Last year comedian, writer and actress Ria Lina (born on March 4th, 1987) wrote and performed a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe about taking her kids out of mainstream schooling after some disappointing experiences with the London school system. Ria Lina’s School of Riason isn’t just a funny show but quite possibly a whole new curriculum in laughs. BBC Radio 4 has commissioned a one off 28 minute special to educate their listeners. We caught up with Ria to talk about her show…
Funny Women: Congratulations on your BBC Radio 4 commission! What inspired your show School of Riason?
Ria Lina: The show came about after we had been through two of our local primary schools and both had failed our children in one way or another. We ended up home schooling them for a year and I ended up venting my frustration at the system on stage.
FW: What have you got in store for Radio 4 listeners?
RL: The show is going to be true to its original and contain some critical analysis of the current state of education, but always in a fun and interactive way. The audience ‘exam’ from the show is definitely staying in!
FW: What’s your favourite part of your own curriculum?
RL: My personal favourite is a subject called ‘Creative Math’, because there are a lot of great words in math that we are taught and never use again, like parallelogram or trapezium. So I invented a subject where we would write essays or stories using math terms. What fun.
FW: Originally your show focused a lot on former Tory education secretary Michael Gove’s policies, what’s your current take on the education system?
RL: Just because Gove has been reshuffled doesn’t mean we aren’t still suffering from much of what he implemented before he went, but what I learned is that education is all about interpretation and a good teacher is worth their weight in gold, regardless of what curriculum has been imposed upon them.
FW: Where and when can we next see you perform?
RL: I’m doing a number of previews of my new Edinburgh show, Taboo Raider, over the next few months. I’m at Brighton Fringe 9-15 May, and at the Museum of Comedy in July. You can find details on my Facebook page.
FW: We’ve just launched the 2015 Funny Women Awards, any advice to those thinking about entering?
RL: Find your voice. It’s your most valuable skill as a performer.
FW: Thanks Ria!
Keep up to date with Ria Lina here!
