Drama: Education & Community

This course engages you with theatre in education, community theatre, theatre & the criminal justice system and theatre & activism. By exploring your passion for theatre & performance you can realise the value of creative collaboration for social and ecological change. On this course you will have the unique opportunity to engage in applied theatre, through educational & community placements. You will develop an understanding of the power of theatre for social change across differing social contexts, in order to have impact and value in people’s lives. In this practical and creative course, you will facilitate, perform, direct and produce drama workshops and theatre performances and experience how drama can bring together & empower marginalised communities. You will work on placement in community, educational and industry settings, facilitating participatory drama and theatre practice, whilst working alongside professional artists, drama practitioners, drama teachers and theatre directors. You will have the opportunity to learn how to plan, devise, develop and deliver your theatre & performance practice for different social settings, on stage and for digital platforms. You will learn from our long-standing relationships with organisations across York and the wider region in schools, prisons, care homes, learning disabled provisions, recovery and health settings and how drama can be accessible and impactful and can unearth and illuminate powerful individual and community narratives.

Some examples of the partnerships we have across the region include

Mind the Gap – Europe’s leading disability theatre companies specialising in working alongside artists with learning disabilities

York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre – you will have the opportunity to work on weekly youth theatre workshops and performances

Converge – educational & arts provision for adults who use mental health services

Dancing for Wellbeing – engage in weekly sessions utisising dance and music to help improve elderly people’s physical, emotional and social well being

NSPCC It’s Not Love & It’s Not Ok touring theatre in education plays and film and digital resources workshops

YSJ Prison Partnership Project - work alongside artists to deliver innovative drama & creative arts programs in prison and in community recovery & homeless settings

YSJ Living Lab – collaborate with artists to investigate real-life, local ecological justice issues