Education and Theatres

“Education and Theatre Beyond the Four Walls is a gem of a book. It is a must-read book for artists, theatre practitioners, Companies, educators, venue directors, policy makers, funders and those who work with children and young people through theatre. It provides a thought-provoking perspective on theatre and education work from across three continents, with insights from a wide range of contributors, including some of the world’s leading educational theatre Professionals and academics.” (Catherine Sheridan, Youth Theatre Ireland, Issue 21, 2020)

• Part I: Setting the scene.- Theatres and a spectrum of engagement Michael Finneran, Michael Anderson and Fiona McDonagh.- Part II: Tradition and Innovation.- Staying the Course and 'Here to Question': Envisioning education at Tarragon Theatre as an integral goal and a reciprocal practice Kathleen Gallagher and Anne Wessels.- ‘Within the girdle of these walls’: reflections on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Learning and Performance Network Joe Winston and Mon Partovi.- Creative Leadership in Learning at the Sydney Opera House Michael Anderson and Peter O’Connor.- From access to participation: an historical account of Queensland Theatre Company’s commitment to theatre education for children and young people Sandra Gattenhof and Heidi Irvine.- Part III: Moving beyond the main house.- Outreach in the deep north John O’Toole.- From human anatomy to the global banking crisis: exploring Warwick Arts Centre’s commitment to artist-academic collaboration Rachel King and Baz Kershaw.- The BiggestYouth Theatre Festival on the Planet: A Year in Life of the National Theatre Youth Connection Scheme Selina Busby.- “People who do theatre are a bit posh”:  examining the impact of class and ethnicity on engagement with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s youth theatre (The Young REP) Natalie Hart and Joe Winston.- Part IV: Artists in education, and beyond.- The School Drama Partnership: Beyond an Artist-in-Residence Program Robyn Ewing and John Saunders.- Education at Roundabout: It's about turning classrooms into theatres, and the theatre into a classroom Jennifer DiBella, Mitch Matteson and Jonathan Jones.- Arena Theatre’s Big Fish: The Marlin project: finding new meanings in the spaces between audience and participation in theatre for young people Christine Sinclair, Richard Sallis and Christian Leavesley.- Theaters for Learning: The New Victory SPARK Program Lindsey Buller Maliekel, Courtney J. Boddie, Dennie Palmer Wolf and Steven Holochwost.- Part V: Agentive partnership.-Shadows of history, echoes of war: Performing alongside veteran soldiers and prison inmates in two Canadian applied theatre projects George Belliveau and Monica Prendergast.- Visiting schools for visiting theatre. Researching introductory drama workshops and young people’s response Katrine Heggstad, Kari Mjaaland Heggstad and Stig A. Eriksson.- The Irondale Ensemble Project: Creating Communitas in Neo-Liberal Times Peter Duffy and Terry Greiss.- Acting Beyond Retirement: The Necessary Stage’s Theatre for Senior’s Programme Prudence Wales and Alvin Tan.- Part VI: Redefining engagement.- Theatres as Sites of Learning: Theatre for Early Years Audiences Emma Miles and Helen Nicholson.- Reach out and Relax: extending access to theatre for families living with disability Andy Kempe and Sarah Gregson.- The Dance of Life Judith Mc Lean and Sally Chance.- Education as Arts Talk? Canada’s National Arts Centre and Praxis Theatre’s SpiderWebShow Barry Freeman with Michael Wheeler.