Best Practice

Can we put a fight in it? Seven ways to motivate boys in drama

We can widen the appeal of drama lessons among teenage boys by embracing – not ignoring – concepts of masculinity and helping students to explore them in a healthy way. Paul Jenkins offers seven approaches and some useful pointers.
No go zone? Too often drama becomes a subject that is seen as one for girls, with official figures showing that only 1% of boys choose drama at GCSE - Adobe Stock

“Can we put a fight in it?!” Every drama teacher will be familiar with that group of year 8 boys who can’t wait to put their ties around their heads and launch into a play-fight no matter what the topic.

After Netflix’s Adolescence, a national conversation is happening around boys and the expectations that masculinity lays on them.

Drama as a subject is potentially highly engaging and appealing to boys, but too often it becomes a subject that is seen as one for girls, with the official exam entry figures showing that only 1% of boys choose drama at GCSE.

What I found in my many years of teaching drama at secondary was that to engage boys in my lessons, I could use masculinity as a motivator. Here’s seven effective ways I found to do just that.

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