Tributes pour in for Horsham drama teacher who ‘inspired thousands of students’

Renee Martin, who taught for more than 60 years in Horsham, Crawley and surrounding areas, died last week at the age of 89.

She was a much-loved actress and performer and created The Saturday Morning Youth Drama Workshops at the Capitol Theatre - and ran them for over 30 years.

Former student Colin Stepney said: “Renee was an inspiration to all the students who were lucky enough to be taught by her.”

Another former student, Katherine Frampton, described Renee as “an extraordinary woman who has been dedicated to the West Sussex community for so many years.”

Former students and friends say Renee became a central part of their lives. Many have gone on to have successful careers in the theatre and arts world.

A special tribute page has been set up on social media so that people can share their fond memories of her.

One said: “She introduced acting, musical theatre and a love of all things drama into many thousands of children’s lives.”

Renee was born in Portsmouth where her father was stationed in the Royal Navy and where she first began dance and poetry lessons at the age of five.

Two years later she moved with her family to Southwater where she studied dance with West End musical star Dorothy Johnson at her tea rooms in the village.

Renee joined The Horsham School Of Dance at the age of 12 and qualified as a dance teacher aged just 17.

In the early 1950s she joined the Wesminster Repertory Company at the Theatre Royal on The Carfax, Horsham, where Michael Caine started his career at a similar time as an actor/assistant stage manager.

She then went on to live with relatives in Chiswick while training at the British Drama League before spending a year touring schools with Brian Way’s famous Theatre Centre Company.

The company originated the concept of theatre for children in an educational context.

Renee returned to Horsham and started her Dance School in Crawley, Southwater and Broadbridge Heath.

She also ran evening institute drama classes, working with Horsham’s Forest Youth Wing, putting on three shows a year for charity.

Along with that she took drama classes at a Crawley Youth Arts Centre known as Centre 70.

Renee worked for George Rawlins, the West Sussex County Council youth drama advisor who was himself a former actor/director.

George organised annual residential youth Ddrama courses at the Lodge Hill Centre near Pulborough, where Renee was one of the teaching staff.

In the early 1980s, Renee joined the staff of the Downsend Group Of Schools near Leatherhead, where she spent 20 years teaching at the infants, junior and senior schools as head of drama.

She also continued teaching drama privately and set up and ran her own Youth Theatre Summer Schools.

Throughout Renee’s teaching of drama and dance, her students achieved extraordinarily high examination pass rates - with many of them going on to turn professional.