From luthier to head of drama. Wise career change sees teacher earn top marks

Fortunate because when his first career choice failed to work out, Gareth eventually discovered teaching.

The profession proved to be where his heart lay and today he heads up the school’s successful drama department.

Gareth revealed he never intended to be a teacher when he left school.

His first job, the aforementioned guitar making apprenticeship, would have been his life, were it not for poor income prospects.

His early career change was Giggleswick’s gain, as the leading northern independent school boasts an enviable 100 per cent pass rate at A* - B in A level theatre studies.

Said Gareth, who worked on instruments for American singer-songwriter, musician and actor, Kris Kristofferson, among others: “I loved it, but there was absolutely no money in it. Then I worked as a builder for a couple of years and I was in a band.

“We were doing quite well, and were offered a contract, but we all fell out, so that was the end of that.

“The opportunity to teach crossed my path and once I had made that decision, my main focus was to make amends for the poor teaching I had come across as a child.

“I was determined, if I was going to be a teacher, I was going to do it to the best of my ability.”

Judging by this year’s results – which are just the latest in a long line of consistently high marks in A level theatre studies at Giggleswick over recent years – Gareth has indeed fulfilled his teaching ambitions.

As well as being passionate about his subject, he is at the cutting edge of developing the curriculum for young people.

As a principal examiner for Edexcel he was involved in writing the new A level specification.

It’s an exciting time for drama at Giggleswick. The school has the state of the art Richard Whiteley Theatre, thanks to a bequest from the late broadcaster and journalist who was a former pupil.

Whiteley was inspired, in turn, by his English teacher, another TV favourite, the late Russell Harty.

Said Gareth: “It’s a community theatre within Giggleswick’s campus with professional facilities far beyond what most schools dream of.

“We have put on a wide variety of plays and shows, from the latest contemporary works to a highly successful production of Les Miserables and the most recent, totally different, Wendy and Peter.

“Professional theatre companies regularly come to perform at the Richard Whiteley Theatre and we have workshops with the actors as well as access to the shows, which is all hugely inspirational for the pupils.”

Thirty minute Shakespeare, for example, is created for the National Shakespeare Schools Festival every year, and an annual trip to see shows in London highlights Giggleswick’s special relationship with Shakespeare’s Globe, which dates back to the school’s support of the initial project to restore the theatre.

This in turn had developed from it becoming the first school to perform Hamlet at Elsinore Castle in the eighties.

Gareth said: “Every child between years six and nine is taught drama and there are opportunities for everyone to get involved in productions.

“Our students are confident and proud of what they achieve and they make memories for life in the drama studio and on stage.”

One group of A level students refused to let leaving school end their dramatic relationship and went on to form their own theatre company, With Wings.

The group has subsequently performed at the Edinburgh Fringe for the last three years and won prestigious awards. One of its members is musician and actor Tom Figgins, who is rapidly making a name for himself, counting the likes of radio and TV personality Chris Evans among his many fans.

Said Gareth: “We aim to create a centre of excellence with a national reputation for the academic and co-curricular celebration of drama.

“In what is becoming the norm for Giggleswick, recent productions, like Les Mis, were very well received and attracted audiences including the local community, not just parents.”

An ambitious production, Les Mis involved an unprecedented 100 pupils, met with glowing reviews by those who saw it, and proved a phenomenal achievement for all those involved in staging it.

Credits described it as “a stunning production” which reinvigorated the well-known show, “making you fall in love with it once more.”

The most memorable review for director and cast was the one asserting that the school’s edition exceeded the calibre of many other West End shows, “which just didn’t come up to the standard of last night’s production!” High praise indeed.

There was more praise for last year’s staging of Wendy and Peter.

Craven Herald critic, Gill O’Donnell, wrote: “The real key to the evening’s success was the teamwork which pulled the piece together, apparent in the hard work which had clearly taken place in order to make it look so totally natural.

“Congratulations to all concerned for having the courage to tackle such a difficult concept and turn it into such an enjoyable evening for everyone.”

And therein lies the key to Gareth and Giggleswick’s success with drama – the pride, sheer enjoyment and downright good fun which goes hand in hand with being a part of a team.

Together they form a theatre company staging a successful show, where everyone has a crucially important part to play, whether on or off stage. The huge, motivational cheer from back stage which rang out across Giggleswick’s campus half an hour before curtain-up on the opening night was all the proof needed of that.

For more information about Giggleswick School please visit the website www.giggleswick.org.uk or phone 01729 893000.

Giggleswick School is a 450-pupil, independent, co-educational boarding school set in stunning countryside near the market town of Settle in the Yorkshire Dales. Founded in 1512, the school offers a high quality education where pupils have the time of the lives while gaining excellent academic results and developing lifestyle skills and positive attitudes to equip them for happiness and success in today’s world.