Keeley Wickham has been working in education for over 20 years. She started out teaching English and Drama before heading up her own Drama department for 9 years. She has directed countless school productions, GCSE and A Level performance plays and also worked as a GCSE examiner. She made the shift to Special Education 8 years ago, specialising in autism, and completed her Masters in the Education in 2015. She is currently developing drama curricula and provision for children with special needs and is launching a youth drama group for children on the autism spectrum as part of the Southend Theatres’ youth programme in January 2018.

All of the teaching ideas in our secondary ‘SIngin In the Rain’ Scheme of Work have come from tried and tested teaching methods and can be developed or simplified according to the level of the group. Each lesson includes ‘warm-up’ circle activities followed by an exploration of some of the themes of the session using the drama space. There is then a more substantial activity based on a specific aspect of the show. It is hoped that a visit to see our production in November would bring the scheme to life and set the lessons in context.

‘Singin in the Rain’ is a show all about changing with the times. It has a life-affirming message of following dreams, aiming high and that there are very few problems that can’t be solved by a stonking dance routine. A must-see for our Snapchat generation!

We very much hope that you and your students enjoy using this scheme of work. If you have any suggestions or ideas for future education outreach then please contact SODS.