London Drama News

London Drama Conference

Drama Now! and the Way Ahead - more info and to book

Borough Drama

Is your borough organised for Drama? Does it provide INSET or CPD courses? London Drama can support the development of initiatives and programmes for drama in boroughs. Please contact us if you would like more information.
Find out more

School Support

If your school would like to develop drama training please contact us. We will advise on or provide active resourcing.

Youth Theatres

Get Into Theatre helps you find out about career opportunities, work experience, training and much more.

New Publications

Drama to Inspire: a London Drama Guide to excellent practice in drama for young people
Edited by John Coventon

This new book is a collection of practice based accounts by fifteen leading practitioners who have had a connection with London Drama, including Dorothy Heathcote, Jonothan Neelands, Andy Kempe and Daniel Shindler.

More info and/or buy here

Order in the Chaos
by Danielle Mackenzie

This new practical resource book by Danielle Mackenzie published by London Drama provides teachers with seven exciting units of work and materials designed for the GCSE Edexcel Drama Examintion, New Specification, helping to organise "Order" in all that potential "Chaos".

Published as a downloadable E-Book.

More info and download here

Stanislavski in Practice: exercises for students
by Nick O'Brien

This book is an unparalleled step-by-step guide to Stanislavski’s System. Each element of the System is covered practically through studio exercises and jargon-free discussion.

More info and/or buy here

London Drama Members!

Get 5% discount on Drama to Inspire, Order in the Chaos, Stanislavski in Practice and all London Drama books. (Log in required.) Applies also to members of National Drama and English Speaking Board. Find out more

Creating Democratic Citizenship Through Drama Education £20.99

Foreword by David Booth and Juliana Saxton

This selection of the seminal texts of Jonothan Neelands is essential reading for everyone involved in drama education. It showcases the classroom participatory democracy through ensemble based theatre education which Neelands developed over 25 years.

Readers will find

Neelands’ development in the 1980s of the conventions approach which made Dorothy Heathcote’s and Gavin Bolton’s ‘living through drama’ more accessible and which has come to dominate drama curricula across the globe
his defence - along with Cecily O’Neill - of progressive drama education
his arguments for drama as both pedagogy and discipline
his calls for theatre education to be both presentational and representational
his pleas for drama’s place within the English rather than the arts curriculum
his response to 9/11: drama is crucial in an age of uncertainty and intolerance and the defining humanising and democratising principles of drama in education are a potent challenge to extremism.

In these inspirational, theoretically grounded and practical writings, Neelands shows how transformation through and on the stage can bring about real change in the world.

Professor Jonothan Neelands is a National Teaching Fellow, the Chair of Drama and Theatre Education, and Director of Teaching and Learning at the University of Warwick UK. He has trained teaching artists at the Royal Shakespeare Company and at New York’s New Victory Theater.

Author Details
Dr Peter O’Connor is Director of the acclaimed Applied Theatre Consultants and adjunct associate professor at the University of Sydney and a senior research fellow at the University of Auckland

Professor David Booth and Professor Juliana Saxton are leading authorities on drama in education in Canada.

Recommended products

Drama For Learning: Mantle of the Expert Approach (£29.50)
by Dorothy Heathcote
Heinemann USA
ISBN 978-0-435-08643-5
more info

Structuring Drama Work (£18.95)
by Jonothan Neelands and Tony Goode
Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 978-0-521-78729-1
more info

Gavin Bolton: The Essential Writings (£20.99)
by David Davis (Editor)
Trentham Books
ISBN: 9781858564708
more info

Coming up

Drama Now! ~ and the Way Ahead

Thursday 12 & Friday 13 April 2012: All day both days.
Venue: Goldsmiths College, New Cross SE14 6NW
Led by drama/theatre practitioners and young people.

At a time when the arts in education are under increasing challenge, the Conference is designed to inspire and support anyone with an interest in or professional engagement with Educational Drama and Theatre whether in London, or elsewhere.
Our aim is to make links, and put you, the wide range of practitioners, in touch with one another - to share current projects and practice.
Featuring: Cecily O'Neill (keynote), with workshops from:
Adam Annand, Andy Kempe, Daniel Shindler, Lucy Cuthbertson, Paul Sutton.
Performance by Corelli College.
More info and to book here.
Members discount fees here. (Log in needed)

Surveys

Courses Survey

We are always keen to hear what courses we can run for you. Please take our Courses survey here.

Mapping Drama Practice

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Organisations

STEP is a borough-wide partnership linking the theatre community and education and youth sector in the London Borough of Southwark.
STEP aims to equalise, extend and deepen the theatre and drama experience of all young people living in Southwark through the development of strategic partnerships between schools, youth and community groups and theatres and performing arts organisations.
STEP's objective is to work closely with Southwark schools, youth and community groups and theatres and performing arts organisations to develop creative approaches to learning and provide innovative projects which stimulate children and young people's personal development and contribute to their educational attainment.

Find out more here.