As a kid Chris Colebrooke loved drama, acting and singing, and, as he nears his 30th birthday – he says it has become a way of life for him.
Now he is making it his mission to ensure all children in Whitby have access to performing arts, both in and out of school.
Concerned about the future of drama provision on national curriculums, Chris is looking to develop the remit of Colebrooke Productions and has reached out to local schools offering to deliver sessions.
He is now planning to work with West Cliff, Airy Hill, Oakridge, East Whitby, Hawsker and Lealhom primary schools.
Chris hasn’t worked with Hawsker, Oakridge or Lealholm before but is full of praise for the drama work in East Whitby.
He said: “Kids respond to drama because they can play, especially in a world of social media and scrolling.
“I have yet to teach anybody in a school setting who doesn’t respond to drama. Even the lads who start off stood there with their hands in their pockets, they see me teaching and think ‘oh it is a lad’ and come out of their shell and respond to it.
“If they are all about football, they will talk to me about football – I don’t even like it – but I will just say something like ‘Chelsea played rubbish at the weekend’ and they go, ‘yes they did’. It softens it and they open up.
“I want every child to access play. I want them to be able to imagine and I don’t think I can do that just from the studio and that is why I have offered to work outside.”
He admits, however, he did find it strange to go back to West Cliff School, where he was a pupil himself, and teach there.
Chris said: “Going back to West Cliff was surreal. Janet Bell was the head [when he was there] and was formidable. I left West Cliff when I was nine but she massively impacted me. She was stern but loved drama and was passionate for the arts. I taught her the ‘Cha Cha Cha’ when I was seven.”
Earlier this month, Chris also wrote an open letter to Whitby School urging it to consider the re-introduction of drama at Key Stage 3 (years seven, eight and nine) with an offer to work together to deliver a programme.
While drama is a GCSE option from year 10, he fears the work done by primary schools will lose momentum if not continued before then.
Chris credits drama at school, and influential teachers, as spurring him on to follow the career path he has taken. He founded Colebrooke Media, which has now become Colebrooke Productions, when he was just 17 years-old.
Initially, it was to offer drama and music in the school holidays for local kids alongside the offering at the then LP Dance Studios, run for more than 25 years by brother and sister Kevin Page and Valerie Laws.
Chris is now the principal of a studio, at St Hilda’s Hub, providing acting, drama, musical theatre and dance classes to more than 170 young people, aged three to 18, each week.
Colebrooke Productions hosts an annual showcase in February or March, another show at Halloween or Christmas, as well as competitions, and being an exam centre
“Drama is a way of life”, says Chris. “I was not academic, I loved history, art and drama and hated anything to do with maths and science.
“For someone like me, drama in year nine was every two weeks and was the only thing which got me through school.
“I got to college and it became an option, it was a different world when I was doing drama three times a week.
“Even when I was in year nine, drama was being scaled back. It is a real shame. I want to work with the kids, but I appreciate it is difficult for the school.”
It was from a young age that Chris expressed a love for stage and performance. As a child he remembers making up his own characters and shows and watching comedy actors.
Keeping Up Appearances, Fawlty Towers and The Vicar of Dibley, with strong leading characters, were amongst his favourite shows to watch and learn from.
He recalls: “I loved doing impressions of people and characters and I got sent to Mr Lloyd’s after school club at Eskdale. I learned drama there, and at an after-school club with Katrina Stead.
“I would say that Sally Fewster, Kit Wright and Alison Dimbleby, who were drama teachers, spurred me to be better.”
Just last week, he took the plunge and handed in his notice with the Pavilion, where he worked part time on promotions, to concentrate on growing Colebrooke Productions further.
“I hadn’t dared to do it before”, says Chris. “I thought I needed the security, but really thought about it and the security is Colebrooke Productions and I need to give it my all.”
