drama schools are responsible for these stories too. not only because many protect abusive students + teachers but also because they literally train the boundaries out of young actors. they leave believing they must say yes to everything and to ignore their instincts.

when you’re told to ignore the way one of your teachers massages your shoulders unbidden, when rape is ignored in your year group, when visiting married writers sleep with teenagers and are invited back, when you’re told to never be difficult, when it’s always “yes and”

for clarity, i didn’t go to drama school but i spent a lot of time visiting my friends at them and know a lot of people who did. the normalisation of vicious sexism, racism and sexual abuse is terrifying + was so clear as an outsider.

i think it takes 5+ years to recover from drama school training in this country. to relearn boundaries, to know you can say no, to start speaking about what was accepted and encouraged in these institutions, to stop feeling lucky you even got in, to find yourself again.

if you’re a male actor liking these tweets - what have you done since drama school to hold yourself and your friends accountable for the harm you caused there? are you still friends with men you know to be abusers? have you ever called any of your mates out? the gall, honestly.