Half Hour Call

We are thrilled to have been in conversation this month with Sam Marsden. Sam has recently published a couple of books to support Drama teachers and theatre practitioners within the rehearsal room/classroom studio. We've reviewed the books on our blog and you can read more here: https://opendramauk.org/2024/05/07/878/ We hope you will be able to join us at our 'Illuminate North' confer...

This month Holly Barradell is in conversation with Anne Langford, co-creator of Helen Crevel’s original audio piece  Seedling  – that focuses on potential motherhood, environmental responsibility and consumerism – will be installed alongside a new audio piece for children and young people under 12. Housed in a specially designed space, audiences are once again invited inside to hear the piece, fee...

In this month's episode Holly Barradell (ODUK Co-founder) is in conversation with Liam Shea, National Outreach Manager at National Saturday Club. In this warm and jovial conversation Holly and Liam discuss the performance, theatre and screen strands of the National Saturday Club's offer, why access is so crucial and how we need to engage with student voice for us all to benefit from the ne...

Holly Barradell and Alex Duarte - Davies, Director of Get into Theatre talk all about what Get into Theatre is and how it provides support and information for Drama teachers. This conversation was recorded in person at Mast Mayflower Studios on Friday 13th January 2024 during the Illuminate 24 conference where Get into Theatre were on hand to support delegates and share information. If you are int...

In this month's episode, Ali Warren is in conversation with Sylvia Darkwa-Ohemeng, Founder and Company Director of Backstage Niche. Talking all things Backstage, roles and opportunities because "A career in the creative industry especially theatre is niche and the number of Global majorities working within that is a niche group. We want to change the narrative on both aspects." We ar...

In this month's episode, Ali Warren is in conversation with Helen Barnett, Creative Director of Trestle Theatre Company . Helen and Ali talk about the power of mask work not only from a Drama academic perspective but also for pastoral and community benefit. Trestle will be running a workshop as part of the ILLUMINATE 24 conference in January 2024, you can book your tickets for this event here.

In this month's episode, Holly Barradell is in conversation with Fourth Monkey's, Steven Green and Charleen Qwaye, the Fourth Monkey co-founders.  Steven is the Artistic Director and Charleen is the Director of Training. They founded Fourth Monkey in 2010 with the mission of revolutionising drama training. The Fourth Monkey Ensemble theatre company gives their actors the opportunity to gra...

In this month's episode we are in conversation with Amit Lahav, Artistic Director of Gecko which was founded in 2001. Their latest production, Kin, which was commissioned by the National Theatre, toured in late 2022 and early 2023 and it takes to the road again this autumn and will be performed at the National Theatre in January 2024. Amit talks with our Champion, Carl, about all things Gecko,...

Welcome back to Series 4! To begin this series, this month Holly is in conversation with Sharon Studer, Chair of theatre works! , a charity that provides theatre tickets to disadvantaged children. The charity, theatre works!, has been operating since 2021 and has given or committed to give around 4000 tickets to school children aged 7-16. They target schools and theatres that have the most disadva...

In this month's conversation, the last episode of the academic year, Holly Barradell is in conversation with Isla van Tricht  - writer, lyricist and sex educator, (More info about Isla and her work  here) and Christine Bacon  - playwright, producer and Co-Artistic Director of  ice&fire theatre . ice&fire theatre was founded in 2003 and explores human rights themes through performance. ...

In this month's episode we've done something slightly different, our co-founder Karen Latto recorded the content live from Churchill College at Cambridge University for the ESU's (English Speaking Union) prestigious Churchill Public Speaking Competition, sponsored by the International Churchill Society. It is the largest such contest in England and Wales, with around 400 teams (each co...

In this month's episode, Ali Warren is in conversation with Michael McCabe, Executive Producer for Wicked. Michael has been the 'custodian' of the production for the last 17 years having looked after the performance since it moved from Broadway to London in 2006. This powerful production explores friendship as the main and overarching theme rather than a performance about romantic conn...

