Spider: Play about drama school misconduct lifts curtain on trauma behind the scenes
A new play, written by a former drama student, tells the story of a flawed acting school teacher whose out-of-date and unethical practices land him in deep trouble with his students.
Spider is set in a fictional drama school and the writer and director, Jude Benning, says the lead character – Frank Dowling – is a composite of people who still work in the industry.
It’s run at the Riverside Studios, in London, and comes after a Sky News investigation in November last year uncovered misconduct and harassment in some of Britain’s leading conservatoires.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Benning says a play exposing disturbing behaviour – through a narrative of black comedy and adventure – is needed now more than ever.
“There’s a sort of cult-type aspect to some drama teaching,” she says.
“There are characters in power that traditionally have always run away with their power and found it difficult to be aware of themselves and be aware of creating a safe environment for students.”
Experiences Ms Benning has researched and heard about have influenced her directing style.
“As one example, last night the cast had a party and I can’t be at that party among them, I can’t have alcohol with them,” she says.
“I have to be really strict about my boundaries, because we have to keep a nice professional balance.
“I think it’s very difficult not to, as a leader, as a director, or a teacher, not to want to get in with everybody and socialise and be a friend, but that’s when things start getting a little bit blurred.”
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Alleged abuse at UK drama schools explained
It’s quite common for teachers and leaders to socialise with students at drama school after a big performance or event.
The issues this can sometimes lead to are drawn out in the play.
“We have a scene in the play where the main character Frank has been to the pub with one of the students and things start to blur and he starts to forget that he’s actually an authority figure and a person in power,” Ms Benning said.
“That leads to muddy waters when you’re a director or a teacher. It’s not good.”
Frank is an unnerving character. Some in the cast are familiar with aspects of his behaviour in the play from their own experiences as students.
Actress Saffy Andrews is a former student of the now-closed Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, known as ALRA.
Saffy Andrews
Ms Andrews says her time at the campus in Wigan was filled with experiences of racism that eventually led her to leave a couple of months before graduation.
“I had to leave, it was just a mess,” she says.
The school was marred by racism and sexual misconduct allegations. It eventually closed in 2022 due to financial difficulties.
One internal report in May 2021 found the school created a “humiliating, hostile and exclusive” environment for students of colour.
Ms Andrews says being part of a play like this has been satisfying, although saddening at times, reminding her of her own experiences.
The cast during rehearsals
Speaking to Sky News, she says she is proud to be part of a play exploring these issues: “I feel like it’s the only way that drama schools are going to notice and it’s also an eye-opener to potential students that want to go to drama school and this industry.
“You have to have a strong back, otherwise – teachers, people, your classmates – they’ll eat you alive.
“During this show, it is very sad because this teacher character, Frank, he doesn’t care about his students.
“He just wants to abuse them, get what he wants, because he hasn’t made it and he lies to them and they believe what he says because they want to make it in the industry.”
The former chair of trustees of ALRA, Henry Cowd, tells Sky News they were made aware of general complaints from students involving microaggressions of a racist nature and it eventually became clear the school had a “deep-seated problem”.
In addition, Mr Cowd says: “There were clear policies but many staff had an insufficient understanding of how their language, often used unintentionally, could be misinterpreted and found to be potentially insulting.”
Read more:
‘I always felt unsafe’: The alleged abuse at top drama schools
Fellow cast member Scarlett Green loved her drama training experience but hopes the show will offer some comfort for those who did not or are currently struggling.
“I would hope that for people who had a negative experience in drama school… I would hope that it was a cathartic experience for them just to have… to know that it’s out there and people are aware of it,” she says.
“The thing with harassment and subtle abuse that we draw on is that the victims of it can so often feel unheard, and like no one really knows that this exists.
“So hopefully for them to come and see it, it’ll feel good that people know about this.”
This play may lead to some in the industry having to confront some uncomfortable truths and help survivors feel seen.
David Smy, Deputy Director of Enabling Regulation for the Office for Students (OfS), said: “Harassment and sexual misconduct can have a profound impact on a student’s life, including their education.
“We know that universities and colleges take these issues very seriously, but we think there is a compelling case for further action to prevent these incidents from happening, and to ensure higher education providers respond effectively when they do occur.
“This is why the OfS launched a consultation on introducing new regulatory requirements in this area in 2023.
“Any student who has experienced harassment or sexual misconduct should speak to their university or college. They should expect to be supported by their university or college or signposted to more specialist support.”
Spider runs until 25 February at the Riverside Studios in London.
A woman casually walks into a convenience store and starts filling a bread crate with goods from one of the aisles.
A shop assistant tries to stop her, but she shrugs him off, undeterred. With the crate now full of items, she leaves without paying.
It is a scenario that is played out day in and day out across Britain, as retailers warn the surge in shoplifting is now “out of control”.
Four in five store owners tell Sky News they’ve experienced shoplifting in the last week.
I’m sitting in the security office of a busy city centre shop and I’m watching as a schoolboy walks in and helps himself to a sandwich, stuffing it into his jacket.
Watching with me is shop worker Anton Mavroianu who positions himself by the main entrance waiting for the youngster to leave.
When the boy does leave, Anton demands the item back. Instead of being frozen with fear that he’s been caught, the boy laughs and walks off.
“All we can do is try to stop them,” Anton tells me. “But this is just another day for us.”
