 looks back at Ireland’s experiences in primary school.){kind=link}
★★★★
Written and performed by Kate Ireland, and directed by Giulia Grillo, Golden Time (and Other Behavioural Management Strategies) looks back at Ireland’s experiences in primary school. As a child, she was chatty, clumsy and unfocused. As an adult, starting a new job as a teaching assistant, she is determined to succeed. The show follows her first week as she tries to find her feet—and remember her lanyard every day!
There’s quite a long introduction where Ireland explains what Golden Time is (an hour of reward time on Friday afternoon where minutes are docked for “bad behaviour” during the week) and asks the audience about their experiences of it. This could be shortened, as the real magic is in the story. Ireland is an engaging performer, appearing more confident the minute she jumps into character. Her narrative is beautifully written and filled with descriptive imagery, and thanks to her great acting the characters really come alive. Her depiction of Miss Shepard, the teacher she assists, is a highlight: she nails the expressions and mannerisms of an enthusiastic primary school teacher.
Mostly, Kate is helping an unnamed girl who is constantly in trouble for not acting like her peers. The choice to address this character as “you” is an effective one: she places the audience in the child’s shoes, exemplifying how excluded she feels. Kate also sees lots of her younger self in the child, especially when she struggles with her maths work, Kate’s worst subject in school. She uses this to her favour, drawing on her own experiences to help the girl, but unfortunately, this is frowned upon by the teacher. It’s a bold statement about mainstream education, which too often tries to shove children into little boxes and penalises them for behaviour which is outside of the norm.
The pressure becomes too much, and this is shown through a dreamlike sequence. The creative captions jump about the screen to demonstrate the chaos in her mind. Images and soundbites from what she’s heard at school pop up, with no discernible pattern or logic. It perfectly encompasses how overwhelmed she feels, and is succeeded by a segment where Ireland checks in with us, inviting us to look back at what made our younger selves happy and encouraging us to incorporate more of this into our everyday lives.
Remarkably, Golden Time is relatable to a wide range of audiences. Ireland evokes nostalgic memories from primary school, such as wet paper towels to soothe injuries and the power of the teacher to quieten a whole class with just a clap. It’s also relatable to those who work in primary schools, particularly teaching assistants and those who feel out of place in a sea of perky, organised teachers. Thankfully, Ireland’s tale has a happy ending: she now works with children in primary schools and youth settings to make sure they never feel how she did. It does make you wonder how we can better support neurodivergent children within education settings long after the play is finished.
Golden Time (And Other Behavioural Management Strategies) will be performed at Pleasance Dome – Ace Dome until 25 August (not 11, 18) as part of Edinburgh Fringe
Words by Ellen Leslie
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