Theatre and Film within the Arts and Sports Pathway. Yet, this learning area has often been misunderstood. Some assume it is purely about performance, song, dance and applause. Others see it as a highly technical field requiring expensive cameras, editing suites and elaborate stages.

A few teachers even fear it lies entirely outside their competence. My task was to clear the fog first. I began by dismantling the myths. Theatre and Film are structured disciplines, not co-curricular entertainment. The Grade 10, 11, and 12 curriculum designs provide clear strands, sub-strands, and learning outcomes. A good course book embeds pedagogy aligned with CBC principles. It should be learner-centred, focusing on inquiry, collaboration, reflection, and practical participation.

Teaching Theatre and Film requires a shift from teacher talk to guided participation. When teaching drama, learners must do more than read scripts. We must interpret, stage, improvise and reflect. In film studies, we must move beyond passive viewing to understanding visual storytelling using available tools.

Improvisation is the heartbeat of Theatre and Film education. It nurtures spontaneity, sharpens problem-solving, strengthens teamwork and builds confidence. Through improvised scenes, learners experience character, conflict, dialogue and timing as living realities, not abstract theory. Fear fades. The classroom becomes a safe, creative laboratory where mistakes are stepping stones to growth.

A common misconception I addressed is the belief that schools need heavy capital investment to teach this subject. That is untrue. Theatre thrived in open spaces long before elaborate stages existed.

A classroom can become a stage. A corridor can turn into a performance arena. Natural light can support basic film practice. Even a smartphone can demonstrate framing and storytelling. Creativity, not capital, is the true resource.

Context matters. Not every school has an auditorium or editing suite, but every school has stories.

Learners can dramatise community experiences, cultural practices and contemporary social issues. Film lessons can centre on storyboarding, script writing and shot planning without expensive production. The teacher’s task is to interpret the curriculum thoughtfully, not mechanically.

Time management requires structure. A forty-minute lesson can be divided into introduction, guided activity, performance or demonstration and reflection. Reflection is essential. Learners must express what they have learned, not simply what they performed. In that articulation, competence is strengthened.

Assessment under CBC demands clarity. Creative subjects cannot rely on memory tests alone. Evaluation should capture process, participation, collaboration and product. Performance tasks, projects and portfolios provide meaningful evidence of learning.

A performance task may involve staging a short improvised scene. A project could focus on writing and presenting a script. A portfolio might include reflective journals, character sketches, storyboards and peer feedback.

The goal is not spectacle but demonstrable growth. Simple, clear rubrics help guide fairness. Criteria such as creativity, clarity of expression, teamwork, thematic understanding and technical awareness can be assessed transparently. When learners know the standards in advance, assessment motivates rather than intimidates.

Career guidance is equally vital. Creative subjects still face scepticism. Teachers must inform parents that Theatre and Film open pathways into acting, directing, script writing, cinematography, editing, broadcasting, media production, advertising, communication, research, law and education. In a world shaped by digital storytelling, these skills are foundational, not ornamental.

The workshop at Musoli Girls affirmed this truth. When teachers gain clarity, confidence follows. Anxiety stems from misinformation, not inability.

Once myths fall away, possibility emerges. I left with hope, convinced that within those classrooms sit future storytellers ready to interpret our communities and shape the nation’s imagination.