The Central School of Speech and Drama is offering a distance learning diploma in Theatre and Education. Timothy Ramsden reports. When in the late Eighties education officers began appearing across a range of theatre companies, two types emerged: the administrator, who organised a programme taken by specialists, and the participator who led sessions themselves for students, teachers or community groups.
The number of officers, and their diversity of background and approach nowadays has led the Arts Council and Regional Arts Boards to call for training opportunities, a need more urgent with the rapid changes both in education and the arts industry. For theatre workers, London’s Central School of Speech and Drama has responded with a one-year, part-time Post-Experience Diploma in Theatre and Education.
Its first students are nearing the half-way point under the guidance of Central’s lecturer in drama and education Chris Elwell, a former teacher and education worker with the Royal Shakespeare Company and English National Ballet. The 16 students, all in the early stage of their careers, include an actor and director from theatre in education companies, youth arts workers, theatre and arts centre education officers, plus teachers either looking for a career switch or seeking to improve their schools’ professional arts programming. Interest is widespread, with applications for next year’s intake (which Elwell hopes will rise to 20) spreading from Scotland to the Isle of Wight.
As this is a “distance-learning” course, students are encouraged to link up during the year, either regionally or according to their type of work. Sharing ideas and keeping up-to-date with developments are two main aims of the course. Written assignments often prompt students to such links, or point them to specific written sources. Once a term everyone meets for an intensive conference. In October this focused on theatre in education, examining the way a theatre in education programme is put together and the decisions involved. Sessions were led by Central’s Sue Bennion (ex-Greenwich Young People’s Theatre) and Rob West of the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, who used the line through Living Newspapers and Joan Littlewood to examine didactic theatre. This term’s conference will involve two experienced education officers, English Touring Theatre’s Fiona Leslie and Cambridge Theatre Company’s Andy Holland.
Following an introduction to Theatre and Education - recent history and current position in theatre in education and youth theatre plus underlying theories - the Diploma course sets about Towards Good Practice - A Study of Methodology. Chris Elwell is adamant “good practice” is not predetermined but something that will emerge, possibly in varying forms, for each student. While being determinedly non-judgmental, he is also clear there is bad practice abroad in the arts world, either where education officers are overruled by theatre managements, or where an over-confident officer imposes set ideas on colleagues (high turnover rates are a sign of this) or schools.
Ten case studies are used to help students search out good practice, ranging from the West Yorkshire Playhouse, the theatre company Talawa, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Pop-Up Theatre to Newham Arts Education Team and the arts programme in a specific school.
Finally, there will be a unit on The Contemporary Environment, tying in developments post-16 (largely GNVQ), special needs, equal opportunities and other issues affecting theatre’s connection with education throughout the community.
Elwell recalls his days with the RSC and how an actor might be stimulated by watching his work to understand new ways of working with young people - “not just showing an actor’s skills but learning how to use those skills in the most constructive way”.
With the demise of advisers able to bring education and theatre practitioners together, he hopes his students, people at the important meeting point of school, community and theatre will be able to offer appropriate, high quality work, developing new projects to enthuse Arts Boards (several of which already offer Diploma bursaries) into parting with funds. And (he instances the commercial Theatre Royal in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne where the excellence of Jill Scrimshaw’s education work is leading to expansion) he hopes Diploma students will be filling vacancies in developing education departments.
o Full details from Chris Elwell, lecturer in drama and education, Central School of Speech and Drama, Embassy Theatre, 64 Eton Avenue, London NW3 3HY. Tel: 0171 722 8183
