Horror lesson at Grammar
Creature actor brings zombies to life
In the normal course of events a zombie outbreak should send anyone running in the opposite direction – but last week pupils at Hamilton Grammar school flocked to join the undead horde.
There was of course no danger because, as we all know, zombies are not real and the ‘outbreak’ was in fact an opportunity for pupils to learn about stylised movement at an acting workshop.
It was led by professional creature actor Stevie Douglas who has featured in several music videos, TV productions and movies including the BBC’S I Survived a Zombie Apocalypse. When he is not being a monster Stevie is a youth worker with South Lanarkshire’s Universal Connections.
Pupil Devon Mcwhirter said: “I really enjoyed meeting and working with Stevie Douglas and I am very grateful that he took the time to come to our school.
“I am studying drama and working in performing arts in the future, so getting to spend time with a professional gave me a great chance to talk about the different career paths you can follow and made it feel more like an achievable option, although he did emphasise how much hard work and commitment it takes.”
Fellow pupil Nicola Mccallum said: “Although the focus was on zombie movement techniques, the skills we were being taught are things that we can transfer to other course work and to our practical SQA exams, things like when to be subtle and when to be bold.”
The drama department at Hamilton Grammar School arranged the special zombie workshop for senior pupils who will be studying for qualifications in drama after the summer, and while the professionals were in the school they took the opportunity to hold a second workshop for younger pupils with an interest in the subject.
Head teacher Graeme Sives said: “The zombie workshops were a lot of fun for the pupils who took part, but this was also an important opportunity for them to learn from professional industry experts and also to chat about careers in the creative industries.”