The first written introduction to Dorothy Heathcote’s work was published in Swedish in 1974, while she herself visited Sweden to teach in the early 1980s. How has drama for learning, i.e. process drama, evolved since then?
Themes of belonging: to a group, identity, culture and place have dominated education and performance research in recent years.
Pamela Bowell
Amanda Kipling
Chris Lawrence
Dorothy Heathcote, who died on 8th October 2011, had a remarkable, crucial influence on the development of drama in education across the world. Her pioneering work with teachers and the broader community of educators and those they teach, developed a body of practice and philosophy that was innovative, radical and, at times, controversial. She was inspirational.
April 2014
This paper presents a mini ethnographic study focusing on students’ discussions of dramatic elements in the plays and films of Titus Andronicus and The Importance of Being Earnest.
Should Shakespeare studies have a place in the curriculum – or is it just a load of Bardolatry?
This paper reports findings from a research project on process drama for teaching and learning additional languages (AL/process drama).
The arts in education inspire considerable commitment and passion. However, this is not always matched by clarity of understanding. In this book Mike Fleming introduces the reader to key theoretical questions associated with arts education and clearly explains how these are related to practice. It offers an authoritative account of how ideas relevant to education are addressed by key authors in aesthetics, art theory and cultural studies.
By Mike Fleming
What does it mean to ‘fail’ in performance? How might staging failure reveal theatre’s potential to expand our understanding of social, political and everyday reality? What can we learn from performances that expose and then celebrate their ability to fail?
In Performance Theatre and the Poetics of Failure, Sara Jane Bailes begins with Samuel Beckett and considers failure in performance as a hopeful strategy. She examines the work of internationally acclaimed UK and US experimental theatre companies Forced Entertainment, Goat Island and Elevator Repair Service, addressing accepted narratives about artistic and cultural value in contemporary theatre-making. Her discussion draws on examples where misfire, the accidental and the intentionally amateur challenge our perception of skill and virtuosity in such diverse modes of performance as slapstick and punk.
By Sara Jane Bailes
