s thefirst-everdrama
teacherat Springfield
Convent,DavidFick
waswelcomedinto
thefold,especiallybytheall-girl
Catholicschool’sdramacrowd.
‘Hewasa young,freshpresence
at theschool’,saysGeorgia
Lahusen.‘I wasinGrade 10 at the
time,andinhisfirstmatricclass.’
Georgia(28)is theassociate
producerof CapeTown’sFugard
Theatre,andcreditsDavidwith
cementingherloveof theatre.
Whilestillthenewbieteacher,
Daviddecidedtotakethelessonshetaughtintheclasstowherethe
magicof hissubjectcouldcometo
life:thestage.Hesetupa Culture
Club:studentscouldjoinhimto
seetheatreproductions.
‘Thestorieswouldsparkdebates
anddiscussions,andwe’dreally
engagewiththework,’says
Georgia.‘MrFickjusthada real
loveforteachingandseeingthe
bestinhisstudents.’
Davidprioritisedlearningover
enforcingrules,earninghimself
a bitof a repas ‘thecoolteacher’.
‘I’ddyedsomeof myhairpink
at thetime,’saysGeorgia.‘But
theschoolhada prettystrictcode
of conduct.Sowhenhecaughta
glimpseof pink,he’djustsubtly
indicatethatsomethingpinkwas
showingsoI couldhideit.’
Overtime,theirstudent-teacher
relationshipbecamea friendship.‘Davidis alsoa dramagraduate
andknowshowhectictheaudition
processis.Hehelpedmechoose
auditionpiecesandassistedwith
myentranceessaywhenI applied
toUCT.’Georgiagraduatedin
2013 withanhonoursinActing.
‘We’vebecomegreatfriends,’
saysGeorgia.‘Wegotoa lotof
playsandmusicalstogether.I saw
theproductionwherehemethis
husbandandit wasa privilegeto
gotohisweddinglastyear.’
In2008,whileGeorgiawas
stillinschool,sheplayedthelead
inAntigone, a Greektragedyby
SophoclesthatDavidhadadapted
anddirected.Thisyear,herevived
theclassic.‘Itwasamazingtosee
howDavidfindsa waytomakethe
materialrelevanttogirlsandto
theworldtheylivein.That’swhat
makeshimsucha greatteacher.’✤LIGHTS, CAMERA,
ACTION
Georgia Lahusen &
David FickA
‘To him, it didn’t
matter that I had
pink hair. It didn’t
change my ability
to learn.’September 2019/Fairlady 39Georgia and her high school drama
teacher, David, in Springfield Convent’s
Dramatic Arts classroom.