Our ‘Alumnus of the Month’ was both a student and teacher at William Howard – it’s Will Kemp.
Whilst at WHS, Will was a dynamic presence in Performing Arts and was deeply involved in choir and school productions. Will’s love of storytelling and performance led him to Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh, where he studied Drama and Theatre Arts alongside Opera Singing.
After university, Will returned to WHS through the Graduate Teacher Programme, joining the teaching staff in Drama and PSHE. During his time at WHS, he led spectacular productions, most memorably Les Misérables, where a full-sized barricade spanned the room! Meanwhile, he also renovated a derelict church hall into a home and continued to sing professionally.
After seven years teaching at WHS, Will accepted a post at Jerudong International School in Brunei, Borneo. Since then, Will has taught Drama and Theatre Studies to students from Year 3 to Year 13 and has directed an incredible 326 productions. His team has grown from 12 to 95 staff members, and his productions involve up to 325 students at a time.
Outside of teaching, Will and his wife, Jances (a Brunei native), have launched several successful businesses primarily based on food, drink and theatre.
Will has been teaching for 19 years and still finds joy and excitement in every lesson and rehearsal – “I love every minute of teaching and the diverse mix of work that I do. If you’re thinking about working abroad or going on an adventure—do it. You won’t regret it!”
