Review of the Drama and Theatre A level: Past, Present, and Future

About This Event

Two PhD researchers, Phil Cleaves and Beth Curtis, present their explorations of the Drama and Theatre A level. First, a discussion of the student/teacher lived experience of assessment. Then, an exploration of an imagined future A level curriculum.

Why this event is good to come to

This is a rare opportunity to discuss the current Drama and Theatre A level curriculum in the context of the government review.

Session Fees

Session fee is £7.50. Members of London Drama and National Drama £5.00. Teachers-in-Training/ECTs Free.
Members/Teachers-in-Training/ECTs: Please contact London Drama at londondrama1@gmail.com for the Access code to reveal your tickets.

About the session leaders

Phil Cleaves is a researcher, teacher educator and education consultant. He was a Drama and Theatre teacher for ten years before launching essentialdrama.com and sharing theatre thinking through interviews and resources. He has since worked as a consultant with qualification providers Eduqas and Edexcel and co-wrote the Pearson textbooks for GCSE and A level Drama and Theatre.

Phil’s PhD research at the University of Surrey explored the possibilities of an expanded approach to the Drama and Theatre A level. Part of that research developed new ways of observing and recording the language of the rehearsal room.

Beth Curtis completed her doctorate in education with the University of Sunderland in 2023, beginning her journey to PhD through a bespoke practitioner research programme designed for teachers in Further Education. Beth has worked in Further Education since 2008, teaching across level 3 vocational and A Level drama and performing arts courses. Situated in a large FE college in the SouthWest of England, Beth now works within Teacher Education. In her thesis, Beth used playwriting as a creative method of data analysis and (re)presentation to illuminate the stories of A Level Drama students and teachers, with a specific focus on experiences of assessment.