Just imagine your child walking out of their final Zozimus Drama class. Maybe they’ve been with us for a term, maybe a year, or perhaps they’ve grown up with us. What would you hope they take away from all that time?
For me, it isn’t the ability to remember a script, a collection of certificates or the confidence to stand under a spotlight and deliver the perfect performance. I want them to leave brimming with confidence. I want them to feel comfortable walking into a room and being themselves, to have the courage to speak to someone new, share an idea, put their hand up when they’re not completely sure of the answer and, most importantly, be willing to say, “I’ll give it a go.”
That is what Zozimus Drama is really about.
Drama doesn’t have to be about performing
When you hear the words children’s drama class, it’s quite easy to picture scripts, auditions, costumes, rehearsals and the big end-of-term show. There is absolutely a place for all of that, but I created Zozimus to offer something different.
We don’t work towards shows, there aren’t lead roles to compete for and children aren’t under pressure to perform in front of an audience. Instead, we use drama as a tool to help children communicate, create, collaborate and use their imaginations.
Because I don’t believe a child needs to want to be an actor to benefit from drama. The skills they develop in that room can go with them into the classroom, onto the playground and, eventually, into their adult lives.
Confidence isn’t always loud
When we talk about wanting our children to be confident, it’s easy to picture the child who happily walks to the front of the room and talks to everybody. But confidence doesn’t always look like that.
For one child, confidence might mean finally contributing an idea after spending the first few weeks quietly observing. For another, it might be walking into class without needing quite as much reassurance from their grown-up. It can be joining in with a game they would usually watch from the side, speaking to somebody new or getting something completely wrong and being able to laugh and carry on.
Those moments can look tiny from the outside, but to that child they can be enormous. They’re the moments we notice and celebrate at Zozimus because confidence shouldn’t be about turning every child into the loudest person in the room. It’s about helping them become secure enough to be themselves.
What if there wasn’t a wrong answer?
Children spend a huge amount of their lives being asked questions with a right or wrong answer. One of the things I love most about drama is that we can take that away.
We can ask: What could this object become? Who might live behind that door? How are we going to escape? What happens next?
Suddenly, the child who might worry about putting their hand up in the classroom because they don’t want to get the answer wrong can throw an idea into the room. And if they tell me the cardboard box we’ve just found is actually a rocket-powered bath travelling to Mars, then brilliant — we’re going to find out where it takes us!
It sounds like play, because it is play. But something really important is happening underneath it. Every time a child offers an idea and discovers that the group wants to explore it, we’re reinforcing the message that their imagination matters, their contribution has value and their voice deserves to be heard.
They don’t just hear the story — they become part of it
That’s a big part of the Zozimus approach. We use stories as the starting point, but the children don’t simply sit and listen to them. They step inside them.
Through drama games, role-play, storytelling and lots of imagination, the children help shape the adventure. They make decisions, solve problems, create characters and work together to decide what happens next. And yes, sometimes it gets wonderfully chaotic!
While they’re busy having fun, though, they’re practising communication, listening, teamwork, problem-solving and learning to think on their feet. They’re negotiating with other children, learning that somebody else’s idea can be different from theirs and discovering that they can contribute without needing to take over.
They’re developing skills that reach far beyond a drama class without even realising they’re doing it.
The little changes are often the biggest ones
One of my favourite parts of teaching drama is seeing those changes happen over time. They’re not always huge, dramatic transformations, and I don’t think they need to be.
It might be the child who barely spoke during their first class suddenly offering an idea. The child who always stood at the edge volunteering to go first. The child who was terrified of doing something ‘wrong’ becoming gloriously silly because they’ve realised nobody is judging them.
Those are the moments that make me think, this is why we do this.
And when a parent tells us they’ve started noticing those changes outside Zozimus too, that’s even better. Because ultimately, I don’t want children to develop confidence that only exists for 45 minutes inside a drama class. I want them to take it with them.
Imagine your child a few years from now
Imagine them starting a new school and having the confidence to introduce themselves to someone. Imagine them putting their hand up, trying something new, speaking in front of a group or standing up for themselves when they need to.
Imagine them having an idea and being brave enough to share it. Imagine something going completely wrong and, rather than immediately thinking I can’t do this, they take a moment and try again.
Most of all, imagine them walking into a room without feeling that they need to change themselves to fit in. They know their voice matters, they know their ideas have value and they know they belong there.
That’s what I want a child to leave Zozimus with.
Some of our children might go on to absolutely love performing. They might join youth theatres, audition for shows and spend their lives desperate to get onto a stage. Others might never want to perform in front of an audience at all.
Either is absolutely fine with me.
Because we’re not here to create performers. We’re here to help grow confident, creative young people who are willing to have a go, use their imaginations and be completely themselves.
And if they can spend their time with us being wonderfully silly, making friends, exploring incredible stories and having an absolute blast at the same time, then that’s even better.
Could Zozimus be the place for your child?
If you’re looking for something a little different for your child — somewhere they can build confidence without the pressure of performing — we’d love to welcome them into one of our classes.
Come along and join us for a trial and see where their Zozimus adventure could take them. 🎭💛