National Drama

In The Viewpoints Book, acclaimed theatre directors Anne Bogart and Tina Landau introduce the history, terminology and philosophy of Viewpoints, and offer a step-by-step recipe for using it as both a training tool and rehearsal technique. Viewpoints is a technique of improvisation that grew out of the post-modern dance world, allowing actors to learn to function spontaneously and intuitively. It was first articulated by choreographer Mary Overlie, whose ideas have been expanded and developed by Anne Bogart and Tina Landau, adapting them for the use of actors. This book is an invaluable resource for theatre-makers, as well as for anyone with an interest in collaboration and the creative process, whether in art, business or daily life.
By Anne Bogart and Tina Landau

How can teachers transform classroom teaching and learning by making pedagogy more socially and culturally responsive, more relevant to students’ lives, and more collaborative? How can they engage disaffected students in learning and at the same time promote deep understanding through high-quality teaching that goes beyond test preparation? This text for prospective and practicing teachers introduces engaging, innovative pedagogy for putting active and dramatic approaches to learning and teaching into action. It features real examples of preschool, elementary, middle, and high school teachers working in actual classrooms in diverse settings. Their tales explore not only how, but also why, they have changed the way they teach.
By Brian Edmiston

Erika Fischer-Lichte’s introduction to the discipline of Theatre and Performance Studies is a strikingly authoritative and wide ranging guide to the study of theatre in all of its forms. Its three-part structure moves from the first steps in starting to think about performance, through to the diverse and interrelated concerns required of higher-level study: Part 1 – Central Concepts for Theatre and Performance Research – introduces the language and key ideas that are used to discuss and think about theatre: concepts of performance; the emergence of meaning; and the theatrical event as an experience shared by actors and spectators. Part 2 – Fields, Theories and Methods – looks at how to analyse a performance and how to conduct theatre-historiographical research. Part 3 – Pushing Boundaries – expands on the lessons of Parts 1 and 2 in order to engage with theatre and performance in a global context.
By Erika Fischer-Lichte

Dramatherapy is increasingly being used in schools and educational establishments as a way of supporting young people’s emotional needs. This book examines the space between drama education and Dramatherapy exploring the questions: Does a therapist teach? When does the role of the drama teacher border on that of therapist? How do these two professions see and understand each other and the roles they play? In Drama Education and Dramatherapy, Clive Holmwood draws on his experience as a Dramatherapist and examines the history of drama education and Dramatherapy, exploring the social, political, therapeutic and artistic influences that have impacted these two professions over the last century. He also discusses how these fields are intrinsically linked and examines the liminal qualities betwixt and between them.
By Clive Holmwood