The Halcyonite

By Liddie

’23, Halcyonite Editor in Chief

Kelly Foster was interviewed by a member of the Halcyonite team. Kelly is a theatre and philosophy teacher at Halcyon International School. Enjoy!

Do you consider yourself an artist?

“Yes, because I get most of my pleasure and most of my inspiration (I hate that too) from doing things I consider artistic and creative. I get a lot of joy from teaching a creative subject to other people and making them do it whenever they want to or not.” 

Why did you choose to teach at an International school?

“I didn’t choose to teach at an International school specifically, I wanted to teach. It just mattered that I wanted to teach theatre to someone who wanted to learn. I got a job at an international school in Paris, it was very open and it allowed me to do exactly what I wanted to do. There is nothing more I enjoy than doing what I want. The international school allowed me to teach theatre in an authentic way, I don’t want to be chained to a syllabus.” 

What is the most interesting philosophical concept you’ve read about?

“I really like existentialism, the reason I like it is because most people don’t really understand it. Because people think extenisialsm is really negative but it is really positive. Existentialism is a branch of philosophy in which you ascribe meaning to the universe; you are the master and meaning maker of your own universe. 

I also like phenomenology. It says that the only way you experience the world is through your senses and therefore you can’t guarantee the next room is the next room because you can’t see it. Nothing exists without you experiencing it through your senses. Theatre is also immediate and then it goes.”   

What is a saying you live your life by?

           “Don’t be an arse” 

How do you combine philosophy and theatre?

“Theatre tracks and influences cultural movements and so it’s interesting that collective thought of a society can be shaped by a theatre movement.You can track the rise of a philosophical concept by tracking a theatre movement. For example, the rise of the absurdist theatre movement and Existentialism go hand in hand

Philosophy is every day. It’s not how theatre links into philosophy, it’s how philosophy links into life. That is why I don’t understand people that don’t like philosophy, it’s like saying you don’t like to breathe.” 

What inspired you to teach philosophy?

“I really enjoy having a chat. Talking about philosophy is a bit like a good old chat about lots of interesting things and having a good old fight about ideas. That is really fun. It’s a good way to get to know people. It’s nice to see people go “oh wow that’s really interesting”.  Philosophy makes you a better human being, more emphatic and more moral person.”

What inspired you to teach theatre?’

“I was an actor, and I enjoyed that for what it was. I didn’t particularly mesh with the world of acting. I found it a bit suffocating and inconstant. 

I had always loved learning stuff, like weird stuff. I thought to myself: “what job can I do that I can learn weird stuff and work with theatre around other people and get paid for it?” When you’re acting all you think about is your next job, upcoming auditions and how much money you still have. Now I think in the morning about the weird stuff I can talk about today. And what weird stuff will people talk to me about. 

Also I don’t like being told what to do, I’m not told what to do when teaching and that’s nice. Directors were always telling me what to do, and I would always question them.” 

How has your upbringing influenced your career choice?

“My dad is a writer and my mum was a dancer. My sister is an artist. I grew up in a very artistic, liberal household. My dad used to be a film lecturer so I grew up watching really weird and inappropriate films. Like I saw ‘The Shining’ when I was six

I grew up with a love for watching people on screen. My first real memory was when my parents bought me a pair of red sparkly shoes and I would walk around the house in them. Also, in school when I was in my theatre class no one told me what to do. I could just do what I wanted and that was good.”

Do you think that the arts are a basic need for humanity?

“Maybe, I don’t know. I don’t think we know enough. I know that art has always been used as a tool to express ourselves in different societies, ancient as well as modern. That is a big piece of evidence that it is essential but I wouldn’t like to make any hard or fast rules.”

What is one major life lesson you’ve learnt doing art and philosophy?

“Some of the most interesting philosophers I’ve read, the externalist and the stoics and the epicurists. It boils down to living a good life and what that means is being kind. Living a reflective life, living a good life, living authentically. Not reducing anyone else.  To recognise your wrongness and to apologise. Loads of people find that really hard. Natural justice is really important.”

Do you believe in aliens?

“Yes, I believe that there are intelligent life forms that might take a different form. I also believe that our heads are little boxes and that this is just an illusion.”

Special shoutout to Kelly Foster for graciously allowing me to interview her.