The Magic of a Balloon (and Why Drama Matters More Than Ever)

The other night I saw a post from an educator in the US who said teaching these days feels like being the thing that happens between kids and their next dopamine hit. They’re looking at you, but you can tell they’re waiting to get back to the screen.

Then I happened to watch the Bluey episode Keepy Uppy. You know the one — the whole family trying to keep a single balloon in the air. No gadgets. No prizes. Just the joy of play.

And it made me think: that’s what imagination does. It turns the simplest thing into something that matters.

Meet Darren (or Janet)

One morning at the school where I teach drama, I found a lone balloon on the staffroom floor. No idea why it was there. I drew a face on it, named it Darren (sometimes Janet), and took it into my studio.

Now, these are one-on-one lessons — just me, a student, and on this particular day, also Darren/Janet. But somehow, that was enough. Every student asked about it. They laughed, they joined in, and Darren became part of everything we did — warm-ups, improvisations, even our vocal work.

The next week, Darren had seen better days. A little wrinkled, a bit tragic. I popped him in the bin.

And every single student noticed. “Where’s Darren?” “What happened to him?” One even said we should’ve held a funeral.

A Lesson from a Balloon

It’s funny, isn’t it? In a world where attention is constantly pulled and pinged and refreshed, something as simple as a balloon can hold it — completely. Because it’s not really about the balloon. It’s about imagination, connection, and care.

When I first started Upstage, a business coach asked what my outlay would be. I said, “Not much — just the space.” Because you don’t need fancy equipment to create a world. You just need people willing to imagine one together.

Less Scroll, More Soul

That’s what drama gives — room to breathe, to imagine, to laugh, to connect.

Maybe we should all invest in a packet of balloons…