University of Leeds Drama Teacher Conference 2019

This annual Drama teacher conference aims to bring teachers together to network and share ideas. Head of school Professor Alice O’Grady opens the day by welcoming, and tells us ‘it's your day’.

I meet youth theatre leaders, PGCE tutors; secondary and primary teachers. FE lecturers, HE fellows, people from museums, charities, theatres, theatre companies, students, and more. There is a buzz to the day and the aim of bringing people together has succeeded.

Keynote speaker Hywel Roberts talks us through why he believes Drama and stories are the key to engagement and motivation. He uses personal stories of working with young people, alongside informed research: stories from the classroom that illustrate Drama as a way for us to exercise professional imagination in ‘warming up cold curriculum’. He argues Drama is humanising, and moves learners from engaged to invested.

First is a practical workshop on rehearsal room techniques with theatre director Amy Leach from Leeds Playhouse. The ensemble activities are innovative and can easily transfer to work with young people. We talk of complicity, synergy and inclusion. We reflect about how we find meaning in movements. Afterwards teachers talk about which classes they will use the exercises with on Monday.

Dr Tony Gardner leads us through a practical exploration of Anne Bogart's ‘viewpoints of space and time’ and how to use them in creating performance material. We discuss the viewpoints, then use them, taking part in a movement activity exploring spatial relationships and the ‘architecture’ of performance by moving and placing set and props in an evolving piece set to music. Again, thoughtful work underpinned by research that can be used in the classroom.

‘Thinking Light’ is a brilliant workshop: Scott Palmer is another research-informed professional whose love of his specialism is tangible. He introduces us to basic tenets of lighting and some required reading, before turning the lights out and asking us to close our eyes. Dramatically there is then a candle in the space burning brightly. Scott asks us: ‘what can you see?’ Our responses become ‘this is how I feel’ and we are back to Hywels ‘warm’ curriculum. We are learning technical knowledge about lighting, but we are invested through the Drama.

The whole day balances theory with practical activities you can use in your classroom right away.

https://tinyurl.com/DTAu1LeedsDTC