Stephen Wilkins (retired 2000)

This summer Stephen Wilkins retires as Head of Drama at Haberdashers' after twenty-seven years - a statistic which can only hint at the scale of the contribution he has made to the public life of the School and the enormous influence he has had personally on the lives of so many boys (and girls) at Elstree in that time.

As well as ultimately overseeing over ninety school plays at Haberdashers', he has also directed every senior play since his arrival - creating productions which will be remembered as much for their diversity as for their consistently high standards. To students and staff alike he's the man with the big hair; the big grin; the unmistakable quirky handwriting; and the 'refreshing direct' statements. Sometimes his deep booming voice can stop a first year wrestling match at twenty paces; at other times his almost whispered speech can force a pin drop silence in the ham-like acoustic of the Bourne Hall.

His awe-inspiring knowledge of the mysteries of the fly-tower and the trap-door; of the cultivation of cabbages and broad beans; of the Old Vic, the Royal Court and the Theatre de Complicite~; of the private life of chickens and the difficulties of keeping geese next to a railway line - all have served to make him a unique and perhaps daunting figure. But for those students to whom Mr Wilkins became 'Steve' - master in charge of blindfolding, of walking around invisible walls and relaxing until "perhaps you can hear your own blood", a man more open, more sensitive and more giving of himself would be difficult to find.

Prior to what was apparently a rather casual appointment to teach 'a bit of English' and to 'do some plays' at Haberdashers', he taught at Epsom College after graduating from Oxford. However, it was his time spent as a stage carpenter with the University Dramatic Society, rather than his degree in French and German, which prepared him to become such an extraordinarily practical and inspired facilitator of school drama. What one saw from the auditorium during a performance, however, was nothing to the experience gained by those actually involved in a production, an experience for many boys which was undoubtedly their most memorable and perhaps their most important during their time at school.

During rehearsals young actors were made to feel as if they were embarking on a great journey of exploration and, like the very best directors, he's not marching out in front carrying a furled umbrella that you're struggling to keep up with, but behind you, carrying an enormous trunk of things that you may need but which you would never have thought of packing for yourself.

People always speak of the high standard of drama at Haberdashers'. That is a response to the extraordinary conviction displayed by actors in his productions which comes from being given the confidence, the freedom and the discipline to 'discover' your role for yourself rather than having it imposed.

The School is losing what might be called 'an institution' ... we hope that General Studies Yoga may yet continue, but the sight of Stephen benignly cross-legged in the middle of the Staff Room floor during Headmaster's Notice every Friday will now be just a memory. No more will lunchtimes seem as hypnotic while colleagues wait patiently for his careful ritual of fruit peeling and slicing to end (no one else could take so long to eat an apple!).

He is an extraordinary teacher, director, designer, colleague, mentor, assistant and friend. We shall miss him but we all wish him a long, happy and thoroughly deserved retirement with his wife Claire.