ColumnsDuring the last couple of years I’ve been on a quest to visit all the schools running accredited performing arts courses across the UK. It has introduced me at first hand to many fascinating and…
Good news all round
Three pieces of training-related good news to share today. First, Cygnet Training Theatre in Exeter which was a member, albeit the smallest and the most “different”, of the old Conference of Drama Schools. When Drama…
Should student shows be marketed better to the public?
The Director of Performance at Mountview, Stephen Jamieson, told me last week that it isn’t always easy to persuade the general public to come to student shows. “They don’t seem to know that they can simply…
Tackling mental health discrimination
Education and training in this industry takes many forms, as I often point out. And it often – inclusivity being what theatre is so good at – supports vulnerable sections of the community really well….
Are drama students getting enough pastoral care?
Do drama school students get the personal care, guidance and support they need during training? Any 18 or 19 year old leaving home for the first time needs care. It’s a huge threshold – even…
Performing arts careers information for Birmingham students
I’ve been having some email correspondence with Emma Lingard who trained in dance and performing arts at LIPA after attending Stratford-Upon Avon College. She graduated in 2010. Lingard worked for LIPA in its widening participation…
Four more things to share
Yet again I have an embarrassment of riches: more material than space. It’s an age old problem for any journalist. So it’s miscellany time again. Here, in brief, are four things I want to share….
New acting course in Cornwall
Last week I met Dr Larry Lynch, Head of the Department of Performance at Falmouth University and his colleague Suzanne Bull. I was keen to find out from them what is going on at the…
What does Conservatoire for Dance and Drama do?
Conservatoire for Dance and Drama is an organisation I’ve been vaguely aware of for some time but, to my shame, knew very little about. So last week I took myself to Tavistock Square, where CDD…
Film making competition for girls like me
When I was a pupil at Sydenham High School GDST (then a direct grant grammar school, now independent) we never dreamed of film making. Our shows – Britten’s Noye’s Fludde for example – and concerts…
Classical music exhibit in Canterbury
I make no secret of being more drawn to classical and choral music than I am, in general, to other genres, although it’s a very personal thing and I do my best to be open-minded…
Digital versions of shows as an education resource
Here’s a resource to help drama teachers and students at all levels – available on an annual subscription of £275 for the smallest primary school to £1,200 for a large college and more for big…
This and that
When my colleague Mark Shenton has more to tell readers than he can fit into his columns – and by golly I know the feeling – he writes a piece called Short Shorts. Well I…
Accidental training at Central
Last week I attended a glitzy – in that I should have worn a frock rather than my workaday trousers – event in the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room. And it’s a venue with a…
Want to learn more about puppetry in applied theatre?
Everyone knows – the evidence is in almost every theatre – that puppetry has come of age. The days of its being a quirky corner of performance for children have long gone and now it’s…
All actors should be trained to work alongside signers
I have said this before but make no apology for re-visiting the subject, because it is almost unbelievable to me that performers and producers continue to be obstructively precious about signing and other resources which…
Good news: NT Connections 2013
On Sunday I saw Tomorrow I’ll Be Happy by Jonathan Harvey. Performed in the round by The Marlowe Senior Company, this is a new short play and part of this year’s National Theatre Connections, “a national…
Two training opportunities for children
I have just discovered two training opportunities for children this summer of which I previously knew nothing. And there’s still time to apply – if you’re quick. First, there’s the West End Stage summer school….
Huddled together in a successful university drama department
I’m often asked by enthusiastic sixth formers and anxious parents about the relative merits of university drama courses and conservatoire-style drama schools – and it’s a bit of a minefield. Parents tend to like the…
Two strands of performing arts training
An informative upbeat day last week demonstrated to me yet again first what a huge range of activities performing arts education covers and, second, how lucky I am to have such a lovely job. First…
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