Making Hip Hop Theatre by Conrad Murray and Katie Beswick

Conrad Murray's book looks at a style of theatre that is missing from the mainstream, delving into a world that many of us have not seen on stage, but many more of us should. ‘I wanted to create hip hop theatre because I felt there was something missing from theatre,’ writes Murray. ‘There were no books I had read, shows I had seen, practitioners I had studied that expressed the feelings I had in my head or body.’ He is absolutely right – and, as a result, he's produced a fresh and authentic resource for drama teachers everywhere.

For those who have never seen a hip hop theatre show, the idea of teaching it as more than just an abstract theory is slightly daunting. But this isn't simply relevant to those wanting to focus on hip hop theatre: it has been written as a manual to make new types of theatre more accessible in the classroom. Therefore, many of the exercises would be useful as an approach to devising across any genre. Beswick notes the importance of inviting local hip hop practitioners in for a workshop.