Tag: conference

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Musical Theatre Conference returns to in-person gatherings this year

On Monday, 16 May 11:00am – 6:00pm BST at Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street, Southside B5 4TB, the UK Musical Theatre Conference returns to being a live, in-person only event after two years of Covid restrictions.

This year the theme is ‘Worlds to change and worlds to win’ – New musical theatre for our times

This is the UK’s main Conference event focusing on the musical theatre sector and art form in the UK, and is an invaluable way to network and gain an overview of musical theatre in the UK.

It’s shaping up to be an exciting gathering, with confirmed speakers so far including artistic director Suba Das (Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres), rapaturg Gerel Falconer (‘Black Power Desk’), writers Francesca Forristal and Jordan Clarke (‘Public Domain’), producer Ameena Hamid (‘The Wiz’), academic Pamela Karantonis (Goldsmiths), director Angharad Lee (‘The Last 5 Years’), creative Meg McGrady (‘The Phase’), writer Leo Mercer (‘Guy’), director Kerry Michael MBE (‘Tommy’), legal expert Stephen Pidcock (Clintons Solicitors), producer Chris Sudworth (Birmingham Hippodrome), writer Rachel Victor-Sampson (‘Royals & Rebels’), composer Tim Sutton (‘To the Streets!’) and writer DJ Walde (‘Sylvia’).

After two years of almost all MMD and MTN’s events being held online, we are planning the 2022 UK Musical Theatre Conference as a solely in-person event. This is in keeping with past Conferences and the rare opportunity they offer for gathering together those focused on new musical theatre in the UK, to network and connect in the breaks as well as debate during the formal sessions.

This year’s Conference will look at areas where musical theatre is making a difference within the performing arts and wider society, and poised to make more significant impacts over the next decade. For surely this is a time when the world needs more musical theatre. At this stage we expect session topics to include how musical theatre can engage audiences with the climate crisis, musical theatre that amplifies the voices of particular communities, adapting real life stories for musical theatre, and evolving approaches to making musical theatre more inclusive. Further details and speakers to be announced soon.

Booking gives attendees access in person to dedicated networking sessions (10-11am and 5.15-6.15pm) with musical theatre industry peers, and to the conference sessions (11am-1.30pm and 3-5.15pm), with further networking opportunities over lunch, which will be provided at the venue thanks to conference sponsors.

The 2022 UK Musical Theatre Conference is brought to you by Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments, in association with Birmingham Hippodrome. Concord Theatricals are lead sponsor of the 2022 UK Musical Theatre Conference, and Theatrical Rights Worldwide as session sponsors. Thanks also to Birmingham Hippodrome as venue partner, and to Arts Council England for their core funding of Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments as co-producers of the Conference.

For ticket and event information, click here

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You’re invited to the Polish SIBMAS conference on 28th October

Here’s a free online event you may be interested in on Thursday 28th October.

Prior to its 33rd Conference, SIBMAS is delighted to invite theatre-lovers, in conjunction with the Polish Theatre Institute, to their autumn online short symposium, which will be held on 28th October 2021, at 3 pm (CEST)/ 2pm (BST) . The online event is titled:

Global Disconnections: Performing Arts Collections in the time of a Pandemic.

The description is as follows

“In these still difficult times, we would like to focus on the influence the pandemic has had on the functioning of member organizations of SIBMAS and other cultural institutions. We would like to also discuss the new solutions and practices developed during the lockdown.
During the first two-hour section of the conference, three speakers will be highlighted: Maria Babicka from the Polish Theatre Institute, Eric Colleary – Cline Curator of Theatre and Performing Arts from Harry Ransom Centre, The University of Texas at Austin, and Ramona Riedzewski – the former Head of Collections Management of the recently dissolved dedicated Department of Performing Arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.”

There is free access online for everybody + Coffee Roulette on registration, as well as live coverage on social media. Please join them if you can for what sounds like a fascinating analysis of arts in the time of Covid.

For more information and registration, visit http://www.sibmas.org/conferences/invitation/

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National Theatre’s Drama Teacher Conference draws 500 teachers!

Over the half term holiday, almost 500 drama teachers from across the UK gave up their half-term to attend the National’s first-ever digital Drama Teacher Conference. As this was the first time the conference was held online, the benefit was that they were able to welcome more than triple the number of teachers they can normally host at the NT.

Attendees were able to join over 30 masterclasses led by leading theatre makers including director Marianne Elliott (Angels in America), actor Maxine Peake, and theatre critic Lyn Gardner.  

During the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, drama teachers have faced significantly more than their fair share of disruption, with drama being such a practical subject, and so the flexibility, ingenuity and sheer dedication of drama teachers across the UK is to be applauded. On top of that, how amazing that so many dedicated teachers voluntarily gave up their own half term break! 

It’s teachers who inspire the next generation of theatre-makers, and I am sure that we are all grateful for their dedication and love for not only their subject, but also for their students.