Christoper Gilmore
ACTOR, AUTHOR, PLAYWRIGHT, TEACHER, LEARNER
Christopher began his career in live theatre at the age of 16, when he appeared in A Play-a-Day. National Service followed, then training at LAMDA, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in which, years later, he became a tutor. There, and in three other London Drama Schools, he taught many young actors, some of whom have gone on to play leading parts in film, TV and on stage – Anthony Head, Nicola McAulffe and Nigel Planer being three such examples of his past students.
As a young professional, Christopher acted with Maggie Smith, Orson Wells and Jack Warner; also with directors Ellen Pollock, Michael Winner and Menaham Golan. His theatre skills and experience he took into four comprehensive schools. As Head of Drama, he wrote original plays and musicals. In all, he has had over 30 productions of his works produced; 5 in London fringe venues including OLD FRUIT with Julia Lang and John Justin. The drama critic Michael Billington called this two-hander, ‘….home counties Strindberg’ before it got equally well received at the Edinburgh Festival (1977). The following year in Edinburgh, he presented CAESAR’S REVENGE. Billed as ‘A comedy about reincarnation ghosted by the dead atheist George Bernard Shaw’, it was ‘…all refreshingly acted and staged’. So wrote Sandy Neilson.
His first three written works, self-published, were Talking Books of fables for all the family. SOUL-CENTRED EDUCATION was launched at the Findhorn Foundation where he ran a workshop on Brain Gym. A copy of this was bought by the late Literary Agent, Elspeth Cochrane. For his ‘New Novel Faction’ ALICE IN WELFARELAND, Ms Cochrane then allowed these words to appear on the back cover. ‘Congratulations! I enjoyed reading it and happily praise it to High Heavens!’ Christopher then wrote her biography, a book that covers over 60 years of theatrical innovation, much of it with her at the forefront as with the ‘kitchen-sink’ plays so successfully staged in the early 1960s. Christopher became a Writer of the Year in the Real Life Category in 2010; an award given by United Press which has published over a dozen of his poems in different volumes.
His writing was further inspired when he became a state teacher of drama in his forties. Taking classes in English Language and Literature as well as in Drama, increasingly Christopher came to believe that education works better as an open warm-hearted invitation rather than as a closed-minded imposition. Students, given too few personal choices are less likely to learn to take responsibility, he claims, let alone learn about causes and consequences in relation to a broader experience of life skills. Hence, by way of a complementary approach to top-down delivery of information, he wrote 10 illustrated educational books dubbed DOVETALES, whose titles include HOLISTIC HISTORY, LOVING LANGUAGES, INTEGRATED SCIENCE, SPORTS, HEALTH & DANCE, and RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES.
The main purpose of each book is to encourage more spontaneous curiosity in students by putting heart before head; not least in the 4-11 year-olds, an age group that Christopher taught for ten years. In fact, youngsters in Secondary Schools often saw the value in this approach to person-centred education, unlike most traditional educationalists.
DOVETALES were well received in the UK before being used abroad in Hong Kong, South Africa and Hungary. Across the board they garnered many positive comments:
‘At last a truly lateral, holistic cross-curricular approach’; ‘A golden treasure chest overflowing with innovation’; (Caduceus, reviewing DOVETALES Integrated Science)
‘Alternative curricula which emphasises experience, creativity and participation…proving very popular’; (Resurgence)
‘Highly original…an exciting alternative to standard teaching.’ (Global Education News)
His favourite review, however, came from Lee Chapman, the 15-year-old who illustrated DOVETALES MIGHTY MATHEMETICS: ‘One of these mini-sagas could last a whole lesson. Things that you wouldn’t think of but it all fits in.’
Although retired from full-time teaching, Christopher runs workshops in four continents on a range of themes. Originally, these were usually a part of the many pioneering initiatives to which he contributed. Namely, the Holistic Education Network and SEAL, the Society of Effective Affective Learning. However, in the founding of SUSALL, Seekers Uniting Spiritually All Loving Learning, he has facilitated open forum ‘Playshops’ in four continents. Having taught students from 4 to 84 using his gifts that combine decades worth of experiences and insights, he now concentrates on the Inner Learner. By helping to nurture each person’s hidden gifts, he sees the secret buds on consciousness begin to bloom so that the student achieves more autonomy through self awareness in action.
So far the most popular titles in SUSALL have been ‘L/earning from Past Lives’; ‘Sacred Secrets, Healing Sounds’; ‘Spirituality and Technology’ – but his list of offerings includes 22 other titles, all of which are now available through INaSENSE.
“Given we all have needs that make us feel special, the potential glories of a global vision invites contributions from us all. Is this urgent need not best served by each unique talent being personally maximised so that standardisation is no longer confused with standards? As Plato wrote, ‘Compulsory Education cannot remain in the Soul’. I suggest it is high time to reclaim the ideals that enhance personalised eternal optimism.”
– Christopher Gilmore