In this month's conversation, Holly Barradell is in conversation with Alex Scaife (Flood Resilience Engagement Advisor, Environment Agency) and Angela Rogers (Communication Manager, DEFRA) to talk about how they are using the power of theatre to educate communities in the NE of England with the risks that Flooding presents.... think Science and Geography meets Drama and Theatre! Alex Scaife co...

In this month's conversation Ali Warren is in conversation with Jacqui O'Hanlon MBE, Director of Learning and National Partnerships at the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Jacqui talks with great passion and honesty about the work of both the departments (Learning and National Partnerships) she oversees and gives us an insight in to the work that they do to support 2000 teachers a year via approx....

In this month's conversation Ali Warren from Open Drama UK is in conversation with playwright Mark Wheeller.  Mark opens up about where it all started for him, his passion for David Bowie and why he wants to tell the stories of others through the power of theatre and performance.  With authenticity and passion he talks us through his reasons for why he does what he does with top tips, ho...

In this month's episode, Jack Beswick (Merseyside champion for Open Drama UK) is in conversation with Cate Hollis, the Founder of Voices of the Holocaust. Jack has first hand experience of how wonderful the work of Voices of the Holocaust is and wanted to share the important work that is achieved with more Drama teachers and theatre educators. Voices of the Holocaust is the only specialist Holocau...

In this month's episode, Carl Dunnington is in conversation with Patrick O'Sullivan, Head of Creative Learning at Mayflower and MAST theatres in Southampton. This conversation gives us an insight into running an engagement/participation department in a professional working theatre. Patrick is currently writing a 3 year business strategy and shaping his vision for his new team of 13 colleagues to e...

In this month's episode, Holly Barradell is in conversation with Katie Day. Katie has just started a new role as the Head of Drama at Radnor House Sevenoaks Prep school. Katie qualified as a Drama teacher in 2010 and worked in state, secondary education for 12 years before making the change to independent and primary age teaching.  Katie and Holly talk openly and honestly about the change in...

In this month's episode Carl Dunnington (Dorset Champion for Open Drama UK) is joined by Kerry Frampton to talk all things Splendid! Kerry is so open, honest, reflective and warm as she discusses her life through the lens of theatre and why she creates the work she does today for young people.  Splendid's vision and approach is to create theatre that: makes complex things straight forward thr...

Welcome back to Series 3 of Open Drama UK's Half Hour Call CPD Podcast.  We start this series with our South London Champion, Quin Golding, in conversation with Sinead O'Callaghan, Head of Engagement at Les Enfants Terribles. Sinead and Quin talk through so much of what Les Enfants Terribles has to offer to support young people and their teachers.  You can read more about the company her...

In this month's episode, and the last episode for Series 2, Holly Barradell is in conversation with Dr Krystal Wilkinson and Caroline Biddle .  "What do we really know about family formation?" and how can we educate and empower people to understand more about the work life interface, the complex journey of fertility and how can we raise awareness with different stakeholder groups? Through Dra...

In this month's episode, Ali Warren is in conversation with Janet Shell . Janet provides voice coaching and communication skills to teachers. Janet is an experienced classroom teacher herself who has also had a long career as a professional opera singer and singing teacher. She now brings her broad expertise and her technical knowledge of the voice to offer personal and targeted training in health...

In this month's episode, Holly Barradell is in conversation with Steve Mel 'Mr Mel' (Head of Science and Computing at Hayling College) founder and creator of 'Teacher Fast Feedback' a device created with the intention of improving teacher well being by reducing the number of hours spent marking and giving feedback to students.  It has been trading since October 2021 and by the time this podca...

In this month's episode, Holly Barradell is in conversation with Hetty Steele (Head of Drama at Bishop Stortford High School) and Bindya Chauhan (Head of Drama at Kellett School, British International School in Hong Kong) talking all things parenting and drama teaching.  In the month that followed International Women's Day and Mothering Sunday it felt apt to discuss the difficulties and barri...

In this month's episode Ali Warren, Open Drama UK Co-founder and champion for the South West is in conversation with Lucy Cuthbertson, Co-Director of Shakespeare's Globe Education department.  Lucy is a former teacher herself and has been in post at The Globe since September 2019. Having worked for the bulk of that time through a pandemic she is definitely the epitome of the famous line "Be n...