Anton Mavroianu said he has been threatened with a knife while trying to stop shoplifters
A few weeks earlier, when Anton tried to stop a shoplifter who had stolen from the store, the man pulled out a knife and tried to attack him.
This terrifying incident is an example of the very real threat posed to shop workers as they try to stem the tide of brazen thefts.
Shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales have risen to the highest level in 20 years.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) also reports that theft-related losses cost the retail sector millions each year, adding strain to an industry already grappling with post-pandemic recovery and economic uncertainty.
For small businesses, which lack the resources of larger chains, persistent theft can threaten their very survival.
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Ricky Dougall owns a chain of convenience stores and says shoplifting cost his business around £100,000 last year.
“Shoplifting is a huge problem and it is what stops us from growing the business.
“People come in and help themselves like they own the place and when you call the police, most of the time, they don’t turn up.”
Ricky Dougall said part of the problem is how shoplifting is classified during sentencing
Mr Dougall says part of the problem is how this type of crime is classified.
Sentencing guidelines for thefts of under £200, so-called “low level shoplifting”, were relaxed in 2016. That is being blamed for the surge in cases.
An exclusive Sky News and Association of Convenience Stores survey shows that 80% of shopkeepers surveyed had an incident of retail crime in the past week.
The poll also found 94% of shopkeepers say that in their experience, shoplifting has got worse over the last year, with 83% not confident that the police will take action against the perpetrators of retail crime on their premises.
Paul Cheema from the Association of Convenience Stores says retailers are looking to Government to support them.
“I would say officials do not give a s*** about us retailers,” he tells me. “The losses are too big and I don’t think we can sustain that anymore.
“I would urge Keir Starmer to come and meet us and see up close the challenges that we are facing.”
Retailers have responded by investing heavily in security measures, from advanced surveillance systems to hiring more security staff.
But these investments come at a cost, often passed down to consumers through higher prices.
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I get chatting to Matt Roberts, head of retail in the store I am in. He worries about shoplifting, but he worries about the staff more.
“I would imagine they dread coming to work because they’re always on tenterhooks wondering whether something is going to happen today, whether they are going to have to try and confront someone.
“It’s a horrible feeling. It’s out of control and we need help.”
Matt Roberts says he is concerned for his staff, who have to confront shoplifters
The government has acknowledged the urgency of the issue. Home Secretary-led discussions with retail associations and law enforcement are underway to craft a comprehensive strategy.
In the King’s Speech, the government outlined details of a Crime and Policing Bill, which promised to “introduce stronger measures to tackle low level shoplifting”, as well as introducing a separate offence for assaulting a shop worker.
Children do not feel safe, a charity has warned, as a survey finds two-thirds of teens in England and Wales have a fear of violence.
The charity, which surveyed 10,000 children aged 13-17, found that 20% of teenagers have been victims of violence in the past 12 months.
“I think what shocked me most is how this is a problem that affects all of our children,” said Jon Yates, CEO of the Youth Endowment Fund.
“We found that two-thirds of all teenage children are afraid. And that fear is pretty real for a lot of them.”
He said it’s a fear so palpable that many teenage children are changing their patterns of behaviour, or have had it influence their daily decisions.
One third of teenage children – 33% – reported avoiding areas, whilst around 27% alter their travel routes or avoid public transport altogether to stay safe.
More worryingly, however, some say the fear of violence has led to mental health challenges, with 22% reporting difficulties sleeping, reduced appetite and concentrating in school.
Weapon carrying is also a concern for the charity, especially among vulnerable groups.
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From September: Young gangs of Wolverhampton
In England and Wales, 5% of all 13-17 year olds reported carrying a weapon in the past year, but that figure jumps to 21% for those suspended from school and 36% for children who have been excluded from school.
But Mr Yates said “shockingly” only 12% of children who repeatedly commit violence get any sort of support.
“That’s madness,” he said.
Jay*, 23, from Birmingham said depending on your environment, sometimes violence is hard to avoid.
“I’ve had friends be shot, I’ve got friends who have been stabbed, I had a friend die last month to be fair,” Jay told Sky News.
He said it is “damaging” because you never really get the opportunity to “heal”. He is now being supported by the charity Project Lifeline, but says before then it was difficult to find any hope.
“If you don’t have hope,” Jay added, “you can’t really get anywhere. It’s about finding that hope.”
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Mark Rodney, CEO of Lifeline Project, mentors at-risk young children and said he has learned that “not only the perpetrator carries the knife, the victim sometimes carries the knife”.
“And not only the perpetrator does the killing,” he added. “The victim sometimes does the killing, because that’s where we’re at.”
He said far too many families ask themselves “is my child safe going to school or coming home from school?” and adds the government must “actually start addressing people’s concerns”.
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From September: Home Sec vows to halve knife crime
The report also found that in 93% of cases where teenage children repeatedly harm others, adults intervene with punishments such as school discipline or police involvement.
However, only 12% of these children are offered support aimed at addressing the root causes of violence and preventing further harm.
Mr Yates said: “They go to school, they do something violent. They get excluded.”
He added: “We need to be much better at saying, ‘we’re not going to lose that child. We’re going to keep providing support to them. We’re going to keep providing a mentor’.
“Instead, we let them fall through the cracks”.
A government spokesperson said: “Halving knife crime in a decade is a clear mission this government has set out.
“It is vital to protect vulnerable young people who are too often the victims or perpetrators of this crime.”
*names have been changed
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