Increasing access to higher education for sections of the community that traditionally miss out on university is a pressing issue for Australia but a new theatre production being staged in high schools could help solve that.
By the end of this year, more than 8,000 year 7 students in 70 schools in western Sydney and country NSW will have seen Onwards and Upwards, an interactive live production from the Gibber Theatre in the UK.
The idea is to present university as something not only for those from wealthy families, says Dominic Nimo, the lead actor in Onwards and Upwards.
"We try to look at it from a kid's perspective … no matter who you are or where you live, higher education is achievable, if you want to attend it," says Nimo.
Gibber Theatre is working with TAFE and five universities – the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), Macquarie, Sydney, Western Sydney and the Australian Catholic University – to target schools with low enrolments in university and TAFE. The program is part of a $21.2 million Commonwealth Government program, Bridges to Higher Education.
Gibber has adapted its highly successful UK production to Australian audiences, adding references to celebrities such as Delta Goodrem, and Australian TV shows. The 40-minute live drama is combined with a video projected behind the actors, showing students what they can expect at university open days and directing them to useful websites.
"The kids seem to really relate to it," says Nimo. "It's funny, they laugh at different jokes in Sydney than they do in the country areas – and at boys' schools they are a little more cool and it takes time to warm them up."
The point of the exercise is to provide accurate information and dispel myths about higher education, says UTS Widening Participation Co-ordinator Trudy Phelps.
"In some families it may be a case of the unknown – that no one has transitioned to higher education in that family – and we try to highlight the realities of what it's like," she says.
There is a cumulative impact from programs such as Onwards and Upwards, according to the 2014 Bridges interim evaluation report compiled by KPMG. Of the students who have participated in the production, Gibber reported that 87 per cent said they were more likely to stay at school to complete year 12 and 78 per cent thought they would fit in at university. And 84 per cent of teachers said they thought the performance would encourage students to engage more with their high school work.
- High school students whose families are not wealthy or have no experience of tertiary education often think university is not for them
- A group of five Australian universities, including UTS, is working with a UK theatrical group to convince students that if they want to attend, it is achievable – no matter where they live or what their family income is