Half Hour Call

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 graduate directly into professional work and their charitable arm provides hundreds of hours of free drama training to young people across the UK. 

Their North London drama school offers accredited undergraduate and postgraduate courses with their unique approach to training.

"Fourth Monkey started life as a revolution. We are grateful to all of those who have been part of our journey and those we are yet to encounter." Charleen Qwaye, Director of Training

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 comprising a speaker, questioner and a chairperson).

The different roles allow students, from Years 9 - 11, to practise and excel in different skill sets, and the competition’s unique format, which pairs the speaker from one school with the chair and questioner of another, encourages quick thinking and relationship building.

We were thrilled to be there for the live event and to be able to catch up with Annabel Thomas and interview her to give us more understanding and context to the whole event.

We hope that as teachers and theatre educators you gain some insight into the ESU's work and the opportunities they offer for young people.

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, how he has benefited from festivals and why he doesn't feel what he does is challenging it is interesting.

"He did it by a simple lighting technique... he was there all along in the shadows... lights on him full blare and he was there" Mark Wheeller and the initial impact performance had on him.

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 ensure more people engage with the venue... "bringing more people into the venue who might not consider drama/theatre as something for them!" 

Patrick is all about 'evolution not revolution' and is working hard with his new team by listening and 'giving a voice to ideas.'

"If you go in [to a theatre] and have a conversation with someone working in participation they will definitively see themselves in you... this was how we all got in ourselves, some adults creating some programme that existed in order to benefit you..." Patrick O'Sullivan.  

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 culture, the different demands and considerations working with primary aged children in a fee-paying setting. 

The power of play, creativity and freedom. Katie explains how her move to a new setting in a new environment kept her in the teaching profession, gave her a new lease of life and fortunately for her students retained a wonderful teacher in the classroom. 

"I've been there where I've questioned staying in teaching, questioned whether there is such a thing as a work life balance when you are a teacher" Katie Day, Head of Prep Drama, Radnor House Sevenoaks. 

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
• through doing rather than just reading about it
• by finding joy, connectivism and things that are universal
• whilst looking out and after each other with mischief

Splendid "go in, encourage young people to have an autonomy of their work, to feel powerful, to feel brave, to look after each other" this view is very much what we are trying to do with drama teachers and theatre educators here at Open Drama UK too. 

Favourite quote of the conversation...

"This wouldn't get through 10 minutes in front of 400 year 10's who are there for a bronze arts award... in the gym" Kerry Frampton's laugh out loud comment on how important the power of theatre is and if it isn't good enough for young people - you aren't given them what they need. 

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 not afraid of greatness" she has some brilliant top tips to share, speak very candidly about her role and how lucky she feels to be in post with so many exciting projects coming up.

"It is good for young people to interrogate him [Shakespeare] if you think he is godlike and put him on a pedestal that might not be helpful!" Lucy Cuthbertson, Co-Director of the Globe's Education Department.    

"I like the feeling of risk we have at The Globe." Lucy Cuthbertson, Co-Director of the Globe's Education Department.   

In this month's episode Dorset Champion for Open Drama UK, Carl Dunnington is in conversation with Professor Dan Rebellato from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Dan is a Professor of Contemporary Theatre, specialising in British Contemporary Theatre. Dan has lecturer for over 30 years and his wealth of experience gives us a unique insight into how graduates have changed over the last three decades.

Carl and Dan discuss openly the disconnect between Level 3 teaching of Drama and what then happens for young people starting undergraduate study of Drama. Dan is very positive about the impact that Drama teachers are having on the quality of students they are receiving at Royal Holloway. 

"Drama teachers are giving us extraordinary, confident, creative students." Dan Rebellato

Dan talks about the different ways academics assess understanding of Drama and Theatre in undergraduates and how these vast methods support the employability of their graduates.  

"Drama has a so much more all embracing notion of what counts as intelligence" Dan Rebellato

This month, Holly Barradell is in conversation with two Drama teachers who now find themselves in very different but related roles. This month's episode complements our November themed focus for Early Career Drama Teachers, "All about you and being new!"

Joining Holly in conversation is Kate Miller, Head of School at St Marylebone CofE Bridge School (a special school for 11 to 16 year olds with an SEN provision for Speech, Language and Communication) but Kate was once a Drama teacher and Head of Drama and she shares with us her insights and wise words for those on the ground in the Drama studio. Being Dyslexic herself, Kate is so passionate about supporting all young people to achieve and advocates for the power of the arts to have life long positive impacts on young people. 

"Drama teachers make the best Headteachers!" Kate Miller

Also joining the conversation is Gemma Woffinden, our Co-champion for West Yorkshire and once upon a time Drama teacher and Head of Faculty who is now a Youth Theatre Director with an extraordinary array of experiences in the classroom, rehearsal studio and professional theatre. Gemma is very open and honest about her views on teaching and gives she fantastic advice for those of us still in the classroom, especially those in their early career - where taking time to reflect and consider is needed. 

"You are enough. The job doesn't have a full stop." Gemma Woffinden

In this month's episode of 'Half Hour Call' Co-founder and Champion for the East Midlands, Ed Boott interviews Katie Mitchell. 

Their conversation explains more about Katie's influences and phases of her work since 1990 to 2021. Katie reminds us all how even the best sometimes struggle, reflecting on her own imposter syndrome feelings and how in her early days she wasn't successful with any of her bursary applications - it wasn't until she set up her own company on the fringe that he career really took off. 

This informative and warm conversation with Open Drama UK gives us an insight into Katie's world whilst showing how in awe of the teaching profession she is.

"The creativity in a secondary classroom is just as important as an enormous avant-garde production in Berlin!" Katie Mitchell.

*Please be aware that there is a quoted swear word within this interview. 

In this month's episode of 'Half Hour Call' Ali Warren interviews Sarah Lambie (Editor, Drama & Theatre magazine) and George Spender (Founder Publisher and Managing Director at Salamander Street Limited) to discuss all things publishing within the world of drama education. 

Their conversation explains more about the world of writing, understanding the process of submitting writing, the vision for Salamander Street and Drama & Theatre magazine moving forward and why Glasgow's lunchtime theatre scene 'A play, a pie and a pint' is an incredible new writing machine!   

"As we reopen and try to rebuild our society theatre can have an incredibly powerful, civic role for our communities... a lot of the most effective work will be made by and for local communities" George Spender.

In the second episode of 'Half Hour Call' Holly Barradell (currently an Extended member of SLT, Drama teacher with a specialism in Technical Theatre and Champion for Open Drama UK South East) interviews Chris Tindall about his role as a school Technical Theatre Manager. This episode talks about the processes of being a technician, how students learn through failure in the live aspects of making theatre, how you can pitch more strategically for a theatre technician of your own and how to purchase equipment and resources that will support your technical theatre offer. Chris suggests equipment that won't blow a Drama department budget and answers guest questions with clarity and generous offers of support. 

"...if you're a technician in a school environment - making you, your skills and your equipment available to whomever needs it." Chris Tindall.

In the first ever episode of 'Half Hour Call' Ali Warren (Experienced Drama teacher and Champion for Open Drama UK South West) interviews Matthew Nichols about his new book 'The Drama Teachers' Survival Guide.' This lighthearted, informal interview introduces us to Matthew, why he wrote this book, his experiences from teaching, examining and consulting over the last two decades and why so many Drama teachers can relate. 

"There is such solidarity in the Drama teaching community" Matthew Nichols.